International Exchange

International Exchange

Broaden your horizons! Take a semester or two at one of Monash’s partner universities located in 30 countries across the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Asia and New Zealand.

While overseas on exchange, you will:

  • continue to be enrolled at Monash
  • receive credit for your overseas study towards your Monash degree
  • continue paying your regular tuition fees to Monash Malaysia (in Malaysian Ringgit)

If you are interested in applying for an international exchange, it is strongly recommended that you begin planning early. We suggest keeping your elective units for the semester you wish to go on exchange to ensure a smoother transition to the host institution.

Am I eligible to apply? 

Find out if you’re eligible and how to apply here.

Advisory for Final Year Students

Final year students, particularly those in their final semester, should carefully consider when participating in international exchange. As institutions operate on different academic calendars and result release timelines, there is a possibility that results from the host institution may be released later than Monash, which could delay your graduation.

Which Partner Institution should I choose?

With partner institutions in more than 100 countries, it can be difficult to choose. Please visit the Monash Abroad Program Search and International Exchange official page first to see if you can find what you are looking for:

Once you have gone through the two resources above, these additional pointers can help you plan for an exchange that best suits you and your course of study:

  • In general, we recommend choosing institutions with a lower WAM requirement (especially if your WAM is not very high) and a large quota for exchange students to increase your chances of approval.
  • Ensure that the host institution units you have selected is available for international students and offered during your intended exchange semester.
  • Look out for institutions offering similar majors. There’s a higher chance that these institutions offer matching units and can be helpful if you have limited elective units available for an exchange semester.
  • You may refer to the academic details section of your selected host institution in the Monash Abroad Program Search to determine the equivalent full-time credit load in comparison to Monash University’s requirement of 18 to 24 credit points per exchange semester.
  • Choose institutions offering some units with identical names to those in your B2026 or B2027 course. This is mainly applicable to students who do not have the space for elective units and have to choose a major/minor unit for exchange.

Suggested Host Institutions (offering a variety of business units for selection):

What type of units can I select? 

  • Free Elective – units that come from any area of study (not restricted to Business), and do not have to be equivalent to MUM units (Part C of the Course Map Planning Guide). You are highly encouraged to explore and choose free elective units for your exchange. Important: Please ensure that you meet the prerequisites for the units and have sufficient elective space to proceed.
  • Technical / Discipline / Degree Elective – the units approved to fulfil your Business elective units as listed in the Unit Schedule (Part C of the Course Map Planning Guide). These units do not have to be part of your major/minor and do not necessarily have to be equivalent to MUM units. You are encouraged to take these units for your exchange.
  • Major Units – the units required to fulfil your major units as listed in Part B of the Course Map Planning Guide.  Please note that it may be challenging to find equivalent major units at the host institution. However, depending on your course progression requirements, you may need to identify suitable major-equivalent units at the host institution.
  • Minor Units – the units approved to fulfil your minor units are listed in the Unit Schedule (Part C of your course map planning guide). Please note that it may be challenging to find equivalent minor units at the host institution. However, depending on your course progression requirements, you may need to identify suitable minor-equivalent units at the host institution.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE

  • Professional Accounting Units – If you are intending to take a Professional Accounting accreditation such as ACCA, CPA and CAANZ, please do not select Accounting units for exchange even if there are matching units in the partner institution. This is to avoid complications during your accreditation process. Learn more here and if you have further questions, please contact the respective accreditation bodies listed.


NOT ALLOWED FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE 

  • Capstone Units – compulsory for all SOB students after completing 72 credit points or more, and must be taken in MUM (see Part A of the Course Map Planning Guide). Please do not submit any capstone units for exchange.

OTHERS

  • Specialisation Units – these units are only relevant for certain courses. If you are a B2026 student, these units are not applicable to you. For B2027 students, you may be able to select these units under your Arts degree; this will be assessed by the Education Management Office in the School of Arts and Social Sciences.
  • MIB students are strongly encouraged to select elective units from Part C (Postgraduate Level) within the Faculty of Business during their exchange. This is due to unit equivalency constraints, as not all MIB core units (Part B) have equivalent offerings at partner universities.

How should I plan my units for International Exchange?

  • Identify the units you need to take to complete your degree. You can refer to the unit schedule and handbook for assistance.
  • Complete your course map tool. You have to upload your completed Course Map Tool under the Course Progression Advice section in your application form.
  • Determine the number of units you must complete to meet Monash’s 18 or 24 credit point requirements.
    Tip: Ensure that you select a few extra units that meet the necessary criteria in case your preferred units are unavailable.
  • Review the latest unit outlines (also called module catalogue, course structure) from the Monash Study Abroad Program Search. An external unit must match at least 80% in content and outline to its MUM counterpart for it to be considered an equivalent unit. Elective units do not need to match MUM units.
  • Nearly there! A final check:
  1. Do you meet the prerequisites of the external units and where applicable, the matching MUM units?
  2. Are the units you’re eyeing available for exchange students?
  3. Are the units offered in the semester you’re planning to go for exchange? Tip: Most US, UK and European universities use ‘Spring Semester’ for Monash Semester 1 and ‘Autumn Semester’ for Monash Semester 2. Please refer to the Monash Study Abroad Program Search or the institution’s website if you are unsure.

How do I submit my Study Plan?

  • Once your Study Plan has been assessed by your School, you will receive an email outlining the outcome. Please ensure that the units you intend to take at the host institution have been approved in accordance with your course map. In some cases, you may be required to submit additional units for assessment. This will be specified in your outcome email.

How do I enrol for exchange? 

Most of you would have re-enrolled for the exchange semester during the re-enrolment period.

If your exchange application is approved, EMO will drop your MUM units and advise you on your enrolment prior to your scheduled exchange semester. You don’t have to discontinue your current enrolment on WES.

Important: You are not allowed to change approved units for enrolment except under extenuating circumstances.

How do I obtain my official transcript and submit my result?

  • Academic Transcript Process Timeline
    It can take anywhere from one to six months after your program has finished to receive an official academic transcript from your host institution. Each institution has a different process for how they administer exchange student transcripts. You may automatically receive a transcript or you may need to specifically request it. If you don’t know, check with your host institution.
  • Recipient of Transcript
    The transcript will be sent either to MUA Monash Abroad, MUM Monash Abroad or to students directly. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to follow through that the transcript is delivered to Monash Abroad and the results is processed by the schools, prior to completing the course.
  • Note for Students Who Went for Final Semester/Final Year Exchange
    Monash will not be responsible for any delay in your course completion or graduation as a result of your own decision to go for exchange in your final year. Please ensure that you follow through with your host institution to get the transcript delivered to Monash Abroad as soon as your transcript is released. Once your transcript is obtained and verified by Monash Abroad, your school can process it and course complete you. Upon course completion, you can obtain your final transcript which you can use to apply for jobs. Your testamur, however, can only be obtained during the next round of graduation which you are eligible for.

Therefore, students are reminded not to submit any transcripts directly to the schools. Schools will only process transcripts which are provided by MUA Monash Abroad or MUM Monash Abroad.

What if I fail?

If you fail a unit and receive a failing grade, you won’t earn the credit point for your exchange. You will have to enrol in additional units at MUM to replace the failed credit point.

Where can I find more information? 

RESOURCES