The Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Application for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 is open now and due January 31, 2025.
This page goes over the Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Partners, eligibility requirements, application details, and the logistics of earning UW credit abroad. Please set up an appointment with a GBC Foster Study Abroad Adviser if you have questions or just want to learn more about studying at one of these universities.
Location overview
The tables below outlines facts about the program including: location, whether the program is offered in English in addition to the language of the country, timing of the partner schools (example: whether you would miss just Autumn quarter or both Autumn and Winter quarters), and additional resources including student evaluations.
Note: Viewing student evaluations
In order to view the student evaluations, you will need to log-into the document using your UW email address and NetID password. You may need to use an incognito/private browsing window to successfully log-in using your UW email.
A= Autumn quarter W= Winter quarter SP=Spring quarter S=Summer quarter
| Asia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University | Country | Language | Terms | Credits | More Info |
| Peking University (PKU) | China | English or Mandarin | English: A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Feb-June) Mandarin: A/W (Sept-Jan) or W/SP (Feb-July) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* No university housing available |
| University of Hong Kong (HKU) | China | English | A (Sept-Dec) or W/S (Jan-May) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Some university housing available |
| Kobe University | Japan | Japanese | A/W (Oct-Feb) or SP/S (Apr-July) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student Blog Posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) | Singapore | English | A (Aug-Dec) or W/SP (Jan-May) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| Yonsei University | South Korea | English or Korean | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Feb-June) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| National Chengchi University (NCCU) | Taiwan | English or Mandarin | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Feb-June) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| Chulalongkorn University | Thailand | English | A (Aug-Dec) or W/SP (Jan-May) | 18-24 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts University housing available |
| Europe | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University | Country | Language | Terms | Credits | More Info |
| University of Economics, Prague (VSE) | Czech Republic | English | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Feb-May) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| Copenhagen Business School (CBS) | Denmark | English or Danish | A (Aug-Dec) or W/SP (Jan-June) | 20-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| Paris School of Business (PSB) | France | English or French | A (Sept-Dec) or W/Sp (Jan-Apr) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner Website Student evaluations* Off-campus housing available |
| University of Mannheim | Germany | English or German | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Feb-June) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| WHU | Germany | English or German | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Jan-April) | 20-23 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| University College Dublin (UCD) ** Direct Enroll | Ireland | English | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Jan-June) | 18-24 UW credits | Fact sheet |
| Bocconi University | Italy | English or Italian | A (Sept-Dec) or W/SP (Jan-June) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) | Netherlands | English | A or W or SP | 12-18 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* Off-campus housing available |
| Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) | Norway | English | A (Aug-Dec) or, W/SP (Jan-June) | 22 credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations University housing available |
| IE University | Spain | English or Spanish | A (Sept-Dec) or, W/SP (Jan-May) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website University housing available Partner website |
| University of Navarra | Spain | English or Spanish | A (Aug-Dec) or, W/SP (Feb-June) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| University of Manchester | United Kingdom | English | A (Sep-Dec) or, W/SP (Jan-June) | 18-22 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| University | Country | Language | Terms | Credits | More Info |
| Oceania | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Sydney | Australia | English | S/A (July-Nov) or, W/SP (Mar-June) | 24 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* University housing available |
| University of Auckland | New Zealand | English | S/A (July-Nov) or, W/SP (Mar-June) | 24 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website University housing guaranteed |
| Latin America | |||||
| Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA) ** Direct Enroll | Argentina | Spanish | S/A (Aug-Dec) or, W/SP (Mar-July) | 18-24 UW credits | Fact Sheet Partner Website University housing available |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) | Chile | Spanish | S/A (Aug-Dec) or, W/SP (Mar-July) | 18-24 UW credits | Fact sheet Partner website Student blog posts Student evaluations* No on-campus housing available |
Eligibility for Foster School Exchange & Direct Enroll
Foster School Exchange & Direct Enroll Programs are open to students that are registered, matriculated undergraduate students at the Foster School of Business. Students must be in good academic standing at the time of application. Students must also have a graduation plan with the Undergraduate Program Office that includes study abroad.
If you are not yet in Foster, you can apply in January if you are applying to Foster in April of the same year. You are only eligible to apply for Spring Semester of the following year, you cannot apply for Fall Semester unless you are a current Foster student. If you are accepted, it will be contingent on you being admitted to Foster in May. If you are not, you will lose your spot.
Students list their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of partner universities in their application. If you just want to be considered for one school, you can leave the other choices blank. Overall exchange is not very competitive but certain schools will be competitive. The number of student slots available at each partner institution varies. The competition for these spaces varies on a yearly basis and is dependent on student interest.
