Inbound Exchange Students

Foster Purpose Statement

Together…
We Foster Leaders
We Foster Insights
We Foster Progress
…To Better Humanity

Foster Rankings

The Foster School of Business Undergraduate Program consistently ranks as the top business program in the Pacific Northwest. Check out all the latest rankings here.

Culture of the Business School Classroom

Class formats include lecture and discussion, in-class presentations, and case studies. Grading is based on papers, group projects, case studies, and class participation. Exam formats may vary. Typically exams are held during the final week of the quarter. The faculty and your fellow students have high expectations of professionalism, performance and participation inside and outside the classroom. You will be expected to participate in class, and you might even be called on to share your opinion. We encourage an attitude of collegial and congenial competition among students. As a community, we have a strong commitment to achieving excellence through teamwork and cooperation. We believe greater success comes with the help of peers than at the expense of peers. You will also find an atmosphere that is relaxed, informal, and laid back. Some professors allow students to eat in class, and socializing at club activities is a common occurrence.

Attire

Most events and the general classroom atmosphere at the Foster School are casual, so you can dress in whatever you are most comfortable wearing. Events such as networking events and corporate presentations, however, require business or business casual dress.

Academic Advising & Support

We are here to help. Please do not hesitate to contact the Foster Inbound Exchange Manager at the Global Business Center or any of the Foster Academic Advisers in the Undergraduate Programs Office.

Foster Global Ambassadors (FGAs) and Fostering Global Connections Program

As a Foster Inbound Exchange student, you will be paired with a Foster Global Ambassador (FGA). An FGA is a Foster School undergraduate student who is here to help orient you to the UW, Foster School, and Seattle. The FGAs and the Foster Inbound Exchange students will participate in fun, social activities on-campus and off-campus as part of the Fostering Global Connections Program. The goal of this program is to introduce the Foster Inbound Exchange students to the American lifestyle and UW culture that you might not experience independently. You can choose to engage as much or as little as you wish with your Foster Global Ambassador and the events that are part of the Fostering Global Connections Program. You will be electronically introduced to your Foster Global Ambassador a few weeks before the start of the quarter.

Opportunities to get involved

The student experience at Foster is vibrant and diverse. We encourage you to get involved! Check out the 29 undergraduate student clubs and organizations as this is how many Foster students meet one another and you can join a club (or RSO as they are sometimes called) as a Foster Inbound Exchange student, or participate in a case competition.

Learn more about getting involved as a Foster student.

Facilities

The Foster School of Business is located on North Campus, and is composed of 4 buildings:

• PACCAR Hall
• Dempsey Hall
• Founders Hall
• Bank of America Executive Education Center

These building include the Foster Business Library, Orin’s Café, an outdoor patio called Hogan Terrace, common areas and team rooms for group work for your classes.

Code of Conduct/ Academic Integrity

As a Foster Inbound Exchange student to the Foster School of Business you become a member of a learning community committed to the highest academic standards. Be aware you must abide by the standards of conduct below.

HONESTY: I will be truthful with myself and others.

RESPECT: I will show consideration for others and their ideas and work.

INTEGRITY: I will be a leader of character. I will be fair in all relations with others. It is important to remember that American views of academic integrity (honest academic conduct) may be different from those in your home country. In basic terms, you are guilty of academic misconduct (cheating) whenever you present something that you did not do as your own work. You are also guilty of cheating if you help someone else to present their work in a similar way.

Learn more about UW’s Student Conduct Code.

To see the dates of instruction and the exam week dates, check out the UW Academic Calendar.

Please also reference the UW Study Abroad Office Inbound Exchange application website.

You must be nominated by your home institution.

Nominations by students’ home university are are submitted via a form emailed by the Foster Inbound Exchange Manager.

After being nominated, students will receive an email from the Foster Global Business Center with instructions to submit application materials online via the UW Study Abroad Office website.

Students will upload the following directly into the UW Study Abroad online portal by the application deadline:

• Copy of passport identification page
• All college transcripts, preferably in English
• Verification of English Proficiency: TOEFL (iBT) score of 76 (105 or higher recommended), IELTS score of 6.0 (7.0 or higher recommended) or Duolingo (DET) score of 110 (131 or higher recommended)

Once you have completed these steps, your application will be processed by the UW Study Abroad Office. They will generate your official acceptance documents and visa paperwork. Please be patient, this is a lengthy process (see timeline above). You will need to provide proof of sufficient funds once accepted, learn more here.

