Semester Exchange Abroad

Updated: October 29, 2022

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

The Outbound Semester Semester (OSE) Program is rebranded as the Semester Exchange Abroad (SEA) Program.

The Semester Exchange Abroad (SEA) program is for ITB students who wish to spend 1 semester or 2 semesters at one of the partner universities of ITB (i.e. host university), or generally a university abroad, and take courses / academic credits at the host university that can be acknowledged at or transferred to ITB. In some cases, students can also do research exchange.

Benefits of participating in the SEA Program include expanding perspectives, establishing international and cross-cultural relations or connections, improving confidence, appreciating cultural differences, having the possibility of learning a new language, and many others.

SEA Categories

Regular Application (SEA-Reg). This category is applicable for students who wish to apply to a partner university that has a bilateral agreement on student exchange with ITB (MoU or MoA) or a partner university that is a member of one of these associations: ASEAN University Network – ASEAN Credit Transfer System (AUN-ACTS), Asian International Mobility Students (AIMS), and ASEAN-European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET) – list of ITB’s networks. To apply, students will need to be nominated through the International Relations Office (IRO) of ITB. Typically, unless you have completed all required courses at ITB, you will be expected to be enrolled in a program that matches your study program at ITB (for the purpose of credit transfer). There are generally two types of exchange under this category: 1) coursework, and 2) research.
GE3 Application (SEA-GE3). This category is applicable for students who wish to apply to a partner university that is a member of Global Engineering Education Exchange (GE3) Program. While eventually students will apply directly through the GE3 website, interested students will first be required to submit documents to IRO ITB. Typically, unless you have completed all required courses at ITB, you will be expected to be enrolled in a program that matches your study program at ITB (for the purpose of credit transfer).
Indonesian International Students Mobility Awards (IISMA). The IISMA program is a scholarship program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia for students who wish to spend 1 semester at a partner university of the IISMA program. Different from SEA-Reg or SEA-GE3, the IISMA program is designed for students who will embark on a program that is relatively DIFFERENT from their study program at home university (or ITB). The courses taken at the selected host university will be made equivalent to 20 SKS at home university based on Keputusan Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia Nomor 74/P/2021 tentang Pengakuan Satuan Kredit Semester Pembelajaran Program Kampus Merdeka. It is only offered once a year.

Special Cases (not included in the SEA application process)

Erasmus+ Scholarship. Some ITB partners have a specific Erasmus+ agreement, which allows exchange programs to be co-funded by Erasmus+). Whether or not Erasmus+ scholarship is provided within a given semester or year depends on the funding allocated by the partner university. Under the scholarship, students are typically required to go through a separate application procedure. Examples of current / past offers include an opportunity to do student exchange at these universities:

- University of Zagreb, Croatia (for Semester 2, 2021/2022, Bachelor’s/Master’s level)
- IMT Atlantique, France (for Semester 1, 2021/2022, Master’s level)
- Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania (for Semester 1, 2018/2019)
- Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania (for Semester 1, 2017/2018)

Student Eligibility

For SEA-Reg and SEA-GE3 (for bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral students)

Bachelor’s students must have completed their 4th semester before their exchange semester.
Master’s and doctoral students must have completed their 2nd semester before their exchange semester.
Graduate students (Master’s and Doctoral) who wish to participate in a Research-based exchange program is typically asked to identify a faculty member or a professor at the partner university.
Fast-track program students must have completed their previous degree’s courses before their exchange semester if they plan to take courses at the higher degree.
Good command of English (requirements vary)

For IISMA (for bachelor’s students only)

Indonesian citizen
Interested students must be in their 4th – 6th semester during their application for the IISMA Program
Minimum GPA of 3.0 (out of 4.0)
Minimum IELTS of 6.0 / TOEFL-iBT (78) / Duolingo (100)

List of Universities

For SEA-Reg

Please check the following link for the list of overseas university options you can choose, along with other essential information. Overall, the destinations are divided into four regions:

Region 1: Southeast Asia.
Region 2: South & West Asia
Region 3: East Asia
Region 4: Europe
Region 5: Oceania & the Americas

Notes:

Each university has a certain quota for the number of students that can be exchanged. This quota / number is one of the bases for making selections.
Not all partner universities are open to student exchange opportunities at all levels (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate levels)
Not all partner universities may be relevant to all faculties or schools. You should check the available courses or programs offered.
Students are required to discuss with their Academic Advisor and Study Program regarding the selection of the universities (and the potential courses to choose).
Universities that are open for Research Exchange are (based on countries): a) Australia (Deakin University), b) France (INSA Lyon) c) Japan (Hokkaido University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, Meiji University, Osaka University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Toyohashi University of Technology), d) Malaysia (Multimedia University, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia), e) Mexico (Tec de Monterrey), f) Netherlands (University of Twente), g) South Korea (Pohang University of Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University), h) Taiwan (National Chung Hsing University). Academic credits earned for research exchange should be consulted with Study Program.