If you are not a USA citizen, you are not eligible to study abroad in your home country. Please contact a GBC Study Abroad Adviser for more information.
Application
The application for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 is open now and due January 31, 2025.
Courses and Credits
For students going on a Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Program, you get to choose which class you want to take abroad. The course options and availability will depend on the program. Always meet with a Foster Academic Adviser first to update you academic plan and pinpoint business classes to take abroad.
All classes taken at a Foster university partner count as UW credit. The Foster Undergraduate Programs Office is in charge of assigning the Foster equivalent courses for any business classes taken abroad. Once a course syllabus is reviewed it gets added as a Foster equivalent course to the Foster Study Abroad Course Evaluation List. This list just has classes that have previously been taken by a Foster student. If you find new classes at one of the partner universities, submit the syllabus to the form linked on the first page of the list above to get them reviewed and assigned a Foster equivalent course.
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- Credits: Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll students must enroll in the equivalent full-time course load as required by the partner business school. The specific number of courses does vary by school. Keep in mind that many university partners operate under the semester system, so you might be enrolled in as many as seven courses or as few as three depending on the course requirement by the school. At a semester school students typically take the equivalent of 18-24 UW credits.
- Types of classes: Most students take a combination of business core, business electives, and non-business courses while abroad at a Foster university partner. A typical student will take 1-3 upper division business core classes, 2-3 business concentration electives, and 1-2 non-business classes. For a Foster upper division business core course to be approved as an equivalent for a course abroad, 80% of the syllabus must have the same content as the course at the Foster School.
- How to plan for your courses abroad: First, check out the Foster Study Abroad Course Evaluation List linked above. Note that some courses may require reevaluation as they are only approved for 3 years. You just need to submit the syllabus to the form linked on the first page of the list to get it reevaluated. If you would like to take a course at a Foster university partner that is not on the list, you can get it reviewed by the Foster Academic Advisers (see instructions below). Second, meet with your Foster Academic Adviser and review your DARS and academic plan to see which courses/requirements you have remaining. Try to match these up with the courses offered at a partner school.
- Follow these steps to get courses evaluated (or reevaluated) by the Foster Undergraduate Programs Office for Foster credit:
- Send any syllabi you want reviewed to the Foster Undergraduate Programs Office at [email protected]. Make sure to include your student number and the syllabus for courses you want reviewed which must include: a schedule of topics, reading materials, and credit/contact hours.
Need a course evaluated for non-business credit? Email the advising office of the corresponding department at UW to get their course approval before or after your study abroad. Foster advisers can only review courses for business credit.
- You must be flexible academically in order to go on exchange. Most partner schools do not publish their courses or enroll you until you are close to the start of your time abroad. This means that you have already committed before you know what you will take abroad. Talk with a GBC Foster Study Abroad Adviser and your Foster Academic Adviser about your academic requirements/needs but know you must be flexible.
- Course restrictions: Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll students are generally allowed to enroll in any course at the partner school. However, please remember that some courses might be restricted due to class size or prerequisites. Questions concerning courses at the partner school can be directed to the partner school coordinator once you have been selected and nominated by Foster to the partner school.
- Maintain full-time status: While abroad, you are required to maintain your UW Status through concurrent enrollment at UW and the host institution. During the quarter(s) you are abroad, your My UW account will reflect 12 credits of “FSTDY 300: Study Abroad”. This is only a temporary classification until the Global Business Center receives an official transcript of courses completed abroad. On receipt of an official transcript, the 12 credits of foreign study are converted to UW credit through a process between you, the UW Study Abroad Office and UW advisors.
For questions, talk with a GBC Foster Study Abroad Adviser and/or your Foster Academic Adviser.
Expenses, Fees, and Financial Aid
Foster Exchange University Partners (21 of 23 partners)
Students pay their regular tuition fees (resident, non-resident, or international) to the UW rather than their host institution. In addition to tuition, you will pay two study abroad fees. These study abroad fees will be charged to your MyUW account during the first quarter you are abroad.
Foster Exchange Program expenses charged to your MyUW and due on the regular tuition deadline:
- UW Tuition (1 semester = 1.5 quarters of tuition)
- Foster School Study Abroad Fee: $375
- UW Study Abroad Fee
Foster Direct Enroll University Partners (UCD in Ireland and UdeSA in Argentina)
Students pay a program fee to the host institution instead of UW tuition. This makes studying abroad at these 2 universities much more affordable for out-of-state students. In addition to the program fee, you will pay two study abroad fees. These study abroad fees will be charged to your MyUW account during the first quarter you are abroad.
