Preparing for departure
Once you receive notification from ECU accepting you into the ECU Student Exchange Program, you will need to start getting organised. There are a number of things that you will need to do and be aware of, so please read each section of this page carefully!
You will need to download the Exchange Out checklist, check off all of the sections when complete and hand it in to the Study Abroad & Exchange Office before you depart for your exchange.
Partner application
The Study Abroad & Exchange Office will provide you with the relevant partner institution application you will need to complete in order to apply for exchange at that partner institution.
Please note that if the partner application requires you to submit documents that you have already provided to the Study Abroad & Exchange Office as part of your ECU exchange application (except for certification of financial support), you do not need to submit these documents again.
Once we receive your completed partner application and supporting documents, we will email/courier it to the partner institution.
Please note that applications to our partners must be sent by our office and not by the individual student.
Partner acceptance
The partner institution will review your application and make a decision regarding your admission. Please note that the turnaround time differs from one institution to the next and can sometimes take up to 4 weeks.
Please note that, if needed, we will follow up on your behalf with the partner regarding your application.
Once your application has been successful, the partner institution will then send you further information regarding your exchange (i.e. important dates, accommodation, visas, health insurance requirements etc).
Accommodation
You should start looking into your accommodation options for the duration of your exchange as soon as your application is successful. Applying for accommodation is different for each institution and housing application deadlines may apply so it is important you start looking into your housing options early.
Most of our partners have on-campus accommodation available for exchange students but you also have the option of staying off-campus. However, please note that some partners provide little or no assistance with finding off-campus accommodation.
Passports and visas
It is important that you have a valid passport that will not expire while you are on exchange. Some countries even require that your passport be valid for another 6 months after the date you return.
You will most likely need to obtain a visa to allow you to study in the country of your exchange. We recommend that you visit the Consular / Embassy websites of the country you will be going on exchange to learn more about visa requirements, visa application process, required documents, visa fees, and application processing times.
An acceptance letter and/or other documents from the partner institution will usually be required to apply for your visa; thus, in most cases, you will not be able to apply for a visa until after your acceptance at the partner.
Please note that the Study Abroad & Exchange Office cannot advise you on visa issues.
Flights
The Study Abroad & Exchange Office recommends that you wait to book your flights until you have been accepted at the partner institution and your visa, if applicable, has been granted.
It is important for you to arrive at the partner institution before the start of their orientation session, which will take place before the start of the semester. The partner institution will provide exact dates after your application has been successful.
You should also enquire about the move in / move out dates of your arranged accommodation as you may need to arrange temporary accommodation (hostel, hotel, etc.) if you arrive before the move in date and/or if you stay after the move out date.
Airport pickup & transfer
Some partners offer a free pick up/transfer service from the airport to accommodation for newly arriving exchange students. However, these services may only be available on a particular dates and advanced booking may be required. The partner institution should provided you with this information or you may be able to find out from their website.
Health and travel insurance
It is important that you have comprehensive health and travel insurance to cover you and your belongings while you are on exchange.
If you be out of the country for less than 180 days, you will be covered by ECU’s Travel Insurance Policy if you have completed a Travel Approval form.
When completing the Travel Approval form:
- In the ‘Reason For Travel’ section, please tick ‘Other’ and write Student Exchange Program in the ‘Description of Travel’ section.
- Leave the ‘Costing Details’ section blank and tick N/A for ‘Supporting Documents’ and write ‘funding own travel’.
- Leave the ‘Expenses for Business Use’ section blank.
You should then seek travel endorsement from your Head of School and travel approval from the Executive Dean of their Faculty.
Along with the Travel Approval form, we recommend that you provide your Head of School and Executive Dean with a copy of the letter indicating your acceptance into ECU’s Student Exchange Program.
Once approved the Travel Approval form will remain with the Executive Dean of the Faculty and so it is advisable for students to make a copy for their records. Please note that the Travel Approval Form should only be completed once you have finalised your travel plans.
You may still need to purchase the specific health insurance required by the institution/country you are travelling to if ECU’s travel insurance policy does not meet their required level. This may be the case particularly for students travelling to the US where strict health insurance requirements for international students exist.
For more detailed information regarding ECU’s Travel Insurance policy please contact:
Assistant Account Executive
Accident and Health International Underwriting Pty Ltd
Jodie Thorn
Telephone: (61 8) 9289 3869
Email: jodie.m.thorn@marsh.com
If you are out of the country for more than 180 days, it is possible that you may be covered by ECU’s travel insurance policy; please contact Jodie Thorn directly for more information.
