Eligibility and timing

• Enrolment at the University in an undergraduate programme or a taught postgraduate programme of at least 180 points.
• Completed at least two full-time semesters prior to the start of the exchange.
  
• Demonstrated academic merit (a minimum cumulative GPA of 5.0*, which is a B average). 
• Suitability of your proposed programme at the host university to your programme of study at the University.
• Your suitability as a representative of the University.
• After applying to 360 International: If you have received a nomination offer (given permission to apply to your nominated partner university for the exchange programme), you must also achieve a term GPA of 4.0** (B-) in the semester before your exchange. 
  

Law students: please see the Law section on this page regarding compulsory courses you must complete prior to the Law exchange.

If you no longer fulfil the criteria, 360 International has the right to withdraw you from the exchange.

*Cumulative GPA: grade point average from all your semesters studied at the University of Auckland, inclusive of current and past programme enrolment

**Term GPA: a particular semester’s grade point average

Note on GPA

We understand students may have had a particular semester(s) or grade(s) which have impacted your GPA, and you may be recovering from a low GPA from a particular time in your degree. Applicants with a cumulative GPA between 4.5-5.0 may be considered on a case by case basis, with confirmed support from your faculty. However, you must have demonstrated academic progress in your studies, particularly in the two most recent semesters. If you are concerned about not meeting the GPA requirement, please contact 360 International.

GPA requirements on partner fact sheets

On the exchange partner university fact sheets, you'll commonly see the GPA requirement for partner universities is 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. Please note this is the US 4.0 GPA scale, which is the standard international GPA scale. The University of Auckland uses a 9.0 GPA scale.

• A 3.0 on the 4.0 scale is equivalent to a B average, which is a 5.0 GPA (B) on the Auckland scale. This means students need to have at least a minimum cumulative Auckland GPA of 5.0 (B) to be eligible for the exchange programme.
  

Courseload on exchange

Students are expected to enrol between 45 to 75 points in one semester for exchange, with the average being 60 points that students complete. If intending to apply for exchange in the final semester of study, students must have at least 45 points remaining in their degree. Note, if you wish to utilise the GenEd exemption and plan to enrol in 45 points only, please read more information on the GenEd exemption page.

Tuition fees

You pay your tuition fees to the University of Auckland for the exchange programme, not the host university. Your tuition fees are based on the number of points you're intending to transfer back from the exchange (45 to 75 points per semester).

Domestic and international students are eligible to apply for exchange. Please note that if you’re a permanent resident of New Zealand and if you wish to apply for exchange in a country where you’re considered to be familiar with, this may impact your tuition fees. Please see Fees and money matters.

• Your degree, and recommended timings for each degree
• What stage of your degree you are currently in for your enrolled programme 
• Remaining time until graduation

Discuss timing and courses with the Student Hubs

Before you apply for the exchange, you need to discuss your courses and when the best time is to go on exchange with the Student Hubs.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you have discussed that you are eligible for exchange and have completed the necessary prerequisites for your degree prior to the exchange, where applicable.

Duration for exchange

You can go on exchange for one or two semesters, depending on the feasibility of your programme.

• For some programmes you can only be able to do one semester abroad, such as the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree. 
• If planning for two semesters on exchange, you need to ensure that you have enough courses left in your degree to complete two semesters abroad. You should also consider the practicalities of studying abroad for two semesters in terms of finances, accommodation, visa and other matters. 
• Some partner universities may not necessarily permit a two semester exchange, especially if starting in Auckland Semester One (winter/spring semester).

Going on exchange in your third or final year

Generally for Bachelors degrees that are three years in duration, the recommended time to go on exchange is in your second year. If going in your final year, careful planning is required so that you can still complete your remaining degree requirements and stay on track for graduation. Where possible in your degree, you should leave your general education exemption space and any elective courses for the exchange semester to have flexible course options, and complete compulsory or core courses at the University of Auckland.

