Application and Placement

Application Deadlines

• If you'd like to go on an NSE exchange during the 2012-13 school year, the preferred application deadline is February 10, 2012. (This is the preferred deadline for both the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters.)
• Interested in exchanging for spring 2012? Some schools may still have openings. Contact Kendra Weber at weber362@umn.edu or 258.8008 to talk about your options.

The NSE Timeline

1. Before the end of January
   • Meet with NSE Coordinator, Kendra Weber, to receive an application and discuss options.
   • Begin your NSE research.
2. Before the February deadline
   • Submit a completed NSE application to the NSE Coordinator, 345 University Square.
3. Late March
   • After the NSE Placement Conference, you'll be notified of your official NSE placement.
   • Sign a Placement Acceptance Form.
4. Late April
   • Attend an NSE Orientation session at UMR.

The Application Process

1. Meet with the NSE Coordinator and pick up an application.
2. Complete the application. Follow the instructions on the application's first page.
   Use the NSE Campus Selection Tips when selecting your top 3 to 4 NSE school choices.
3. Make an appointment to turn in the NSE application.

Application Review and Placement Process

NSE Selection Committee

Applications are reviewed and ranked by the NSE Selection Committee. This committee ensures that applicants meet the eligibility requirements. It also ranks applications of students that are applying to go to the same school. (Rankings only apply to a student's first-choice campus). Rankings are based upon a variety of factors, including:

• the quality and clarity of the student's essays
• the student's intended course of study and its relevance to their academic and professional interests and goals
• cumulative GPA and/or pattern of grades on the student's transcript
• personal and/or academic preparedness
• When applicable: demonstrated language proficiency for schools in Puerto Rico or Quebec
• other factors (cultural immersion, local connections, etc)
• an interview (if requested)

NSE Placement Conference

Approved applications are taken to the annual NSE Placement Conference in early March of each year. This is where the actual exchanges are negotiated by the NSE coordinators from all participating NSE schools. The placement process is very interesting: On the application form, students are asked to list 3 to 4 schools (in preferred order) they're interested in attending. Applications are presented (in ranked order) to each NSE school, which then make acceptance/rejection decisions.

Placement decisions are made according to the openness of the respective tuition payment plans of the host institutions (as indicated in the black box next to every school in the NSE Directory).

• Open – The campus will accept all qualified applicants.
• Uneven – The campus will accept a few more incoming students than the number of their outgoing applicants who are placed.
• Even – The campus will accept incoming applicants not to exceed the number of their own outgoing applicants who are placed.
• 1:1 – The campus will accept students only from those campuses at which their own students are placed.

Except for those campuses which can accept all eligible applicants ("open" schools), NSE coordinators vary in the ways in which they accept students to achieve balances with their outgoing NSE student population. There are no guarantees of acceptance, and if accepted, you will be accepted by only one institution. If your first choice campus is not able to accept you, your placement request will then be considered by the institution of your second choice and then by your third, and so on. If none of your campus choices can accept you, you can work with your home NSE coordinator to explore a post-conference placement.

After the Placement Conference

Accepted applicants will be notified of their official NSE placement in late March. After you are accepted and placed, you will be required to immediately sign a Placement Acceptance Form. After you have confirmed your placement, you will hear from your host school to begin the required steps to prepare for your exchange (e.g., admissions forms, housing, registration, etc). Please note that procedures, forms, and timelines may differ from those at the U of M.

Useful Documents

UMR Exchange Application

NSE Budget Worksheet

Reference- Academic Advisor

Reference- Faculty/Staff

Reference- Other