Semester Exchange can be a very promising experience for a student looking for courses, labs, resources not currently available at IIT Roorkee, and a perfect opportunity to soak in a foreign culture and lifestyle. However, the procedure for semester exchange programs can feel complex and unclear. To bring some clarity to the general information regarding these programs, Watch Out! Brings to you Semester Exchange: Tricks of the Trade

Skip to the Frequently Asked Questions

List of university affiliations (MoUs signed) and programs that IIT Roorkee has offered in the recent past:

• Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH) Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
  An exchange program where you can design your study plan (except architecture students). Though not a part of the study plan, one can apply for the internship placement at KTH by contacting the department and professor of interest.Two students of IITR were nominated and had availed the offer.
  
  
• Australian National University, under the ‘Future Research Talent’ (FRT) Travel Awards.
  FRT awards provide selected Indian students with an opportunity to travel to ANU to pursue collaborative research for 10-12 weeks in a range of disciplines, along with a reward of AU$6000. Ten students of IITR were nominated, out of which a few won the award. (This was not conducted for the year 2020-21 owing to Covid-19) Refer to our Summer Diaries article to know more about the experience of Nancy Gupta in this university
  
  
• Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, under the NTU-India Connect Research Internship Programme.
  The NTU-India Connect Research Internship Programme is a paid research internship program for students in their pre-final year that lasts for about 2-6 months. However, NTU also offers a student exchange program.
  
  
• Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany.
  The TUM Exchange Program enables students to study at TUM for up to 3 semesters and offers them internship opportunities. The application closes mid-May and Mid October for Winter and Summer Term, respectively.
  
  
• Niigata University (NU), Japan.
  The program aims to provide exchange students opportunities to deepen understanding and enhance knowledge about Japan (includes courses on Japanese (language), Economics, and related subjects) for up to two semesters.
  
  
• École Polytechnique University, France.
  In the student exchange program, eligible students can study alongside regular full-time students of Ecole Polytechnique for a maximum period of 12 months. The university also offers an internship program to undergraduate students, lasting for about 3-6 months.
  
  
• Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Canada | India.
  Shastri Research Student Fellowship (SRSF) program is an internship program that provides a 12-week research project at Canadian universities for high-achieving senior undergraduates worldwide.
  
  
• DUO-India Fellowship Programme.
  This program funds around 100 student pairs (preferably master and doctoral) for exchange between Indian and European institutes for at least one semester. 2 students of IITR were awarded this fellowship last year.
  
  
• The Ecole Specale des Travax Publics, du Bâtiment et de l’Industrie (ESTP), France. [Student Exchange Agreement]
  This internship program is open for 3rd year and 4th year Bachelor’s students, masters, and Ph.D. applications open around December, and the program begins in the following May.
  
  
• Centre Franco-Indien pour la promotion de la Recherche Avancée.
  Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA), a bilateral organization set up by the Government of India and the Government of France, is a model for international collaborative research in advanced areas of Science & Technology.
  
  
• Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK.
  Commonwealth Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development and are offered to citizens from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries.
  
  
• DAAD Working Internships in Science and Engineering.
  The program targets Indian students pursuing a degree in science and engineering who wish to do a research internship at a publicly-funded German higher education institution or a research institute.
  
  
• Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst German Academic Exchange.
  This provides services for students to pursue Research in public-funded universities in Germany.
  
  
• European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students .
  Erasmus+ helps organize student and doctoral candidate exchanges within Erasmus+ Programme countries and partner countries.
  
  
• Newton Bhabha Fund, Ph.D. Placements Programme.
  Newton Bhabha Fund’s Ph.D. Placements program provides funding to support short-term Ph.D. placements between UK and Indian institutions.
  
  
• Charpak Exchange Scholarship.
  The program is designed for Indian students from all fields and streams of study enrolled in an Indian institution at the Bachelors or Master’s degree level who wish to undertake an exchange semester program (for a period of one to four months)
  
  
• Lucerne University for Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Switzerland.[Student Exchange Agreement]
  The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts offers full-semester exchange programs and short-term programs for those not interested in a full-semester program. Refer to our Exchange Diaries article to know more about the experience of Chitransh Chatnani in this university
  
  
• Lulea Tekniska Universitet (LTU) Sweden.[Student Exchange Agreement]
  Two years of studies are required before applying. The application process ends in early April and October for the autumn and spring semesters, respectively. The calendar includes semesters from September to late December and the beginning/middle of January to the beginning of June.
  
  
• Huchschule Fur Technik und Wirtschaft – University of Applied Sciences, Dresden, Germany.
  An exchange program lasting for one semester, HTW Dresden offers various courses in English and German languages and the flexibility of designing your study course.