Please review what steps you need to take once you have been accepted to UW on the UW Study Abroad Office Website.
Also review the UW ISS Pre-Arrival Checklist.

Health Insurance

International students at UW are required by federal and state laws to maintain health insurance while studying in the United States. Review health insurance requirements and decide to either purchase ISHIP insurance or submit a waiver. Either way, you need to enroll in ISHIP (even if you will waive it) by going through the registration process via MyUW. The screens you see before getting to the registration page include ISHIP enrollment.

Online Resources at UW

Log in to your MyUW using your UW NetID and password. Get acquainted with the information available on this website.

Fostering Global Connections Program

You will be electronically introduced to your Foster Global Ambassador a few weeks before the start of the quarter. You will learn more about the Fostering Global Connections events for you and your Foster Global Ambassador at the Foster Inbound Exchange Orientation.

As a Foster Inbound Exchange Student (please note you are a Departmental Exchange Student) you have access to business courses while other UW-wide Exchange Students do not. The Foster School is quite competitive even for those admitted so we encourage you to explore a wide range of course possibilities. There are two separate registration process for taking business and non-business courses. There are no restrictions on business vs. non-business courses as a Foster Inbound Exchange Student.

Before you are officially accepted, you will be sent a google form to list your business class preferences for the Foster Academic Advisers to enroll you in in the upcoming quarter. You do not enroll yourself in business courses, a Foster Academic Adviser has to do this for you and it takes place one month prior to the quarter start date.

To learn about enrolling in non-business courses, check out the UW Study Abroad Office website.

There are two tools that will be useful to you in determining which courses you would like to take. The UW Time Schedule lists which courses will be offered during a specific quarter at UW. The UW Course Catalog provides descriptions of all courses ever offered at UW. Please note that courses on the course catalog may not be offered the term you are enrolled at UW so it is best to look at the UW Time Schedule. If the quarter you will be at UW is not yet available, look at the previous year’s quarter that matches the quarter you will be at UW.

Review the UW Time Schedule for the most recent quarter that matches the quarter you will be on campus and make a list of of 8 business courses that interest you.

• To satisfy your student visa status, you must be enrolled in at least 12 credits per quarter with a maximum of 18 credits per quarter.
• Most Foster Inbound Exchange students take 3-4 undergraduate (100-494 level) courses, with most business courses carrying 4 UW credits.
• You must work with your home university to understand how UW courses will convert to credit at your home university.
•  Many non-business courses carry 5 UW credits.
• You may not take 500-level courses. These are reserved for Graduate students
• You will be registered for classes on a space available basis starting with your first choice. If one of your selected business courses is not available we will fill in another option from your selection list.
• Foster Inbound Exchange Students are responsible for ensuring that the credits they receive will transfer back to their home institution.
• It is highly recommended that Inbound Exchange students from France, Spain, China, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, and Japan register for I BUS 491, a 1-credit seminar part of the Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) program for the section corresponding with their native language. All other Foster Inbound Exchange students are also encouraged to participate in this seminar if they would like to.
• The UW is a large research university with many different schools and departments. You can take courses outside of the Foster School of Business if you would like to. If you need assistance navigating the UW Time Schedule to understand what is offered, please reach out to the Foster Inbound Exchange Manager at [email protected].

More Information on Foster School of Business Courses

To help you understand the Foster curriculum for undergraduate business students, please review this website.

You are eligible for Foster undergraduate business courses at the 200-494 level as long as you have completed the required prerequisites (verified through your transcript) and as long as there is space in the course.

• Courses listed at 495 and above are NOT available to you.
• Business Minor courses are NOT open to Foster Exchange students. These classes are FIN 205, MGMT 305, MKTG 305, and I S 305.

Choose only business courses from the following disciplines. Keep in mind the restrictions listed above. All other business disciplines found on the UW Time Schedule but not on this list are restricted to graduate students only.

• Accounting (ACCTG)
• Business Communications (B CMU)
• Business Economics (B ECON)
• Entrepreneurship (ENTRE)
• Finance (FIN)
• Information Systems (I S)
• International Business (I BUS)
• Management (MGMT)
• Marketing (MKTG)
• Operations Management (OPMGT)
• Quantitative Methods (QMETH)

We will register you for classes on a space-available basis starting with your first choice. If one of your selected courses is not available, we will fill in another option from your selection list once you fill out the Google form sent by the Foster Inbound Exchange Manager.

PLEASE NOTE!

Foster School courses fill up quickly, and there are a number of courses that are usually full by the time the Foster Advisers enroll Foster Inbound Exchange Students.

