ABOUT THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Each year, UNM sends and receives approximately 80 international exchange students. As an international exchange student, you may attend UNM for one or two semesters. To be selected as an international exchange student, you must be attending one of UNM's partner universities . If your home university is not on this list, you are not eligible for the international exchange program, but you may be able to apply to come to UNM as a regular degree-seeking student.

You must have the approval of the international exchange coordinator at your home school, and you must meet the program requirements and complete the application process as explained in the application procedures section.

I. TUITION PAYMENT

According to the exchange student agreement between our universities, you will not pay UNM tuition. However, you may be responsible for course fees, such as an art class or laboratory fees (which are anywhere from US$ 15 to US$ 160 per class) . These fees are noted in the course listings schedule.

II. HOUSING OPTIONS

Exchange students are eligible for campus housing in a UNM residence hall, or they may choose to live off-campus in a private apartment or home.

A. ON CAMPUS. To apply for campus residences hall go to the website: www.unm.edu/~reshalls . There are a variety of different residence hall arrangements and meal plans. You can make a reservation on-line at http://www.unm.edu/~reshalls/index2.htm . If you want to live on campus you should apply as soon as you have decided that you will be coming as an exchange student, because our residence halls fill up rapidly. There is a new housing program called “The Global Learning Community” that places international and US students together in on-campus apartments. To obtain more information on this program please visit http://www.unm.edu/oips/gbllearning.html

B. OFF-CAMPUS. There is also abundant inexpensive off-campus housing near the university. It is not difficult to find a student apartment or a rental house to share with other students. If you want to check into the possibilities before you arrive, please visit http://och.unm.edu . However, we recommend that you wait until you arrive in Albuquerque before signing any off-campus housing contracts so that you can inspect the properties and see what options are available to you.

III. REGISTRATION FOR CLASSES

International Exchange students must be registered and complete at least 12 credits (4 classes) each semester in order to remain full-time and maintain legal immigration status. Most UNM courses are 3 credits and the credit values are indicated in the Catalog and Schedule.

A.  UNM COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM. You will need to understand the UNM course numbering system in order to choose your classes. Courses number in the 100's are introductory courses generally taken by first year student. 200-level courses are usually for second year students, 300-level for third year, and 400-level for fourth year. However, these are only guidelines, and students may register for any courses for which they are qualified regardless of their year in school. Courses numbered 500 or 600 are for graduate students only (i.e., you must have completed a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent.) You are not allowed to pre-register for these courses. You must wait until you arrive and meet with a graduate advisor before you can take 500 or 600-level course.

B.  UNM COURSE CATALOG AND SCHEDULE. Before you try to register, you should examine the course descriptions in the UNM Catalog by visiting http://www.unm.edu/%7eunmreg/catalog.htm . You should also review the Schedule of Class for the semester in which you have been admitted at http://www.unm.edu/~unmreg/schedule.htm .

C.  ON-LINE REGISTRATION OF CLASSES. Once you have put together the list of courses you want to take, go to the registration website at http://itel.unm.edu and follow the directions. To be able to register for classes you will need a student ID number. This number will be provided to you once you have been admitted in the program. Please note that there are some courses for which you cannot register on-line. These include courses for which there are specific pre-requisites (e.g., you cannot register for Calculus until you can prove you have taken Algebra.) Other courses require that you take a placement examination before registering. Some courses require that you talk with the professor and get permission before registering. If a particular class is full, you will not be allowed to register. However, you can sometimes meet with the professor after you arrive and get permission to enter the class. Some specific subject areas are restricted. If you get a message that you cannot register for any particular class for any reason, it is best to wait until you arrive at UNM and meet with an advisor or professor to get permission to enter the class.