1. Global Education Office
  2. Student Services
  3. Get Started
  4. Incoming Exchange Students
ELP students

Incoming Exchange Students

VCU is pleased to welcome exchange students from around the world. Exchange students from VCU's partner universities visit VCU and enroll in classes for one or two semesters but do not earn a VCU degree. Questions about being an international exchange student at VCU should be emailed to global@vcu.edu.

Students who wish to attend VCU as international exchange students for one or two semesters must be nominated by one of our partnership or departmental exchanges. Once you have been nominated, we must receive the following:

  • International Exchange Application
  • TOEFL score of 100 or greater
  • Official transcript from your home university
  • Original bank statements indicating the amount of liquid funds available. The necessary amount that must be shown changes per academic year, so please inquire as to the amount you will need to show.
  • Letter of interest
  • Photocopy of the passport biography page
  • A completed Immigration Form for DS-2019(will be sent to students upon nomination)

All exchange students must enroll as full-time students 12 credits) in order to maintain legal status while in the U.S. 

Please consult with your academic advisers at your home university to determine which courses at VCU will be most appropriate for your degree program. VCU’s course descriptions provide details regarding the content of all courses offered at VCU, and the schedule of courses lists those offered for a specific term. You should look at both sites in order to make your selections and choose many alternatives.

Your exchange application will include a list of courses you would like to take. Organize your list in order of priority. Courses on your list must include the five-digit Course Reference Number (CRN), department code, and course number as well as the course title. For example, 13489 INTL 101 Human Societies and Globalization. Please be sure to clearly indicate your course request on your exchange application. 

Once your exchange has been confirmed, the Global Education Office will register you for your courses, doing our best to enroll you in the courses you included on your application. Changes to your schedule can be made until the last day of the first week of classes and must be arranged through the Global Education Office. Students cannot make changes to their academic schedule on their own.

NOTE: Course numbers indicate the level of the class. Courses numbered 100-299 are lower division (first and second year) undergraduate classes; 300-499 are upper division (third and fourth year) undergraduate classes; and courses numbered 500 and above are graduate level classes.

Being an Exchange Student at VCU

GEO provides international students with basic support services and with opportunities to engage directly with the local community. An overview of all of these resources will be provided at Exchange Student Orientation.