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Outgoing Students Exchange Process

UH Hilo Home > Student Affairs > National Student Exchange

Information available on these pages and related links will be updated periodically. Please re-visit occasionally to ensure that you are up-to-date with your exchange process.

Planning your Exchange

Obtain an NSE application form from the UH Hilo NSE office, located in the Campus Center Building, Room 313.

Important note for Graduating Seniors: Read our Senior Alert! Page for details!

Finding a Campus

  1. Obtain a copy of the free NSE Directory (located on the UH Hilo NSE office door, on the third floor of the Campus Center Building, room 313.)
  2. After reading the brochure, preferably select several schools of interest to you.
  3. Visit the internet web pages of the schools. You may access them via the NSE website www.nse.org "member campus" link button.
  4. Make an appointment with the UH Hilo NSE coordinator to discuss potential exchange choices, including campuses offering your major.
  5. Complete and submit your 2012-13 Application (please read the application instructions), obtain a recommendation from a UH Hilo faculty member, and submit the application fee of $160.
  6. Consult with your UH Hilo academic advisor regarding appropriate courses to select at the potential "host" school(s).

Financial Issues

  1. Create an estimated budget for the cost of your exchange.
  2. Consult with the UH Hilo financial aid office if you are currently receiving and/or applying for financial aid for the exchange term(s).
  3. An NSE Scholarship is available for Hawai'i residents with major financial need who have filed their FAFSA applications. Contact the NSE office for information about The Edwin T. and Leilani Kam scholarship.
  4. Include FAFSA codes on the FAFSA form for all potential schools of exchange if considering a Plan A exchange. Enter UH Hilo's FAFSA code for a Plan B exchange. FAFSA codes for NSE schools can be found in the free Directory of Exchange Opportunities booklet available at the campus NSE office.

Congratulations to this year's Edwin T. and Leilani Kam scholarship recipients! Please keep in mind that the UH Hilo Financial Aid office will be notified of your award. Check with them regarding any impact on your overall financial aid package.

After Placement

Paperwork and Forms

  1. Meet with UH Hilo NSE coordinator and complete a Placement Acceptance Form (PAF). Read the "Conditions of Placement" info on the back of the form before signing.
  2. Complete an application for admission to the host institution, as instructed by the "host" campus.
  3. Complete an application for housing/meals at the host campus.
  4. Complete any other forms sent to you by the "host" school and pay any required fees.
  5. Complete any pre-registration steps requested by the host campus
  6. Obtain copy of health record (if required by the host campus) and forward to host campus.
  7. Update any contact info changes on MyUH Portal and notify both the host and home school NSE offices. Also, provide summer contact info when known.
  8. International Students must consult with Jim Mellon, the International Student Advisor about their immigration status and I-20 update to reflect their travel away from the UH Hilo campus.

Classes

  1. You must be a full-time student on exchange (equals 12 semester-credits per term OR 24 semester-credits per academic year.)
  2. Quarter/tri-mester schools: Note: One (1) quarter-credit equals 66% of one (1) semester-credit. If you drop below the 12-credit minimum, contact Zach Street (UH Hilo NSE Coordinator) and the UH Hilo Financial Aid Office immediately.
    • For example, if you take 12 credits per quarter term, they will transfer back at 12 * 66% = 8 credits. Therefore, after 3 "quarter" terms, you will have 36 * 66% = 24 "semester" credits. You simply need to make sure your "total quarter" credits equal 24 "semester" credits at the end of your exchange year--if you are exchanging for a full academic year.
  3. Only classes that you receive a "C" or better in will transfer back to UH Hilo.
  4. Meet with your UH Hilo Academic Advisor to obtain class selection approval.
  5. Get prior approval from your UH Hilo academic advisor for taking Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit classes.
  6. For 100 and 200-level classes, have a UH Hilo Admissions Office Counselor review your class list to determine equivalent UH Hilo classes. Obtain the "Pre-Exchange Course Approval" form online or from the UH Hilo NSE Office--and complete this process before you go on exchange.
  7. Register for classes at your "host" school. Availability of specific classes cannot be guaranteed.
  8. Your UH Hilo institutional GPA on exchange will not change. You will get credit for passed classes with a grade of "C" and above.

Financial Information

  1. Pay tuition/fees to "host" school (Plan A) or "home" school (Plan B.) *see note below.
  2. If going on Plan A, you must apply for financial aid from the host school. Enter their FAFSA code into your FAFSA record. FAFSA codes can be found in the NSE Directory of Exchange Opportunities booklet. If you have previously received a student loan, contact the UH Hilo financial aid office to have your lender informed that you are still attending college.
  3. Have your tuition refund deposited directly into your bank account by registering online for eRefund PDF Document.

