Semester in Costa Rica

Hunter has established exchange partnerships with a number of universities in countries around the world. Exchange programs give you the chance to study at an overseas university while continuing to pay tuition at the Hunter College rate, and "in exchange" give a student from the overseas university a chance to study at Hunter College. Exchanges provide a full immersion experience at a foreign university. In most cases, exchange students take classes with students from the host country and these programs are most appropriate for an independent and highly motivated student looking for a fully immersive study abroad experience. Students who choose this option are expected to adapt to what is often a different, more autonomous educational structure, and is therefore best suited for students with a strong academic history.

• Students must take a full-time course load (the equivalent of 12 Hunter credits) while abroad and will earn transfer credit.
• Applicants to exchange programs must have a minimum 3.0 GPA at the time of application and at least 60 credits at the end of the semester in which you are applying.
• Please review our general eligibility requirements as well as any program-specific requirements, which you will find on the individual program description page.
• Some exchanges have a limited number of placements and can be quite competitive; therefore, students are nominated by the Education Abroad office to the exchange university.

Steps to follow to apply for an Exchange:

Step 1:

Choose a program

Make an appointment with Education Abroad Advisor.

Step 2:

• Follow the program-specific instructions you will find on each exchange program page on our website.
• All application materials must be submitted by the deadline posted on our Semester Exchanges page
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Applicants will be notified of their acceptance as nominees 2-4 weeks after the submission deadline
• RETAIN A COPY OF YOUR ACCEPTANCE EMAIL —ir contains links and information you will need to proceed forward
• Only after you receive notification from Education Abroad should you proceed with the host university application.
  The Office of Education Abroad will provide host university application instructions to all nominees.

Upon Acceptance as a Nominee

Step 1:

BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION TO THE HOST UNIVERSITY PROGRAM

• Once your application is submitted, you will then receive an acceptance email directly from the Host University regarding your application.
• Once you receive that email, you will be instructed to follow their guidelines regarding enrollment, housing etc.

Step 2:

PART 1: MATERIALS DUE TO THE EDUCATION ABROAD OFFICE
You will be enrolled in an online course via Blackboard that provides full instructions on the required documents due at this stage.

Through the Blackboard course, you will upload the following:

1. Scanned CUNY International Travel Waiver. Accepted nominees will be provided with this document via email.
2. SPARC* Training Completion Certificate.
   You will need to self-enroll and complete the training in BlackBoard.
   If the training is not available for enrollment in your Blackboard account, please email TitleIX@Hunter.CUNY.edu
   Save or "print" your certificate as a PDF for upload.
   Learn more about SPARC training. 
   * Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response Course
3. GDPR Acknowledgement and Consent Form (only for students studying in EU countries).
4. Proof of enrollment in CISI insurance for the full duration of your program. Please email the Education Abroad office for your CUNY sponsor code.
   — CUNY policy requires all CUNY students on CUNY-sponsored programs to purchase insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI), CUNY's provider. Though you may be required to have additional health insurance through the program you are attending, the CISI policy offers added value for evacuation, either for medical reasons of the insured or for political/natural disaster reasons in the area. Enroll in CUNY's comprehensive CISI plan here.
   — You will receive an email from CISI, including an attachment with your ID card, upon enrollment. Save the PDF with your ID card to upload at the below link.
   (CUNY-Paris Exchange participants ONLY are insured by Queens College. Please reach out to the Queens College study abroad office with any questions about your CISI enrollment if you are a CUNY-Paris Exchange participant.)

PART 3: GET COURSE APPROVALS

All courses you take abroad need academic department approvals in order for you to receive credit towards your Hunter degree. You will use the course approval form to get the courses you plan to take abroad approved as equivalent Hunter courses.

A. Visit department advisor(s) for course equivalency approval. We highly suggest getting additional/backup courses choices approved.

B. Visit assigned advisor (or MHC or SEEK); assigned advisor indicates if equivalent course(s) fit in your degree plan and signs the course equivalency form.

C. Make a copy of your course equivalency form(s) for yourself and submit the ORIGINAL course equivalency form(s) to the Office of Education Abroad.

DEADLINES FOR SUBMITTING COURSE APPROVALS

• FALL programs abroad due MAY 1
  
• WINTER programs abroad due NOVEMBER 15
• SPRING programs abroad due NOVEMBER 15
• SUMMER programs abroad due APRIL 15

→ If you're having problems with any of the above steps, inform an advisor in the Education Abroad office right away. DON'T WAIT! We can help you come up with a solution only if we know there's a problem.

Step 3

REGISTRATION

A. Once your Course Approval is submitted to Education Abroad, you will be "registered" at Hunter and will be able to pay tuition through the Hunter Bursar Office. You are responsible for paying costs beyond your tuition, including student visas, housing, books, living expenses, and courses that are not included in the regular semester offerings at the partner university; these costs may be paid directly to the partner university or on your own.

B. Look out for your exchange university class registration and deadlines in order for you to register for your actual courses on site.

While You're Abroad

Changing Courses

You must inform the Education Abroad office IMMEDIATELY if you change any of your courses. You must get your new course(s) approved immediately:

Step 1:Download the course approval form and fill in the student sections of pages 1 and 2, making sure to sign both pages. Fill in columns 1, 2, and 3 with the information for the new course(s) you need to have approved.

Step 2: Email an advisor in each department from which you need an approval and cc the Office of Education Abroad edabroad@hunter.cuny.edu Provide the course name and syllabus you need approved and an attachment of the course approval form you have filled in.

Step 3: The advisor can either fill in columns 4-7 of the form and send it back as a scan, OR state in the email the equivalent Hunter course code and number of credits you will receive at Hunter.

Step 4: Forward approval email(s) to your assigned advisor — and CC: edabroad@hunter.cuny.edu — so they can determine if new equivalent course(s) are applicable to your degree. Your assigned advisor should also either fill in columns 8 and 9 of the form and send it back as a scan, OR state in the email if the equivalent Hunter course(s) is applicable to your degree.

→ All emails must come from Hunter email addresses. Use your myHunter email address and make sure you email the professor/advisor at their Hunter email address as well. Electronic approvals are only valid if Hunter email addresses are used.

After You Return

1. Our exchange partners will automatically send our office your transcript when it is ready.
2. After the Education Abroad office receives your transcript, we will submit the transcript and matching course equivalencies to the Registrar's office. The Registrar will then post the approved equivalent courses on your Hunter transcript.
3. All paperwork must be submitted and equivalent courses posted to your Hunter record by the conclusion of the semester following your semester abroad

• Courses from Spring programs must be posted by the end of the Summer semester
• Courses from Summer programs must be posted by the end of the Fall semester
• Courses from Fall and Winter programs must be posted by the end of the Spring semester).

→ Failure to follow the above procedures in a timely manner may result in the loss of financial aid, your ability to go abroad, and graduate!

GRADING

• You will only receive credits for a course if the converted grade is C or above.
• Letter grades will appear on your Hunter transcript, but will not count towards the Hunter GPA.
• If your grades convert to below C (C- to F), they will appear on your Hunter transcript as F.
• Courses taken as Pass/Fail will not transfer.

Financial Aid

If you receive financial aid or scholarships at Hunter, it is your responsibility to speak with a Financial Aid advisor or your scholarship provider to discuss how your study abroad may affect your financial aid or scholarships.