Exchange study comes down to handling five steps in order: documents, visa, insurance, flights, and credit transfer. If one slips, the whole semester can fall apart.
Month-by-month (summary)
- D-12 months: shortlist 3 to 5 partner schools, attend a briefing
- D-10 months: language tests (IELTS, TOEFL, JLPT, HSK; valid 2 years)
- D-9 months: home-school application and interview
- D-5 months: receive Letter of Acceptance
- D-4 months: student visa and insurance (embassy 4 to 8 weeks)
- D-3 months: book flights and dorm
- D-2 months: credit-transfer pre-approval
Common mistakes
Skipping credit pre-approval, not checking insurance coverage limits, a visa expiring before the semester ends, and filing your ARC late, which is required within 90 days.
See the full timeline and visa document list