*Note: While on exchange, an NSE "filler code" will be placed in your record at UH Hilo indicating that you are a UH Hilo student on NSE exchange. The UH Hilo NSE coordinator will enter the "filler code" in late December for the Spring semester. The" filler code" will generate UH Hilo tuition and fees for Plan B students based on their residency status.

The tuition payment deadline for Spring 2012 is 4 p.m. on (TBA).

The UH Hilo Financial Aid Office has indicated that for completed student financial aid files, Spring Perkins Loans, SHEL Loans, Stafford Loans, and grants will be disbursed in January 2012. For details about your UH Hilo financial aid package, please contact the Financial Aid Office directly.

2011-12 Resident (and NTRD) tuition and fees are $5,944 ($2,972 per semester), including the $78 Student Life (and Recreation) Center fee. Non-Resident tuition and fees are $17,416 ($8,708 per semester) and WUE tuition and fees are $8,764 ($4,382 per semester).

[A filler for Plan A students is also entered to retain them as "continuing" UH Hilo students. Neither Plan A nor Plan B students need to be re-admitted. They can "early" register for classes as "continuing UH Hilo students." Generally, registration will be based on their class standing at UH Hilo "before" they went on exchange.]

Tuition/fees will automatically be deducted from " Plan B students' " UH Hilo financial aid awards. Any money left over from financial aid awards will be mailed to the "mailing" address students have entered in their MyUH Portal accounts. Therefore, be sure to update your mailing address if necessary. Students must pay any balance due of tuition/fees not covered by financial aid monies.

Students receiving tuition waivers must still pay the "fees" portion of tuition and fees.

Unpaid balances listed in MyUH Portal must be paid by credit card online or check/money order made out to "UH Hilo" and mailed to the UH Hilo Business Office "Cashier" at 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo, HI 96720.

New UH Hilo Payment Plan!!!!

Students with $300 minimum balances can enroll in a payment plan for a non-refundable fee of $30 per semester. For details, see "MyUH" portal's "payment plan" link. For further info, contact the UH Hilo Business Office at 808-974-7404.

Travel Arrangements

Be careful about when you need to use the return portion of a round-trip plane ticket if your exchange is for one term only. Many internet purchases, for example, require use within a three-month period. Since most terms are approximately four months long, that wouldn't work!

While on Exchange

  1. Notify host coordinator of your arrival.
  2. Update your local contact information in the MyUH Portal system.
  3. Keep both your host and home coordinators up-to-date with any changes to your contact information.
  4. Request a transcript be sent to the UH Hilo NSE Office after each exchange term ends. The UH Hilo NSE office keeps a copy and forwards the original to the Admissions Office.
  5. If you are on exchange for less than an academic year (less than 2 semesters or 3 quarters) and would like to "extend" your exchange to the same campus or another campus, contact the UH Hilo NSE office then submit a new NSE application to the UH Hilo NSE Office. (Download link at top of this page.) Fax to (808) 933-0047. No new NSE application fee will be charged if placement extension is within the "same academic year."

Preparing to Return Home

You do not need to re-apply for admission to UH Hilo when returning from exchange.

  1. Ensure that the host school sent a transcript to the UH Hilo, NSE Office, Campus Center Room 313, 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo, HI 96720. The transcript will be delivered to the Admissions Office who will evaluate the credits and record the data into your student record.
  2. When returning from exchange, apply for financial aid at UH Hilo, if applicable. Use the UH Hilo FAFSA code (001611). Financial aid for the next term will not be disbursed until the UH Hilo Financial Aid Office has confirmed your academic progress while on exchange by reviewing your transcript from the host school.
  3. Make housing arrangements. (UH Hilo's on-campus Housing Application will be due while you are still on exchange. Visit the UH Hilo "housing" page for application details.)
  4. "Early" Register for UH Hilo classes; consult with Financial Aid; pay tuition/fees. Returning students are eligible to early register (Typically, April for Fall Semesters, November for Spring Semesters); check MyUH portal for exact dates. Note: If you are taking "pre-requisite" classes while you are on exchange and do not yet have an official grade recorded in your UH Hilo record, you should contact your UH Hilo academic advisor. E-mail the UH Hilo NSE Office <uhhnse@hawaii.edu> if assistance is needed.

Upon Returning Home

  1. Update your local contact information in the MyUH Portal system.
  2. Complete the electronic "Exchange Evaluation" on this website and meet with the UH Hilo NSE coordinator to evaluate your exchange experience.
  3. Check MyUH Portal to verify that your exchange transcript has been recorded properly on your permanent UH Hilo record by the UH Hilo Admissions Office.

Note: According to the UH Hilo Financial Aid Office, the NSE "filler" code entry cannot be removed from your record. This NSE filler does not affect your GPA, but will be counted towards your "Total Attempted Hours". This may impact your financial aid, for more details contact the UH Hilo Financial Aid Office directly at either 974-7523 or 974-7524.