Thinking of going in your final semester?

You need to have at least 45 points remaining in your degree, and ideally the course requirements remaining will offer a high degree of flexibility. You'll need to keep in mind the following:

• Research the partner universities and courses offered thoroughly to ensure you can fulfil your remaining degree requirements at the host university and graduate upon returning to Auckland. 
• Be aware that specific courses cannot be guaranteed on exchange, even if an equivalent course as been offered in a previous term at the host university and/or approved on your course approvals. 
• For a range of reasons, the course(s) you hope to enrol in may not be available when it comes time for enrolment at the host university, which may impact your ability to proceed with the exchange at short notice and/or delay your plans for graduation.

Planning for exchange as a conjoint student

You have more flexibility, as you may be able to select courses from either one or both halves of your degree. It will also depend if the partner university will permit exchange students to take courses from different departments or faculties, as this may not always be possible.

When you go is determined by how you schedule your courses. Please plan carefully on both sides of your degree, especially if Law is one of your degrees. We advise planning out your whole degree, including the exchange semester, and identifying which courses you will take at Auckland and which courses you intend to complete on exchange.

Notes for Law conjoints:

• Be prepared to only focus on one side of your conjoint degree, as it's generally not possible to take a mix of Law courses and other subjects on exchange. Partner universities generally do not permit students to take courses outside of Law, if nominated as a Law student.
• If planning to do an exchange for the other side of your conjoint, please note you cannot be enrolled to complete full year Law papers in the same year that you're planning to go abroad for the exchange. You will need to rearrange when you will complete your full year Law papers.

Undergraduate

Architecture: it is possible to do an exchange at both the Bachelors and Masters level.

• BAS students may go in Semester Two of second year or Semester One of third year.
• MArch(Prof) and its combined version students* may apply for one semester in the taught section of the degree (second semester of Masters first year).
  

*Note: Combined masters include MArch(Prof) Urban (Prof), MArch(Prof) Her Cons and March(Prof)UrbDes.

Arts: second year, but third year may be possible.

Business: Second year, but third year may be possible. Students must plan to take BUSINESS 202 and BCOM Capstone (BUSINESS 350 - 353) at the University of Auckland, as these cannot be credited from an exchange programme.

• An exchange is not possible for the Bachelor of Property programme due to the programme structure.
  

Creative Arts and Industries: second year, but third year may be possible. For a list of department advisers and faculty-specific information, please see Creative Arts and Industries student exchange overview.

Design: BDes students may go in Semester Two of second year or Semester One of third year.

Education and Social Work: Exchange is only available for Sport, Health and Physical Education students. Please consult with your programme leader as timing may be flexible. Exchange is currently unavailable for Social Work students and the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) programme due to New Zealand practicum and teaching council requirements.

Engineering: Semester Two of Part II or any semester of Part III. You can only go for one semester and transfer back a maximum of 60 points. For a list of department advisers and faculty-specific information, please see Engineering student exchange.

Global Studies: please see below.

• Bachelor of Global Studies: second or third year. Apply for exchange first and if you receive a nomination offer, then discuss your courses, suitable for your major, area study or language at stage II or stage III, with the Global Studies Programme and Student Adviser.
• Global Studies conjoints: The timing may vary depending on your specific conjoint options, please check advice for both degree components in your conjoint while planning your exchange.

For Bachelors of Global Studies and Global Studies conjoints, you can seek initial degree planning and course advice before applying for exchange, but reviewing your degree plan and the course approval process will take place after you have received a nomination offer.

Law: Law students can only complete Part IV electives on exchange, and you must have completed your compulsory Part III Law courses prior to exchange, and Law 498 (see note below). These courses are Law 301 and Law 306 (full year courses), and Law 316 (semester long course). Generally you go on exchange in your fourth year, or for conjoint students, this may be your fifth year or final year.  