For SEA-GE3

There are over 70 universities that are members of the GE3 Network, located in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea), Australia/Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), Europe (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom), Latin America (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico), Middle East (Egypt, Israel, United Arab Emirates), and United States. There is no limit in terms of the number of students who can apply. The Institute of International Education (IIE) and the host university will determine whether your application is accepted or not. Please check the university options on the following website: https://globale3.studioabroad.com. You are highly encouraged to learn about the program(s) offered by each university member of GE, including requirements.

For IISMA

The list of universities that partner with the IISMA program may change annually. You are advised to check the IISMA website.

Application Periods

Batch 1 Application (for SEA-Reg, SEA-GE3, IISMA)

Application Period to F/S: November 1 – January 20 (or please consult your F/S’s contact point)
Application sent to IRO ITB by F/S: January 21 – February 1 (including selection by F/S
For exchange in Semester 1 of each academic year (August – December)
Range of exchange period at partner university: typically five months between July and March (each university has its own semester schedule)

Virtual Information Session (Video Recording, December 6, 2021)

Batch 2 Application (for SEA-Reg, SEA-GE3)

Application Period to F/S: Starting June 1 – August 20 (or please consult your F/S’s contact point)
Application Sent to IRO ITB by F/S: August 21 – September 1 (including selection by F/S)
For exchange in Semester 2 of each academic year (January – May)
Range of exchange period at partner university: typically five months between January and August (each university has its own semester schedule)

Application Procedures

STEP 1: Application Submission to IRO ITB, via Faculty / School (by the deadline as stated above)

Please submit your application to your own Faculty / School. Your Faculty / School may have its own procedure for the application. Please contact the person / unit in charge in your Faculty / School. Your application documents will include the following:

Latest Academic Transcript;
Valid Official Certificate of English Language Proficiency, such as TOEFL or IELTS (please refer to the list of university options for the English level required by each university. If the university does not request a specific English language certificate or a particular English proficiency level, any certificate of English proficiency is still required. For prospective IISMA applicants, please refer to the minimum requirement as stated in the eligibility);
Financial Guarantee Letter (Please use this template-also applicable for IISMA applicants, as some costs may be relevant such as for local transportation) – fill it out and send this to the person in charge in your Faculty / School;
Health Guarantee Letter (Please use this template) – fill it out and send this to the person in charge in your Faculty / School;

Please send all the above documents to your respective Faculty / School’s contact point’s email address (as listed). Your Faculty / School will send the application documents to IRO ITB. Within one application cycle or period, you are allowed to apply to only one of the SEA categories (SEA-Reg, SEA-GE3, or IISMA) – no more than one category. In addition, please provide the following information to the contact point in your Faculty / School if you apply for SEA-Reg or SEA-GE3.

A list of up to 5 universities (for SEA-Reg or SEA-GE3);
Type of Exchange, whether Coursework (where courses are taken) OR Research (for SEA-Reg) – or a combination.

STEP 2: Selection by IRO ITB

Especially for SEA-Reg, because there is usually a quota and other requirements for each partner university, further selection will be done by IRO ITB.

For SEA-Reg, IRO ITB will contact students to confirm their participation, including the selected university, before being nominated to the prospective host university.
For SEA-GE3, IRO ITB will provide guidelines to students on how to apply through the GE3 Application Portal.
For IISMA, IRO ITB will process the recommendation / nomination letter from the Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs (WRAM) for each student selected to continue the application process.

STEP 3: Nomination and Further Application

For SEA-Reg, IRO ITB will process the nomination to partner universities. Partner universities usually have their own nomination and/or application deadlines. After the nomination, students will typically submit another application to the partner universities’ application portal.
For SEA-GE3, students will submit their application to the GE3 Application Portal by March 1 (for Batch 1 / Semester 1 Application) or October 1 (for Batch 2 / Semester 2 Application). Generally, application documents required are: Required Course Descriptions (if applicable); Essay; Transcript; Passport; English Proficiency Score (if applicable); Bank Letter (if applicable). Students may be asked by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to provide a recommendation letter. IRO ITB will approve students’ application in the portal.
For IISMA, students will receive a nomination letter from the Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs (WRAM) via IRO ITB (therefore, it is mandatory for students to send their applications first to IRO ITB). Students will submit their application via the IISMA’s application portal by the deadline. A follow-up interview by the IISMA committee may also be organized. Choosing your university or universities is also done within this period.