Foster Direct Enroll Program expenses paid to the host university:
Foster Direct Enroll Program expenses charged to your MyUW and due on the regular tuition deadline:
- Foster School Study Abroad Fee: $375
- UW Study Abroad Fee
Other Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll expenses to budget for:
- Airfare
- Textbooks & course packs
- Housing
- Food
- Miscellaneous living expenses like transportation, cell phone, laundry, etc.
- UW Study Abroad Health Insurance
- Passport (if you don’t have one or it is going to expire within 6 months of your return to the USA)
- Student visa (if required) & associated travel costs to San Francisco for a visa appointment
- Immunizations (if required)
- Personal travel
Financial Aid:
Some programs and terms are eligible for use with financial and some are not, depending on program duration and alignment with the UW academic calendar. Financial aid eligibility by term can be found on the Finances tab of the online program brochure. UW Study Abroad will publish financial aid eligibility as program dates become available and have been reviewed by OSFA.
Please also check with the Office of Student Financial Aid regarding eligibility. If your program is aid eligible, you can adjust your financial aid budget for the terms that you will spend abroad by completing a Revision Request for Study Abroad and Early Fall Start. You will need to attach a program budget to the revision request which can be obtained on the individual universities brochure page linked in the table above (also found on the UW Study Abroad Office website). You need to click on the finance tab and then select the term you will be abroad. If you do not find one, please email Josie Kraft at [email protected].
Resources
Learning from past students is the best way to find out more about the exchange programs. We recommend spending some time reading blog posts on our Undergrads Go Global blog and watching videos about past student experiences.
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Financial resources
Please be sure to apply for the Global Business Center Study Abroad Scholarships There are also several resources about scholarships, GET, budgeting, and financial aid on the UW Study Abroad site.
This useful tool is a great way to estimate how your cost of living in a particular country might compare with the cost of living you are accustomed to here at UW. -
Cultural awareness
There are many good publications on the phenomenon of culture shock. You may want to look at the following websites for more helpful information:
University of the Pacific for cultural training.
FIUTS is an organization on campus that offers cultural training and international activities for students to gain a global perspective.
Studyabroad.com lists lots of great resources for students before, during and after your experience. -
U.S. State Department Resources
The U.S. State Department provides a host of information for students traveling and studying abroad. There is everything from how to be safe to how to get your visa:
Students Abroad website
Tips for students
Travel warnings
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many students can attend each Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Program?
Generally, the Foster School of Business is allowed to send between 1–6 students to each host institution. This number could be higher or lower based on past exchange student activity with a specific partner school.
Q: Do I have to fill out a separate application form for each Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Program?
No, all the ‘Apply Now’ links you see on the Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Program application pages send you to one general application where you will list your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of universities.
Q: Can I list more than one university on my application form?
Yes. Actually, you are encouraged to list multiple schools on your application form so you can increase your changes of getting a place at a Foster university partner.
Q: Are students with foreign language proficiency given preference?
The vast majority of Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Programs are taught in English. In those cases, preference is not given to someone with foreign language ability. Some universities require foreign language proficiency. In those cases, we can only nominate students with the necessary language proficiency.
Q: Is it possible to obtain an internship in conjunction with studying at a Foster university partner?
Maybe. Past UW students have found internships either prior to or after their time abroad. It is up to the Foster School student to take initiative and seek out internship opportunities through their network.
Q: Will I be asked to advertise the Foster School Exchange program at my host institution?
Probably. Most host institution will hold an information session for interested exchange students. You will be asked to talk about the Foster School exchange program and general life in Seattle. These events are usually informal and do not require significant advance preparation. The Foster School website is the best resource for interested students to begin their research.
Q: May I go on exchange to a school that does not have an exchange with the Foster School?
Yes. The University of Washington has institutional agreements with schools around the globe. To find out about those programs and your eligibility for them, visit UW Study Abroad. Typically, you will not be able to take business courses on a UW Exchange program. You may be able to take 1 or 2, but a full load of business courses is unlikely.
Q: Why do I have to apply to my host school after being nominated by the Foster Global Business Center?
Host schools require incoming students to apply formally. This is a formality and serves as a way for the school to enter the student into their system. Only in extreme cases will students be rejected by the host school at this point in the process.
Q: Can my spouse, significant other or children join me?
This can be an option. Some on-campus housing is for single students only, so you would need to find alternative housing options. Your host school will provide the necessary documents to obtain your student visa. Neither the host school nor UW will assist you in obtaining a visa for a spouse, significant other or children. This is the responsibility of the student.