Why Should I Consider Going On Exchange?
Who Is Eligible To Go On Exchange?
Can I participate in IBD and go on Exchange?
I'm An Evening MBA Student. Can I Go On Exchange?
How Many Exchange Openings Exist?
How And When Do I Apply, And What Selection Criteria Are Used?
How Much Will It Cost?
Will Going On Exchange Affect My Financial Aid?
Will Going On Exchange Affect My California Residency?
How Fluent Do I Need To Be In Spanish/French/New York-ese/etc?
What Classes Can I Take?
How Will The Classes Be Credited Toward My Degree?
How Do I Get There?
How Do I Find A Place To Live?
Will My Student Medical Insurance Be Valid?
How Do I Get A Visa?
When Can I Go On Exchange?
Will I Be Able To Participate In On-Campus Recruiting?
How Will An Exchange Affect My Job Search?
When Will Classes Start?
Will I Like It?

Why Should I Consider Going On Exchange?

Most Haas students who go on exchange do so for a variety of academic, personal and professional reasons. Our exchange partners are some of the best business schools in the world. If you go abroad, taking classes at these premier institutions will enable you to study business topics from a non-American perspective. Going abroad allows you to polish your foreign language and intercultural skills, as well as establish friendships with local students and other exchange students from around the world. Many of our students conduct a proactive job search with local firms in the hopes of securing a career position outside of the Bay Area.

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Who Is Eligible To Go On Exchange?

To participate in the exchange program, you must be in good academic standing, i.e. have a GPA of at least 3.0 in the MBA program and have completed the MBA core. You must also be a solid citizen at Haas. Exchange students serve as ambassadors for Haas, and the viability of our exchange relationships depends in part on the good citizenship of our students while on exchange. We reserve the right to turn down anyone whose behavior at Haas leads us to fear they might endanger our exchange relationship and thus prevent future Haas students from going on exchange to a particular school.

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Can I participate in IBD and go on Exchange?

No. Students who are participating in IBD (International Business Development) are not eligible to go on exchange. IBD requires enrollment in a class in spring of the first year and fall of the second year.

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I'm An Evening MBA Student. Can I Go On Exchange?

Yes, but there are a number of issues to consider. You would need to work closely with your employer and with the Evening/Weekend Program office to make sure progress toward your academic and professional goals is not impeded. Presumably you would have to arrange a leave of absence with your employer for the semester you are away. Remember that our exchange programs are with full-time MBA programs. It is not possible for you to study part time abroad while working at your firm's local subsidiary. Another issue is timing. Haas students, whether day or evening, are eligible to go on exchange only after they have completed the entire MBA core.
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How Many Exchange Openings Exist?

Usually we can send between one and three students per year to each school. The number is a function of the size of the partner school's exchange program and the "balance of trade" between Haas and the partner school over time. Check with the exchange program coordinator for current information on the schools you are considering.

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How And When Do I Apply, And What Selection Criteria Are Use?

Applicants submit a brief essay stating which school they wish to attend, why going on exchange is relevant to their personal and professional goals, and how they will be good ambassadors from Haas while abroad. If demand for the school you selected is less than or equal to the number of spaces available that term, you are in good academic standing and we have no concerns about your ability to be a good representative of Haas while on exchange, you will be offered a space at your chosen school. If demand for the school you selected exceeds supply, a lottery is used to select students. Those not selected are welcome to go to any other school where space is still available.

All offers for the exchange program are conditional on the student maintaining a 3.0 GPA during their first year and successfully completing all the MBA core course work.

The application period for full-time MBA students is in mid-October and runs concurrently with the IBD selection process. The application period for EWMBA students is in February. Students will be notified by email about the dates for the information session, number of placements available at each school and the application deadline.

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How Much Will It Cost?

You will pay your usual tuition and fees to the University of California, as if you were spending the semester at Haas. No additional tuition or fees are payable to the exchange school (except perhaps secondary fees to use the computer center and so forth, similar to the secondary fees you pay at Haas).

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Will Going On Exchange Affect My Financial Aid?

Please see debi fidler, Director of Financial Aid for MBA Programs, if you will need financial aid while on exchange. All paperwork should be completed and in order before your departure. Also, it is important to sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) so your financial aid proceeds can be directly deposited in a designated bank account. Budget appeals can be considered to augment the standard financial aid budget for the some of the increased costs of studying on exchange. See debi in F449.

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Will Going On Exchange Affect My California Residency?

Haas does not determine your California residency, so we cannot guarantee that your residency status will not be affected by a semester on exchange. However, past Haas students who have spent semesters abroad, and were already long-time California residents before they left, have reported no problems. Students who are still attempting to establish California residency should be much more cautious.

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How Fluent Do I Need To Be In Spanish/French/New York-ese/etc?

The degree of fluency in the local language required at each school varies. All partner schools teach many electives in English. You should investigate the policy at the particular school you are interested in (see How To Get More Information). English is widely spoken in some countries and less so in others. In all cases, however, some fluency in the local language will be important to getting the most out of your exchange experience.

