1. Purpose
This procedure serves as the primary description for full-time students who are interested in and meet the prerequisites for participating in the outbound exchange study programs. This document details the eligibility requirements, the application process, and the timeline for consideration.
2. Scope
This procedure is applied to all active full-time students at VinUni.
3. Procedural Principles
The Outbound Student Exchange Program (OSEP) is based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit. Students can spend a semester or an academic year or a short-term program studying and immersing themselves in one of the partner universities of VinUni or an approved program. There are typically three types of outbound exchange programs for VinUni students:
| Student exchange on a reciprocal basis | Students who are accepted into this exchange program will attend one of VinUni’s partner institutions for one or two regular semesters (Fall and/or Spring). The students do not have to pay tuition fees at the host institution. Students will continue to pay tuition fees to VinUni at the same rate as when they study full time at VinUni at the time.
However, they are responsible for meeting all other costs of the exchange program. Some of these costs include accommodation, airfare, and transportation, health and travel insurance, living costs, visa costs, books, facilities access (if any). Additional financial support may be available at the time of application and will be informed by VinUni. The number of exchange slots at each host institution is regulated by the agreement between VinUni and that partner university. Student applicants will undergo a selection process at VinUni for the exchange students. After that, VinUni will send the list of nominated students to the host universities for their assessment and admission decision. |
| Self-arranged exchange program or externally funded exchange program | It is also possible for students to study at an overseas institution (whether or not it is a partner university of VinUni) by applying directly to the institution or applying for an external scholarship/grant program. Most universities accept students directly as “Visiting/Exchange Students” on a fee-paying basis or scholarship basis.
In this case, the applications normally do not go through VinUni, and admission decisions are made by the host institutions or the external scholarship programs. Before committing to a program, students should research carefully the program and get a full understanding of the Leave of Absence policy or the credit transfer policy at VinUni. Students will need to get approval in advance from VinUni before joining this program. Students can apply for the credit transfer when they return to VinUni, and the review adheres to the present protocol and process. |
| Integrated degree (or dual degree) program (based on agreements between VinUni and a partner university) | Students who are accepted into this program will have the opportunity to earn two bachelor’s degrees or a bachelor’s and a master’s degree – one from VinUni and the second degree from a partner university abroad. The program consists of two phases in which VinUni students will study Phase 1 at VinUni and Phase 2 at a partner university overseas. At the end of both phases, they will get two degrees, one from VinUni and another from the partner university. The modules are often in the form of 3+2, 4+1 for Bachelor’s – Master’s programs and 2+2 or 2.5 +1.5 for Bachelor’s – Bachelor’s programs.
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4. Procedure Statements
4.1 Eligible criteria for application
To be eligible for participation in an OSEP, students must:
- Currently be an active full-time student at VinUni
- Have good academic standing (at least 2.5 CGPA (cumulative grade point average minimum) at the point of application and meet the minimum academic requirements set by the host university.
- Have no major disciplinary action pending at the time of application submission.
- Have completed at least 2 academic semesters at VinUni prior to the OSEP and after the OSEP have at least one academic semester remaining at VinUni before graduation.
- Have an account of good financial standing at VinUni.
- Meet all the minimum requirements including the language requirements set by the host institutions. Please note that the minimum requirements from the host universities vary and might be different from those of VinUni.
4.2 Tentative Timelines
| Semester Exchange | Submission Period | Review application documents | Interview round (optional) | Release result |
| Spring | June – July | July – August | August – Sept | |
| Fall | February – March | February – March | March – April | |
| Summer | February – May | February – May | February – May |
(*) Time may be subject to changes depending on the actual academic calendar of VinUni and the timelines set by each host institution.
4.3 Application process
Case 1: Nomination by VinUni for exchange at a partner university
| Step 1 | VinUni students who intend to participate in the exchange student program submit the application documents (Outbound Student Exchange Program Application Form) as specified to the VinUni Global Student Exchange (GSE) Office for approval. |
| Step 2 | Application evaluation by the Review Committee |
| Step 3 | Announcement of evaluation results (step 2) |
| Step 4 | Announcement of evaluation results (step 2)Step 4GSE sends VinUni nominated students’ application dossiers to partner institutions for assessment. |
| Step 5 | The partner university reviews the nominations, makes the final decision, and issues the Letter of Acceptance to the successful students. |
Continue with the steps for the Study plan and credit transfer (item 4.4).