• Foster Core Courses: There are 9 upper division core courses at Foster that can be difficult to get into because Foster students are all competing to take these courses each quarter. If you list these courses in the survey, please have flexibility in terms of backup options that work for your degree at your home university. The Foster Upper Division Core includes:
  • IS 300 (Introduction to Information Systems)
  • OPMGT 301 (Principles Of Operations Management)
  • MKTG 301 (Marketing Concepts)
  • FIN 350 (Business Finance)
  • MGMT 300 (Leadership & Organizational Behavior)
  • IBUS 300 (Global Business Perspectives)
  • MGMT 320 (Business, Government & Society)
  • B ECON 300 (Managerial Economics)
  • MGMT 430 (Strategic Management Capstone)
• Foster Electives: There are also a number of Foster Electives that are extremely difficult to get a spot in:
  • FIN 460: Investments
  • FIN 425: Introduction to Real Estate Finance and Investment
  • FIN/ENTRE 457: Entrepreneurial Finance
  • MKTG/ENTRE 455: Entrepreneurial Marketing
  • MKTG 450: Consumer Behavior
  • MKTG 460: Marketing Research
  • MKTG 462: Customer Analytics
  • All I S 400 level courses

Check out the UW Study Abroad Office to review all steps.

Getting to UW

The Seattle Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport is approximately 35 minutes south of the University of Washington by private car and about 45 minutes by Link Light Rail. There are a variety of transportation methods available to get you to campus.

• Link Light Rail – there is just one line, so hop on the Light Rail towards Seattle and get off at the U District Station if you are moving into your housing.
• Uber or Lyft ride share apps

Post-Arrival Checklist

• Complete the New Student Post-Arrival Checklist with International Student Services (ISS)
• Attend the Foster Inbound Exchange Orientation. The date is listed in the timeline and you will be sent more information about the exact time and location closer to the start of the quarter. This event is hosted by the Foster Inbound Exchange Manager of the Global Business Center.
• Acquire a UW Husky Card. The card is used for several important functions:
  • Student ID card – can also be used for discounts at local merchants
  • Library Card – to check out materials at any on-campus library
  • Debit Card – deposit funds on the card to pay for printouts, coffee, etc.
  • Bus Pass – The card serves as your bus pass through the U-PASS system
  • Access to Burke Museum or Henry Art Gallery
  • Access to IMA (workout and gymnasium facilities that offer a variety of fitness classes)
• Several fees will appear on your MyUW account. As an exchange student you are responsible to pay the following fees upon arrival, but you DO NOT pay the tuition charge that appears in your account:
  • U-PASS
  • ISHIP health insurance (or submit a waiver by 1 p.m. the 3rd week of class and ignore the charge)
  • Course fees – if applicable (Some courses charge additional fees for instructional and/or laboratory costs that are not covered by the tuition waiver.)
•  Purchase textbooks and course packs required for your classes
  • At the University of Washington, you must purchase your own textbooks and coursepacks for your classes. Coursepacks consist of supplemental reading material the professor may assign, such as case studies and articles.
  • You can purchase your books from any source you like, however the University Bookstore is a convenient option.

The UW cannot obtain a transcript for you, instead you must purchase your official transcript and enter an email address. Make sure you order your transcript after grades have posted. Order transcripts here.

• Peking University, Guanghua School of Management (PKU) | China (Beijing)
• University of Hong Kong, School of Business (HKU) | Hong Kong
• Kobe University, School of Business Administration | Japan (Kobe)
• National University of Singapore, Business School (NUS) | Singapore
• Yonsei University, School of Business | South Korea (Seoul)
• National Chengchi University, College of Commerce (NCCU) |Taiwan (Taipei)
• Chulalongkorn University, Business School | Thailand (Bangkok)

• Prague University of Economics and Business (VSE) | Czech Republic (Prague)
• Copenhagen Business School (CBS) | Denmark (Copenhagen)
• Paris School of Business (PSB) | France (Paris)
• University of Mannheim, Business School | Germany (Mannheim)
• WHU, Otto Beisheim School of Management | Germany (Vallendar)
• Bocconi University | Italy (Milan)
• Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University | The Netherlands (Rotterdam)
• Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) | Norway (Bergen)
• IE University, Business School | Spain (Madrid)
• University of Navarra, School of Economics & Business Administration | Spain (Pamplona)
• University of Manchester, Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) | United Kingdom (Manchester)

• University of Auckland, Business School | New Zealand (Auckland)
• University of Sydney, Business School | Australia (Sydney)