We mention these programs for your reference, but these may/may not be available next year; please check them yourself or wait for notification from the IR Office.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Who coordinates the semester exchange programs?
The International Relations Office of IITR coordinates the Semester Exchange. IR Cell is a student body that assists IR Office and provides information about student exchange programs and scholarships. The programs are of two kinds:

• Through applications managed by the International Relations Office (IR Office)
• Through applications sent directly to the Partner Institute

Details about the various programs offered can be found on the website of the IR department.

Q2. What arrangements are made by IIT Roorkee or the host university?
Usually, the host institutes provide basic accommodation and food. Suppose a student is a part of a scholarship program, the host institute assists with the trip’s expenses. In some other programs, the students are given a base stipend amount, and it’s up to them how they wish to spend it, provided the expenses are made for the program. However, the specifics of these arrangements depend on the host university.

Q3. Does the IR cell help out in the application for Visa and communication with the host university?
The student is primarily responsible for the visa application process. However, the IR cell is involved in communication with the host university.

Q4. Are there any associated scholarships?
While most universities have their scholarships associated with the Semester Exchange programs, there are other special scholarships like the Charpak Scholarship or the DUO-India Fellowship. These scholarships can be lump-sum covering most expenses, including air travel, accommodation, and food, or in a stipend format.

Q5. When and how to apply?
Most universities call for registration for the spring semester in September-December and the winter semester in March-May. Documents required for most applications include:

• Statement of Purpose
• Scanned copy of passport
• Curriculum Vitae
• Transcripts
• Recommendation Letter/Referrals from professors of IITR
• DAPC approved list of courses to be taken at the host university

The selection criteria include your Statement of Purpose, while some universities also consider GPA. Additionally, the applicants must apply for their visa as soon as they receive their application confirmation to account for processing time. The IR Office creates a portal for uploading these documents on its website.

Q6. How are courses and credits evaluated? Why must the chosen subjects be DAPC approved?
Generally, the credits of that particular semester of the host college are transferred to IITR. However, this semester’s grades are not taken into account in calculating the final CGPA on graduation. Students ought to ensure that they have gained all the credits specified for their undergraduate/postgraduate program. However, the specifics of credit transfer depend upon the program and host institute.

Before going, the student has to submit a student agreement to IITR, where credits are mentioned. The student agreement document is the DAPC approval of selected courses required by the academic section to transfer credits. DAPC makes sure that the programs chosen by you at the host university are identical/similar to the courses offered at IITR for that particular semester so that the student does not miss out on the academic skills necessary for continuing your program.

Q7. What should we do if we come across any semester exchange on our own? What is the modus operandi for that?
IITR has MoUs signed with 78 institutions, but all the available programs with partner universities are challenging to be noticed. Hence, we encourage all the students to be on the lookout for any international Semester Exchange or other programs they are interested in (Specifically, the ones involving universities with which IIT Roorkee has an MOU signed). If you come across a program you would like to pursue; you can email Dr. Pushpa (Executive Officer managing Exchange Programmes and Agreements). The IR Office would validate whether the program is beneficial to the student or not, an institute-wide email would be sent, and the usual procedures would be followed. We would like to request the IR Office and IR Cell to increase the frequency of the notifications for different programs and give a broader time window for uploading the various documents.

Financial assistance through DORA (Dean of Resources and Alumni Affairs) Office
DORA also provides financial support to IITR Students for semester exchange programs subject to the following conditions:

1. The host institute has an MOU with IITR.
2. The foreign institute/department should be in the top 500 institute’s funding schemes QS World University Rankings or in the top 200 QS World University Rankings by subject.
3. The student must have a minimum CGPA of 8.0.
4. The funding would be available only for meeting the gap between the total expenditure and the total funds available from other sources.
5. Partial support under this scheme will be available only once during any academic program at IITR.

Funding Available

1. In Africa/Asia (excluding Japan/South Korea): Up to Rs. 50,000/-
2. In the rest of the world (including Japan/South Korea): Up to Rs. 1,00,000/-

Note

• Visits for training programs/schools etc., will not be supported.
• During an academic program, the total support available to a student from all the funding schemes of the institute put together would not exceed Rs. 1.5 lakhs.

This was just a summary of the semester exchange and research internship programs offered by premiere institutes worldwide. Students are advised to check out the IR website and website of the specific program they may be interested in for further details and updates.

For any subsequent queries, you can contact IR cell members:
Kartik Modi: +91 81047 77500
Raman Yadav: +91 72403 14132

Image credits: Saurabh Shinkhede, Kapil Vaidya (KTH Institute, Stockholm)