USA

Visa

All exchange students must obtain a Non-Immigrant Study visa (F-1 or J-1) from the US Consulate General in Melbourne before you leave Australia.

The application process is complicated and you will have to attend a personal interview at the Consulate.  You should read carefully the Consulate website and follow the links for Non-Immigrant Visas.  In summary the process is as follows.

1. Your host university in the US will send you a personalised visa application form (DS-2019 or I-20).
2. Book your interview.  You should do this online as soon as you receive your visa form.
3. Complete two additional application forms (three if you are a male 16-45 years).
4. Pay the visa application fee at any Australia Post shop.
5. Go to the Consulate for your interview and pay the Issuance Fee in cash or with a money order (no credit cards).
6. Pay the SEVIS fee online by credit card.

Monash Abroad will give you detailed instructions after you have been nominated for a US exchange.

The US study visa allows you to work only on your campus for up to 20 hours per week, but work is not always available at many Monash partner universities.

Institution Status

Due to various uncontrollable circumstances, the exchange balances between Monash University and our partner institutions in the US have become uneven. In order to rectify this balance some institutions are not available for outgoing exchange in upcoming semesters. Monash Abroad is working hard to change this situation by searching for new partners and promoting Monash to US students. Please check the status of the University you are interested in applying to:

FULL - Not open for exchange. We can not guarantee that it will re-open in the following semester or year, so be sure to check the website regularly for updates.
LIMITED - Open for exchange, however very limited spaces are available. Students with an average GPA of 70% or higher are encouraged to apply but should consider researching a back-up institution.
OPEN - Open for exchange, however spaces may become limited depending upon the number of applicants. An OPEN status does not guarantee nomination.

 Nomination Process

Given the current demand for studying in the US, students are asked to submit the name of a 2nd preference institution.  The institution can be in any region of the world.
This can be done in Section 4 of the Monash Abroad application, next to the name of your first preference.  It is not necessary to submit a study plan for your 2nd preference at the point of application however, you should discuss suitable options with your faculty.  
Students applying to the US and Canada may be subject to an interview before nomination.  If you are required to attend an interview, your Monash Abroad coordinator will contact you directly.

Other: Science or IME units not open to exchange students.
All Monash students must have completed at least 48 credit points of core business units before they are eligible for exchanges to Babson.
Monash MBA students interested in an exchange should first visit the MBA website and contact the Monash MBA Office for advice before applying.

Other:  Monash students who are accepted as exchange students at Purdue can apply for the Discovery Park Undergraduate Research Internship (DURI) Program and the Interns for Indiana (IFI) Program.  These offer work or research experiences in a wide range of academic disciplines and earn credit and a special scholarship of $US500.
You should not apply for an internship until after you have been accepted by Purdue as an exchange student.
Students spending two semesters at Purdue are eligible to complete a Certificate in Entreneurship & Innovation www.purdue.edu/dp/Entrepreneurship/certificate.php which is also open to students of all academic disciplines.

Other:  Monash students must have a GPA of at least 75% to be eligible for entry to UC and entry is competitive.
There will be one place available in Semester 1, 2013.
Please see the 'How to apply' document below for further information as an earlier application deadline applies for UC.
Law not available to exchange students.
Monash students can go to all campuses except Merced & San Francisco.
Monash students can commence in Fall or Winter quarters (or either semester at Berkeley) but cannot commence in Spring quarter. Monash students will attend for 2 quarters:  Fall and Winter, or Winter and Spring. Berkeley campus students can only study for 1 semester.

The Universities of Hamburg and Oklahoma are world-renowned in meteorology and atmospheric science and offer special exchange opportunities  (PDF, 238KB) for Monash students studying these disciplines in the Faculties of Science or Arts.

Unit Descriptions - Undergraduate
Unit Descriptions - Postgraduate