STEP 4: Notification of Acceptance

For SEA-Reg, students will normally receive the notification of acceptance directly from the host university. Alternatively the notification of acceptance will be provided via IRO ITB.
For SEA-GE3, students may receive the notification of acceptance from the GE3 system, from the host university, or via IRO ITB.
For IISMA, students may receive the notification of acceptance directly from the IISMA’s system / the government or via IRO ITB. Please note that your host university allocated by IISMA may be different from your initial choice, due to some considerations (usually regarding the quota).

Tuition and Funding

For SEA-Reg and SEA-GE3 only

The tuition at the partner university is waived for students participating in SEA-Reg and SEA-GE3 (i.e. no tuition is paid to the host university), except for Boston University. However, students are generally required to pay the regular tuition at ITB (50% of the BPP according to the Rector’s decree in 2021). For further information, please consult your Study Program.
Participating in the program is by default self-funded. This means that students will be responsible for securing their own funding for travel expenses, accommodation, costs of living, and other costs such as visa, books and health-related costs (quarantine, vaccination, etc.).
Certain universities provide scholarships, but they are not guaranteed.

For IISMA

As the IISMA program is a funded program, students will receive the following benefits if they are accepted:

Registration and Tuition Fee (Paid at cost, directly to host university)
Settlement and Living Allowance (Paid lump sum, to students; students will be responsible for the accommodation payment / paying for the accommodation using the allowance provided)
Economy Class Return Airfare (Paid at cost, booked by IISMA)
Visa Fee (Paid at cost, to students)*
PCR, Quarantine, and Health Insurance (Paid at cost, to students)*
Emergency Fund (to be used at IISMA discretion)

*students will/may need to cover for these first (to be reimbursed by IISMA)

Physical Mobility and COVID-19 Protocols

The status of the Covid-19 pandemic has been relaxed in many countries, with certain requirements having been lifted. Please consult reliable information about the country or countries you wish to study or do research for semester exchange.

Preparing for Departure

Once you are admitted to the host university, you will start preparing for your departure.

For SEA-Reg and SEA-GE3, you will independently be responsible for ensuring that your preparation is taken care of well. Such preparation includes (but not limited to):

Immigration matters (visa and its requirements) to the host country (please check the Embassy / Consulate of your host country in Indonesia / a neighboring country, if applicable)
Housing or accommodation during your stay in the host country (you can usually get in touch with the International Office of your host university), including your quarantine accommodation (if instructed)
Health-related matters, such as health and travel insurance, vaccination, and so on.
Mental preparation to study abroad

For IISMA, you will be required to undergo a series of processes, including (but not limited to):

Submission of required documents before departure, including bank account set-up
Yudisium (a formal meeting to ensure that students have completed all documents required before departure)
Visa application, which can be organized either collectively or independently

IRO ITB may organize its own meeting or orientation for students before departure to ensure that things are being prepared well.

Course Selection

For SEA-Reg and SEA-GE3, your course selection will generally be done between you and your host university. In the process, you will also need to consult your Study Program and your Academic Advisor to ensure that you are taking the “right” courses, especially if you wish to transfer the credits you take at your host university. Even though you may be expected to choose the courses in advance at the time of application to your host university, the finalization of your courses is usually done after you have started your semester at the host university (as you may be permitted to sit in some courses before to make your final decision with regard to your courses).

For IISMA, the list of courses will be provided in advance (either before or after your application to IISMA, or both). REMEMBER that IISMA’s objective is to have you take courses that are relatively DIFFERENT from your Study Program. You may or may not be given a chance to change the courses you have selected. Overall, the IISMA committee will eventually determine whether the courses you plan to take are approved as courses that meet the IISMA’s objective.

During Your Semester Exchange and Returning Home

Generally, you will simply follow your study requirements at your host university. As an exchange student, you also have a chance to explore and take advantage of certain activities available at your host university, country, or region. Particularly for IISMA, you will also be required to submit regular reports.

Once you have finished your semester at your host university, you will be required to return to ITB to complete your study. For SEA-Reg and SEA-GE3, you will be responsible for taking care of the preparation until you return home. For IISMA, while you will be responsible for making the necessary preparation, you will be in constant coordination with the IISMA committee to ensure that you are returning home safely.

Your exchange transcript is expected to be sent to IRO ITB, before being sent to you (the student).

Contact Information

Feel free to contact IRO ITB (iro@itb.ac.id) for any question or concern you may have.

For GE3:

If you wish to ask about the application procedures with the Institute of International Education (IIE) about the GE3 application, please consult ge3@iie.org.
If you wish to ask about certain academic or administrative aspects of the university you are applying to, please consult the coordinator of exchange of the university (which can be found on the university’s page on the GE3 website).
Feel free to contact IRO ITB (iro@itb.ac.id) for any other matters. We will either provide you with the necessary information or direct you to contact a relevant person or unit.

Credit Transfer, Course Registration, and Credit Equivalency

Visa and Housing

Frequently Asked Questions