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What Classes Can I Take?

You will take only elective courses at the exchange school. If you are a full time MBA student, this means you will only be able to take Haas electives during the spring semesters of your first and second year. If there is a Haas elective that you feel you simply must take, you will want to be sure we plan to offer it in the spring, and be comfortable with the fact that plans change and there is no guarantee that it will be offered. You can also find out whether an equivalent will be offered during the fall at the partner school, but there is no guarantee you will get a place in that class if the school uses a bidding process (like Haas) and the class is oversubscribed.

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How Will The Classes Be Credited Toward My Degree?

MBA students can earn a maximum of twelve units towards their Haas degrees while abroad. When you go on exchange, you will register in a "dummy" class at Haas. When you return, you will work with the exchange coordinator and your program director to find the Haas courses which most closely correspond to those you took while abroad, up to the maximum allowable number of units. You must also decide whether to take all letter grades or all pass/no pass grades for the semester (with the exception of Columbia where all classes are transferred in as S/U). You cannot mix and match. The agreed upon Haas classes and grades will eventually appear on your Berkeley transcript, with a note indicating the course work was done while on exchange at the specific partner school you attended.

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How Do I Get There?

You must make, and pay for, your own travel arrangements.

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How Do I Find A Place To Live?

Some schools have student housing that they make available to exchange students, at varying cost. In others, you will have to find local housing on your own. Trading housing with visiting exchange students coming to Haas is often an option.

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Will My Student Medical Insurance Be Valid?

Berkeley's Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP) will be valid while you are abroad, provided you are properly registered and pay all your current Berkeley fees before you leave. However, GSHIP is a California-based health plan and benefits drop for claims from out-of-state. According to the GSHIP office, the plan will reimburse up to 80 percent of emergency medical expenses incurred abroad, and 50 percent of non-emergency medical expenses. The plan does not cover emergency medical airlifting or repatriation of remains. Further, you would need to pay out of pocket for any health expenses incurred while on your semester abroad, and seek reimbursement after you returned. Thus, if you normally rely on GSHIP for your health insurance needs while in Berkeley, you should strongly consider purchasing supplemental coverage for your time abroad. If you have private coverage and waived your GSHIP fees, be sure to check with your private insurance carrier on the extent of coverage while abroad.

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How Do I Get A Visa?

The partner school will provide the documents needed, but you are responsible for submitting them to the appropriate governmental agencies far enough in advance that you can start school on time.

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When Can I Go On Exchange?

Students in the full time MBA program can go on exchange during the Fall semester of their second year. Some of our partner schools also accept exchange students in the Spring semester, but few Haas students have chosen to be away from Haas during their last semester. Concurrent degree students may also go during the fall of their third or fourth year. Evening MBA Students can go abroad during the semester immediately after completion of their core course requirements; should this be a Spring term, note that you will have a smaller list of schools to choose from than those going during the Fall.

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Will I Be Able To Participate In On-Campus Recruiting?

Some of our partner schools have on-campus recruiting in the fall and will permit exchange students to participate. However, this may not be the case at the partner school of your choice, and/or the mix of employers recruiting there may not match your career goals. Thus, students going abroad should often plan on a proactive job search. See the next item for more information.

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How Will An Exchange Affect My Job Search?

Technically, Haas students may register for on-campus recruiting, receive all of the emails from recruiting coordinator, and submit resumes and cover letters for interviews via fax or email attachments while away on exchange. However, this is impractical unless the student plans to fly back for each interview. Thus if you are considering going on exchange, you may also have to plan a proactive job search, depending on your goals and situation. Students who are interested in industries that recruit primarily in the fall (eg. consulting and investment banking) should network and develop multiple contacts in these industries before leaving Berkeley. They should keep in touch with their local contacts and visit the European, Latin American, Asian or New York offices of those firms while away on exchange. Then they should do everything possible to fly back to campus for a week of interviews with multiple firms during the month of November, either on campus or elsewhere. In other fields, however, excellent opportunities often become available during the Spring semester, when you will normally be back at Haas. Students who are on exchange do put their resumes into the second year resume book, with an indication (in the education section of the resume) that they will be away for the fall semester, and a reliable local phone and address number on the resume.

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When Will Classes Start?

Your classes will start at the usual date for the selected school. Some are on the quarter system, so your summer break will be longer than usual. However, some schools offer a period of intensive language training for exchange students, before regular classes start. Sometimes final exams are in January; as an accommodation to exchange students, you will be allowed to take them in December.

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Will I Like It?

Studying abroad can be a wonderful chance to experience another culture and meet students from another part of the world. It can also be very confusing to find housing and get around a foreign city while keeping up with the academic demands of another top MBA program. We have a file of feedback from prior Haas students who have participated in exchanges, and you can ask those students for their tips. During your first year, there will also likely be some second-year students visiting from the schools you are considering. They are also wonderful sources of advice. See How To Learn More.

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