Case 2: Students search for their own exchange opportunities
If students would like to study at a university that VinUniversity does not have an exchange agreement with, students can choose to personally plan and finance their studies abroad. It will be their responsibility to apply to the university abroad as well as to ensure that all the practical matters are taken care of. Students will still need to apply for pre-approval of credit transfer to the Office of University Registrar/Program Director before their departure to study at the host institution.
4.4 Study Plan and Credit Transfer
A feasible study plan enables students to progress towards graduation smoothly. To factor in exchange study in their degree program, it is always a good practice to discuss the study plan with the faculty advisors or the Program Director.
4.4.1 Course selection and mapping
a) Students should take full advantage of the academic opportunities on offer, with the proviso that courses taken should be pitched at the equivalent level to the students’ program at VinUni.
b) Courses selected should respect the principles of progression as far as possible, and should provide students with an adequate preparation for the next stage of their studies on return to VinUni.
c) Students selected to study abroad in an reciprocal exchange program will follow an approved study plan agreed with the relevant Program Director and the current procedure.
d) Students can choose from the following categories at the host university for the equivalency:
- VinUni General Education courses (except courses required by the MOET). Depending on the VinUni’s curriculum requirements, the courses may be credit or non-credit bearing;
- VinUni College core/discipline core/major/concentration/minor courses;
- Free elective courses (in accordance with the credit requirements of the curriculum)
- Courses in the Individually designed concentration/minor.
e) To maintain full-time status, total credits for courses chosen during the exchange semester (at both the host and home universities – if any) must be equivalent to a minimum of 12 credits in accordance with VinUni’s academic regulations. Students who enrol for more credits than the expected norm will not have the demands of a heavier workload taken into account when their grades are converted.
f) The transferred credits will be equivalent to VinUni courses, and the study abroad course must also be equivalent to VinUni courses. If the credit is less than VinUni’s, there are two possibilities: a) a required make-up workload (i.e. assignments, readings, etc. ), b) enrollment in two or more combined equivalent courses.
g) Common credit conversion
This table serves as a guide for students and advisors to calculate VinUni credit earned through international study. If you are looking for a conversion for an institution that is not in the chart, please contact the Registrar’s office.
| International Credit System | Conversion Multiplier | VinUni equivalency | Example |
| ECTS | 0.571 | 1.75 ECTS = 1 VinUni Credit | Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain Nyenrode Business School (Netherlands), ESSEC Business School (France), EPFL (Switzeland), |
| Credit Points | 0.625 | 6 Credit Points = approx. 4 VinUni Credits or 1.6 Credits = 1 VinUni Credit | UTS (Australia) |
| US Credits | 1 | 1 Credit = 1 VinUni Credit | Cornell (US), Korea University, South Korea, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, SKKU, POSTECH, South Korea, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
| Units | 0.25 | 4 Units = 1 VinUni Credit | Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) |
| Contact Hours | 0.067 | 15 Contact Hours = 1 VinUni Credit |
Note:
- Credit conversion is based on a course-by-course basis and is NOT based on the sum of credit earned. If the program grants partial equivalent credits (eg., 1.5 credits, it is rounded up to the next full credit (eg. 2 credits).
- Other international credit systems not listed in the above table can be discussed and finalized by the Program Director and the Registrar.
h) Students should finalize their choice of courses and have them approved using the Outbound Student Exchange Program Application Form by the end of their first four weeks at the host instituion and submit the final one via email or printed document to the VinUni Registrar’s Office.
4.4.2. Transfer of Academic Credits and Grade Conversion
a) The academic grade obtained by students when studying overseas on reciprocal exchange will be counted with the following options.
- Equivalent required courses should always have their grade transferred (CR/NCR or Letter Grades) in accordance with VinUni grading scheme. Non-required courses (which can be transferred as electives) will be recorded on students’ transcripts at their discretion.
- Grade conversion of these is needed for computation of GPA, credits and other calculations as needed for administration.
(*) The “T-Transfer” grade will be used to recognize prior learning, but is not applicable to students participating in a reciprocal exchange.
b) The grading scheme conversion will follow a reasonable standard taking into account the grading characteristics and scales of the host institution and the courses taken, and the corresponding scales used by the college. Where available, international conversion tables will be used. Note that if a student is informed of a converted grade in advance of final reporting, it must be made clear that the grade is a provisional recommendation only and may change. It will be important for students to bring back copies of work and any other evidence to support the grade conversion process.
c) Records of transferred courses on academic transcripts include the name of the host university as well as the transferred courses with grades from the host university and VinUni’s equivalent grades.