Partner enrolment
Enrolment procedures differ from one institution to the next and the partner institution will provide you with the necessary information regarding when and how you can enrol in your units, once your application has been approved.
You may be able to enrol yourself online or through correspondence with the partner before you leave or, in some cases, you may not be able to complete your enrolment until you arrive. Please be aware that you must satisfy any prerequisites for the units you wish to complete at the partner institution. This means that you may have to provide the partner with relevant ECU unit outlines (you can obtain unit outlines from the ECU Handbook).
You must notify the Study Abroad & Exchange Office of your enrolment at the partner institution once it has been finalised so that we can organise your ECU enrolment. Please note that you must have your ECU Course Coordinator’s approval (Exchange Credit Transfer Form) for all units you complete on exchange in order to receive credit towards your ECU degree.
ECU enrolment
The Study Abroad & Exchange Office will handle your ECU enrolment for your exchange semester as you still need to be enrolled at ECU for the relevant units (in the Exchange (EXC) mode).
Once you have notified us of your enrolment at the partner, we will enrol you in the corresponding ECU units that have been approved by your Course Coordinator on your Exchange Credit Transfer Form. Please note that we can only enrol you in the ECU units that have been pre-matched and approved by your Course Coordinator via the Credit Transfer Form.
We will send you a confirmation of your ECU enrolment for your exchange semester once it has been finalised. The Study Abroad & Exchange Office must be notified of any changes to your enrolment at the partner institution as we will need to adjust your ECU enrolment accordingly.
If you would like to enrol in units at the partner that are not approved on your original Credit Transfer Form, you will need to complete a new Credit Transfer Form, obtain a new approval from your ECU Course Coordinator, and return the form to the Study Abroad & Exchange Office. If you fail to do so, you will not receive credit for these units, which may delay your graduation.
OS-HELP
We will notify you of the outcome of your OS-Help loan application (if applicable) by the end of November (for Semester 1) and May (for Semester 2) and provide you with the relevant forms to be completed and returned to us. Payment of OS-Help loans cannot be made until after the release of the current semester’s results. Please note that OS-Help loan applications can be accepted anytime (see our website for the relevant form)
Austudy/Youth Allowance payments
If you currently receive or will be applying for Austudy/Youth Allowance, these payments will continue while you are on exchange as you will be enrolled full time at ECU. You will need to provide Centrelink with a letter from the Study Abroad & Exchange Office confirming certain details regarding your exchange placement. You will need to contact us after your acceptance at the partner to request the letter for Centrelink. You may also be eligible for Rental Assistance while on exchange so we recommend that you contact Centrelink for more information.
Pre-departure briefing
All students going out on exchange must attend the pre-departure briefing session on the Joondalup campus on the first Monday after the examination period. We will confirm the exact time and further details of the session closer to the date.
Please note that ALL outgoing exchange students must attend this session – THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!
Register your travel with the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade (DFAT)
As an ECU exchange student, you must Register your travel with the DFAT. You will need to print out the confirmation of your registration to hand in with your checklist. We recommend that you register only when you have finalised your travel plans.
You can access other important travel information on DFAT’s SmartTraveller Website.
Other useful information
In order to be well-prepared for your exchange, we recommend that you find out as much as possible about the country where you will be going and do as much research as possible on the partner institution.
In addition to the key areas listed above, you should also look into the following:
- Mobile phone
- Enquire with your current mobile phone service provider of your options while overseas.
- Enquire with your current mobile phone service provider of your options while overseas.
- Bank account / money
- Enquire with your bank about your options while overseas, transfer/withdrawal fees etc.
- You may wish to look into the exchange rates for your destination country before you leave.
- We strongly recommend that you have some local currency on you at the time of your arrival in your host country.
- Power adaptors
- Research the voltage used in the country where you are going and what adaptors/transformers you may need.
- Research the voltage used in the country where you are going and what adaptors/transformers you may need.
- Baggage
- Check with the airline you are travelling with regarding baggage allowances and restrictions.
- Check with the airline you are travelling with regarding baggage allowances and restrictions.
- Climate
- Research the climate in your destination for your exchange period as you may need to take your woollies, scarf and gloves.