If applying for Law Honours programme and exchange, please note that you will have to delay either the Law Honours or the exchange, because the Law Honours seminar course is a full year 20 point course and you cannot do exchange simultaneously with a full year course. Please see LLB Hons frequently asked questions.

Note on Law 498: If going on a Law exchange in your final semester, students should complete the Law 498 requirements in the penultimate semester before the exchange semester. This applies to both LLB students and Law conjoint students. 

• Law Conjoints: either law courses only or the other part of your degree, but a mix of both faculties is usually not allowed. If you still have full year Law papers to complete and want to do an exchange for the other side of your conjoint, please plan the exchange carefully as you cannot do full year Law papers alongside your exchange in the same year. This would mean putting on hold your full year Law papers and Law degree if you go on exchange for the other side of your conjoint. Please seek degree planning advice from the Student Hubs.
• The Law Honours programme may impact your eligibility and timing for a Law exchange. Please contact your faculty to discuss how this may impact an exchange. 

Medical and Health Sciences: please consult with your faculty. Exchange is not applicable for Medical Imaging, Medicine, Pharmacy and Optometry students (consult faculty for opportunities).

Nursing: Due to a change in curriculum at previous Nursing partner universities that is no longer relevant for the Nursing degree here, please note that exchanges are currently not available for Nursing students.

Science: second year, but third year may be possible. The BSC capstone course must be completed with the University of Auckland, it cannot be credited from the exchange programme. If you are part of the Science Scholar Programme, you will need to consult the Programme Director and Administrator before planning to go on exchange. The Science Scholar Programme contact is scischol@auckland.ac.nz.

Postgraduate

You can only go for one semester in a taught postgraduate programme, and it must be a taught postgraduate programme of at least 180 points. You cannot do your research/thesis abroad, and PhD students cannot participate in the exchange programme.

Discuss feasibility with your faculty, as exchange may not be possible for certain programmes. Please note that an exchange is less common at the postgraduate level as many programme structures may not be able to accommodate an exchange semester. 

The Master of Arts, Master of Dance Studies and Master of Architecture (Professional) programmes are the primary postgraduate programmes which allow flexibility for exchanges. If you are not enrolling into one of these programmes, an exchange is likely to be difficult to facilitate.

Restricted programmes for exchange:

• Master of Information Technology
• University of Auckland Online postgraduate programmes

All postgraduate applicants are advised to discuss their interest in exchange with a postgraduate adviser at the same time as applying for entry into the postgraduate programme. 360 International will also consult with faculty prior to nomination to confirm any conditions for participation.

Note, students can only transfer up to one third of the total value of the degree from exchange back to their Auckland degree (see section 8a of the credit regulations).

When applying for a postgraduate degree programme, apply to 360 International at the same time. If you’re not accepted into the postgraduate programme, we'll withdraw you from the exchange.

If you've completed previous undergraduate study at a different institution, you'll need to provide a transcript of your undergraduate studies as part of your supporting documents. You don't need to complete 2 full-time semesters at the University of Auckland prior to your postgraduate exchange, but we do need to check your transcript for your undegraduate qualification.

If you are taking courses taught in another language, you need to demonstrate proficiency in the language of instruction as part of your application before you can be approved. Example countries include Chile, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Caledonia, Spain, and South Korea. For each institution’s requirements, please check the exchange partner university fact sheets.

What it means to be “proficient” in a foreign language

Essentially it means you have studied a language at university level for a minimum of two years, or meet the requirements indicated by that particular institution, before going on exchange.

This chart by the Council of Europe indicates different levels of language proficiency.

In order to have sufficient skills to study in a foreign language, you need to have achieved a minimum level of B2. Even with a B2 level, we strongly advise you take an intensive language course for 2-4 weeks before beginning your studies.

Intensive language courses

Most exchange partners in non-English speaking countries offer intensive language courses before their semester begins as part of orientation. Please ensure you check whether these courses are mandatory or optional.