4.4.3 Steps in preparation for the study plan and credit transfer arrangements
In accordance with VinUni’s policies on credit transfer, students who complete exchange study can apply for transfer credits for courses successfully completed at the host institution.
Steps in preparation for the study plan and credit transfer arrangements are as below:
| Before departure to the host institution: | |
| Step 1 | Review courses available at the host institution
Check out the course information from the websites of host institutions before deciding the exchange venue choices, to ensure that there are suitable courses for you to take. It is quite often that certain courses offered by partner institutions may not be open each term, or certain courses may not be open to exchange students. Students need to apply for pre-approval of credit transfer to the Office of University Registrar/Program Director before their departure to study at the host institution. |
| Step 2 | Review VinUni’s policy on credit transfer and course equivalence
There is no automatic credit transfer, and students must submit a credit transfer application upon completion of the exchange studies for evaluation and approval. |
| Step 3 | Apply for course mapping to the Office of University Registrar at VinUni
If there is no course equivalence information, students should request for course assessment by submitting the application to the Office of University Registrar. There may be credit system differences between VinUni and the host institution, and the credit conversion adopted by VinUni. |
| Step 4 | Discuss the study plan with the faculty advisor and/or the Program Director
This advisory process is important to ensure that students are taking appropriate courses, in the sense that they fulfill the graduation requirements. It would be useful for students to review their major program requirements before seeking advice. |
| While on exchange | |
| Step 5 | Keep the exchange course syllabus and materials
To support the credit transfer application upon their return to VinUni, students must present an official transcript issued by the host institution. VinUni may also require students to submit course materials, outlines, the syllabus for assessment purposes and any other relevant documents, as it deems appropriate. |
| Upon return from the exchange | |
| Step 6 | Submit a credit transfer request
Upon returning from the exchange programs, students must submit an online application for credit transfer to the Office of University Registrar for approval. According to VinUni regulations, credit transfer applications must be submitted within one month after the completion of the exchange program. |
| Step 7 | Credits transferred to VinUni transcript
After the formal approval, the credits earned from the host institution will be reflected on students’ academic transcript. Credits obtained can be transferred, while grades obtained at the host institution may or may not be transferred to VinUni, depending on the agreement on the grade equivalency between VinUni and the partner university and the curriculum’s requirement. |
Click here to download the Overall flowchart of the outbound student exchange program
4.5 Student Status
All exchange students must keep the VinUni student status during their study at the host institutions. GSEO will pass the list of exchange students for each semester to the Office of University Registrar.
During the exchange period, students must take courses equivalent to VinUni 12 credits in each regular semester (there is no requirement for exchanging during the summer semester). If the partner university sets a cap on the number of credits, the students must follow the host institution’s regulations to select courses. The exchange student will be treated as a student of the partner university after completing the registration procedures and should obey the rules and regulations of the partner university. Any over or under‐loading must be approved in advance by the Registrar and the Program Director for exceptional cases.
The exchange student must submit “Exchange Student’s Report of arrival” to VinUni within two weeks after arriving at the partner university.
5. Roles and Responsibilities
| Units | Roles and Responsibilities |
| Global Student Exchange Office (GSEO) |
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| The Office of University Registrar |
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| Colleges/Faculties |
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| The Review Committee |
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6. Abbreviations and Definitions
| Term | Definition |
| Exchange student | A VinUni student who has been accepted to study in an exchange program at one of VinUni’s international partner institutions. |
| Exchange period | The time period during which an exchange student will study at the receiving/host institution in accordance with the terms of the exchange agreement. |
| The Review Committee | A committee at which all members will assess candidates in order to determine who will be nominated to be exchange students and if applicable, how much financial support they will receive for their exchange program. |
| Management fee | The fee that exchange students must pay to VinUni prior to beginning their studies at the receiving institution; the amount will be specified in the exchange program announcement (if any). |
| OSEP | Outbound Student Exchange Program |
| GSE Office | VinUni Global Student Exchange Office |
For general inquiries:
For academic-related inquiries:
A webpage dedicated to GLOBAL EXCHANGE: https://vinuni.edu.vn/global-exchange/ |