Incoming Exchange Students

Each year, Carnegie Mellon/Pittsburgh campus hosts between 50 and 100 students from our partner institutions.  Exchange students tend to be highly participatory, seeking to maximize their short time here in the US. 

Students participating in departmental exchanges apply directly to the host department at Carnegie Mellon.  University Exchange students send their application materials to OIE.   Upon determining that the University Exchange student meets basic criteria, OIE forwards the materials to the department which best matches the student’s academic goals and ambitions.   The host department will assign an advisor to guide the student through registration and other key academic processes. 

Most exchange students will require I-20 foreign student documents to enter the US for their study here at Carnegie Mellon.  The only exceptions are US citizens and US legal permanent residents who are living and studying outside of the US.   OIE has developed detailed instructions for host departments about the I-20 request process and other practical matters such as housing and immunizations. 

OIE provides comprehensive pre-arrival and orientation information to all new international students, including incoming exchange students.  For more information, visit the Foreign Students portion of the OIE website. 

At the spring 2007 annual workshop for study abroad advisors, it was recommended that OIE develop, in consultation with hosting departments, a “best practices” document for hosting incoming exchange students.  OIE staff plans to develop this information in the 2007-08 academic year.