Want to study overseas as part of your degree? The semester exchange programme lets you spend one or two semesters at a partner university abroad while earning credit towards your University of Auckland degree. You'll keep paying your University of Auckland tuition fees and may be able to receive StudyLink support, if eligible.

We have two exchange application rounds each year, one for Semester One and one for Semester Two. You apply a year in advance for the exchange (i.e apply in Semester One 2027 for Semester One 2028 exchange).

• Deadline for applications for Semester One for the following year is 1 July this year.
• Deadline for applications for Semester Two for the following year is 1 December this year.

Some of our partner universities are listed as December deadline only on the application portal. This means you will need to apply by 1 December round for Semester Two of the following year or Semester One two years in advance.

Determine your eligibility and recommended timing:

Before applying, review the eligibility and timing information to find out:

• Whether you meet the minimum and/or Faculty-specific requirements for exchange
• The recommended semester to go abroad for your degree

Review your academic plan:

The purpose of the exchange is to complete courses overseas that will count towards your University of Auckland degree. Provided you successfully complete and pass the courses overseas, you continue with the rest of your degree to finish remaining requirements.

To plan your degree:

• Contact the Student Hubs to discuss your remaining degree requirements to figure out what courses you’ll be looking to take while on exchange. 
• Review your remaining course requirements on Student Services Online (SSO). 

It is advised to save elective courses for your exchange semester where possible. Students typically complete 60 points on exchange and must enrol in the host university equivalent of 45 to 75 points. If applying for exchange in your final semester, you must have at least 45 points remaining in your degree.

Complete supporting document one:

Once you have determined the spaces in your degree you intend to fulfil on exchange, you'll need to download and complete the Academic Planning Worksheet, available under Supporting Documentation. This is one of the required forms you'll submit in your exchange application.

Now that you understand what courses you need to do on your exchange, you can start researching courses at your top five universities. While successful applicants will only receive an offer for one university, we ask you to list five partner universities with your application to improve your chances of being considered for a nomination. 

Complete supporting document two:

For each university option, you will be asked to identify 8-10 potential courses which could fulfil your degree requirements and complete the Host University Preferences and Proposed Courses Form as part of supporting documentation.

Researching your university options

In addition to suitability of courses, please also consider when researching:

• Accommodation options
• Cost of living in the host university/host city
• Campus life
• University experience that you personally want to have
• Funding available for your university or region(s) of interest

How to begin your research:

• Exchange partner university fact sheets - look for the course catalogue link
• Partner university pages on learning abroad portal
• Review the exchange sections of the respective partner university websites

• If you're looking to take compulsory/core courses on exchange, you need to find a matching course from the partner university catalogue that is equivalent to the specific course taught at Auckland. You will compare partner university course outline with the Auckland Curriculum Catalogue.
• For the electives or any stage Subject X degree spaces, you can look for a specified or unspecified course match from the partner university catalogue (within a subject area at an appropriate year level, but it does not necessarily need to match a course on offer here).

Academic calendars: When researching, look for courses in the corresponding semester as academic calendars may differ. If next year's courses are not yet released, please refer to the current academic year's courses or the most recent courses available.

Before you start an application on the learning abroad portal, ensure you’ve prepared your supporting documentation. You’ll upload the supporting documents onto your online application.

Where to apply: You submit your application on the learning abroad portal called Via. 

Please log in with your university username and password. You can read more about logging into Via.

• You'll only submit one application for exchange, and you begin this on your first-choice page on the university’s learning abroad portal. Please note, we have some faculty specific agreements with some partners, so you may need to apply to the specific faculty page (e.g. Melbourne Law, McGill Business, etc.).
• At the end of your application, you’ll list your remaining choices (second to fifth choices) as alternate options in order of preference. It is important that you select your alternates in the same order of your preferences listed on the Host University Preferences and Proposed Courses form.

Note on multiple applications: Please do not submit multiple applications on the learning abroad portal. If you have started more than one application, please only submit the application for your first choice and withdraw the other remaining applications.

If you need to make changes to an application you've submitted, please email 360international@auckland.ac.nz.

Applications are reviewed after the application deadline, and outcomes are typically released six to eight weeks later.

Nominations are based primarily on academic merit (cumulative GPA) and the number of places available at each partner university. As availability varies each semester, you should only list universities on your application that you would be willing and able to attend. While 360 International will try to place you at one of your preferred universities, we cannot guarantee a placement at your first choice.

If you receive a nomination offer, you will need to:

• Accept or decline your nomination offer, and any awards, by the deadline given
• Attend a nomination session

Once you've recieved a nomination offer and have attended a nomination session, 360 International will  provide instructions on how to apply to the partner you've been nominated to. 

All students are required to attend a pre-departure session (typically held during the study break before exams). This session will cover topics in preparation for your exchange, including health and wellbeing, risk management, intercultural matters and employability.

For information on the forms you will be required to prepare after receiving a nomination offer, please review our preparing to go page.