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 partner institution.

Am I eligible to apply? 

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

Advisory for Final Year Students

We do not recommend that final year students, especially final semester students, go for international exchange. As different institutions have varying result release schedules, you may have to delay your graduation if the exchange institution releases results later than Monash. Additionally, if you fail a unit, you will need to continue another semester in Monash.

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 Portal 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:

  1. 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.

  2. Consider an institution’s pre-approved lists; this makes unit selection easier. Don’t forget to make sure that the unit you’ve selected is available during your exchange semester.

  3. 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.

  4. Find institutions with a credit ratio balance that works for you. Each partner institution’s units will have its own credit value. Be careful to ensure that the institutions you choose have a good credit ratio balance as that will enable you to meet the 18 or 24 Monash credit points required for you to complete your semester.

  5. 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.

Now that you have gone through the above steps, you may use the SOB International Exchange Checklist to assist you in selecting the right partner institutions that will work best for you.

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

What type of units can I select? 

There are five types of approved units you may include in your Smartsheet study plan. If you are submitting a combination of major, minor and elective units for assessment, we encourage that you place elective units higher in order of preference, followed by minor and finally major units.

RECOMMENDED FOR EXCHANGE

  • Free Elective – units that come from any area of study (not restricted to Business), and do not necessarily 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.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR EXCHANGE

  • Major Units – the units required to fulfil your major units as listed in Part B of the Course Map Planning Guide. We strongly do not recommend taking major units for exchange because if your unit is not approved or the partner institution changes its unit offerings, you will not be able to fulfill the units required for your intended major.

  • Minor Units – the units approved to fulfil your minor units are listed in the Unit Schedule (Part C of your course map planning guide). We do not recommend choosing minor units for exchange unless you do not have elective space left. However, if you must choose between a major and minor unit, please prioritise a minor unit as you are required to fulfil one major to graduate from the School of Business.

  • 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 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.

How should I plan my units for International Exchange?

  1. Read the course map planning guide.

  2. Identify the units you need to take to complete your degree. You can refer to the unit schedule and handbook for assistance, as well as the SOB International Exchange Checklist. Please ensure that you are referring to the current year handbook by checking the year indicated at the top right corner of the unit handbook and the current year unit schedule by checking at the top of the unit schedule.

  3. Draft your exchange study plan using the course map tool or DIY course map.
    Important: SOB does not accept MonPlan study plans for review. Try to arrange as many elective units as you can for the exchange semester. If you are unable to, you may combine them with major or minor units.

    Other degree requirements to keep in mind:

    • Completion of 144 credits (192 credits for B2027 & B2048) – cannot exceed
    • Maximum 10 first-year units
    • Minimum 6 third-year units, 4 of which must be from Business degree units

  4. Determine the number of units you must complete to meet Monash’s 18 or 24 credit point requirements. The SOB International Exchange Briefing Slides (Slides 20-21) list out detailed guidelines you will find helpful. Tip: Ensure that you select a few extra units that meet the necessary criteria in case your preferred units are unavailable.

  5. 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.

  6. Nearly there! A final check:
    • Do you meet the prerequisites of the external units and where applicable, the matching MUM units?
    • Are the units you’re eyeing available for exchange students?
    • 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?

  • For a step-by-step guide, head over to: Draft Your Study Plan

  • When filling in the Smartsheet, remember to list the units in order of preference (most preferred at the top). The unit codes in your Smartsheet should be the exchange institution’s codes, not MUM codes.

  • You’ll also have to upload your Course Map Tool or DIY Course Map under the Course Progression Advice section in your application form on the Monash Abroad Portal. In your course map, do make sure that the MUM unit codes you’ve listed are matching units to the first 3-4 units you submitted in your Smartsheet. You may insert Elective units (these don’t have unit codes) in your course map.

  • You are not required to submit any study plan to the Education Management Office for verification prior to submitting your application on the Monash Study Abroad Program Search. Please ensure that you have met the degree requirements for exchange.

  • When your Study Plan has been approved by your School, you will receive an email advising unit assessment and approval. Please check and ensure that the units are following the ones you put in your course map, when you submitted the application.

We regularly organise helpful briefings and consultation sessions for students interested in our exchange programs! Check out the Briefing Calendar and be sure to attend one if you’re still unsure of the process or have further questions.

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 and the results is processed by the schools, prior to completing the course.

  • Hard Copy Transcript - Sent to MUM Monash Abroad

    Monash Abroad will notify you that it has arrived via email and will get you to come and collect the hard copy at Student Hub. The transcript will be scanned and uploaded on your MAP account, and your school will be notified to process it.

  • Hard Copy Transcript - Sent to Student

    If the transcript is posted to you, you need to bring the original to Student Hub for Monash Abroad to verify. Please send an Ask Mira ticket (Help topic: Exchange Programs, Summary: Appointment to Verify International Exchange Transcript) to set an appointment with Monash Abroad to get the transcript verified at Student Hub. When submitting your appointment request, please be reminded to mention:
    1. Your exchange program (International Exchange)
    2. Your exchange institution and country
    3. Your exchange semester
    Once it is verified, Monash Abroad staff will scan and upload it unto the student's MAP account, and notify your school to process it.

  • Soft Copy Transcript - Sent to MUM Monash Abroad

    Soft copies transcript sent to Monash Abroad directly from the institutions will be uploaded on the student's MAP account, and both you and your school will be notified.

  • Soft Copy Transcript - Sent to Student

    If the transcript is emailed to you, you are to check and see if you can request the host institution to send one to Monash Abroad (mum.monashabroad@monash.edu). Unfortunately we cannot receive an electronic version forwarded by students, it must come directly either from the host institution transcript system or the student mobility office at the host institution.

  • Any Transcripts Sent to MUA Monash Abroad

    The relevant International Education Coordinators (IECs) will upload unto your MAP account and your school will be notified via email, and will proceed to process it.

  • Additional 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 uploaded to your MAP account either 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. Please still submit your transcript. You will have to enrol in additional units at MUM to replace the failed credit point.

Where can I find more information? 

RESOURCES


BRIEFING SESSIONS We regularly organise helpful briefings and consultation sessions for students interested in our exchange programs. Check out the Briefing Calendar and please make time to attend a session if you’re still unsure of the process or have further questions.

ASK MIRA 

If you’ve attended a briefing session and gone through these resources but remain unsure of the exchange process, you may submit a ticket to Ask Mira. Please choose the correct help topic to ensure your ticket reaches the right department:

  • Course Advice – for course advice, unit selection and degree requirements for exchange
  • Exchange Programs – for eligibility, application matters, logistics and financial assistance for exchange

Important: Please submit two different tickets if your queries fall into different help topics. This will ensure your query is sent to the correct department, which means you’ll get the answers you need quickly as well.