ISEP
In partnership with ISEP, Truman offers a wide variety of programs that allow students the opportunity to live and study at a university abroad for a semester or an academic year. Semester programs give students the chance to integrate with a local community and grow personally while still completing their Truman degree. Many of these programs offer course instruction in English, so knowledge of a foreign language is not necessary to attend classes.
Semester programs are broken into two types: Exchange and Direct Enrollment. For an exchange program, students pay Truman tuition & room and board fees. Exchange program placements can be competitive and vary by host institution. With direct enrollment program, students pay the costs of the host institution and select various room and board options. Direct enrollment programs usually cost more, but placements are guaranteed.
In most instances, the student experience does not differ. For more information on the programs offered, click on the buttons below.
Exchange Programs
Truman State’s main partner for exchange programs is ISEP. With exchanges, you are charged Truman tuition (in-state or out-state) and room and board – and get the equivalent at the host institution. In essence, you’re switching places with a student overseas. Well, not exactly a specific student, but you’ll be taking the place of one of their students who is studying abroad during that term.
ISEP Exchange programs are charged at Truman State tuition and room and board rates, but ISEP Direct programs are charged at the host institution’s rates, which means that the program could either be more expensive or cheaper than Truman tuition and room and board. As opposed to ISEP Exchange programs, ISEP Direct programs are non-competitive and have guaranteed placement in the institution of your choice as long as you meet the basic qualifications.
Exchange placements can be competitive: institutions need to balance their in-coming students with their out-going student numbers. Smaller host institutions might not have many students studying abroad, leaving limited spots for in-coming students. In other situations, the destination might just be really popular, with many out-bound U.S. students vying for limited openings. Overall, though, there are lots of opportunities open for exchange placements and keep in mind that many institutions also offer the same opportunities on direct-enrollment programs (see below).
We recommend looking for 5-10 programs that pique your interest. When applying you can rank those programs, and will then be placed into one of them. Click here to start exploring a wide range of options with ISEP! All students wanting to apply to ISEP Exchange programs should contact a study abroad advisor and we will follow up with you to help guide you through the process.
- Length of study: Semester or Academic Year
- Tuition Rate: Truman tuition fees & Truman room (lowest on-campus double occupancy) and board (21 meals/week plan) fees
Direct Programs
While ISEP is most popular for its exchange programs, it also offers direct program options. While some host institutions offer only exchanges and others might have only direct-enrollment, many offer both.
Choosing a direct program through ISEP means you will be accepted as long as you meet the basic requirement of the program – yes, guaranteed placement! However, it also means that you will be pay the host institution’s tuition and housing rates – but do the math as this can often be lower cost than you might pay on an exchange! Determine total costs to make your decision – e.g. a program might not offer a meal plan so figure out what the out-of-pocket expenses will be to see how it fits with your budget.
Click here to start exploring. Just note that ISEP’s website mixes direct and exchange programs together. When you select a host university, scroll to the bottom of the program page to access information about exchange or direct options in that location. All students wanting to apply to ISEP Direct programs should contact a study abroad advisor and we will follow up with you to help guide you through the process.
- Length of study: Semester of Academic Year
- Tuition Rate: Set by host university
- Housing: varies by host institution, but can include dormitories, homestays, apartments, etc.
- Meals: varies by host institution and can include self-catering.
Truman Programs
Truman also offers its own exchange programs through established partnerships with foreign universities. Exchange programs last for either a semester or academic year, and students pay Truman tuition fees & the host university’s room and board fees.
We are very excited to reopen our exchange program with Hosei University in Japan! For more details on this new exchange, click the link below.
Japan: Hosei University Exchange