The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) provides a group of emerging student leaders with a scholarship for one semester of non-degree academic study at a U.S. college or university. Global UGRAD is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and aims to recruit participants from underrepresented backgrounds who have not had other opportunities to study in the United States. Successful applicants can expect an in-depth exposure to U.S. society, culture, and academic institutions, as well as opportunities to enhance their professional skills.
All participants will be enrolled for one semester in full-time, non-degree, undergraduate coursework chosen from their host institution’s existing curriculum. Participants will be required to take one, 3-credit U.S. studies course to enhance their understanding of the United States. Participants will live in campus housing facilities with American peers and will be required to participate in 20 hours of community service. There will also be a virtual arrival orientation and an in-person end-of-program workshop.
Participants are not able to choose their host institution. Instead, participants are placed at the most appropriate host institution based on students’ academic interests. The program includes a diverse roster of over 70 host campuses across 43 states, including colleges and universities in rural and urban areas. Global UGRAD is a non-degree program.
Successful participants receive a program certificate of completion issued by the U.S. Department of State. The program does not assist with credit transfers between participants’ U.S. host and home institutions. It is the students’ responsibility to verify with their home institutions whether any credits accumulated during the Global UGRAD program will be transferred. Candidates should be prepared that this aspect may delay their graduation from their home university. The program cannot guarantee enrollment in specific courses for the purposes of transfer.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be a citizen of the country in which they apply for the Global UGRAD Program.
- Applicants must be studying in the country in which they apply for the Global UGRAD Program.
- Scholarships will be granted to students who currently are enrolled in full-time undergraduate programs only, having completed a minimum of their first semester of study. Participants must have at least one semester or an equivalent term to complete at their home institutions upon completion of the Global UGRAD Program.
- Applicants should demonstrate leadership potential through academic work, community involvement, and extracurricular activities.
- If selected, applicants must be able to achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 55 iBT. Students who score between 48-60 will be considered for virtual English Language Training prior to the exchange portion of the program. Selected students must achieve a minimum score of 61 to be eligible to participate in the exchange portion of the program in the United States. At the moment of application, TOEFL scores are not required. Successful interview candidates will be invited to take the TOEFL iBT test at no cost.
- Preference will be given to those who have had little or NO experience in the United States or outside of their home countries.
- Preference will be given to students majoring in STEM subjects, computer science, IT, environmental studies, renewable energy, and agriculture, as well as those studying at regional universities.
- Applicants are required to return directly to their home country after the completion of the program.
- Applicants are over 18 years of age (if you are currently 17 years old, you can still apply for the program). At the start of the program participants must be 18.
- Students with GPA over 3.0 out of 4.0.
Application and Program Timeline:
Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2022, for the 2023-2024 academic year. Participants will be placed at a U.S. university in either the fall 2023 semester (August – December 2023) or spring 2024 semester (January to May 2024).
Application Deadline: December 15, 2022
All participants will be enrolled for one semester in full-time, non-degree, undergraduate coursework chosen from their host institution’s existing curriculum. Participants will be required to take one, 3-credit U.S. studies course to enhance their understanding of the United States. Participants will live in campus housing facilities with American peers and will be required to participate in 20 hours of community service. There will also be a virtual arrival orientation and an in-person end-of-program workshop.