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Brooklyn College welcomes exchange students from its participating partners to our campus for a semester and/or the academic year. During the application process, exchange students will receive information from at least two different Brooklyn College offices—International Programs & Study Abroad (IPSA), which manages Brooklyn College exchanges and outgoing students, and International Student Services (ISS), which assists in all matters of admission, visa documentation, course registration, international student orientation (shared responsibility), and, in general, your soft landing on the Brooklyn College campus.
We are in the process of developing partnerships with universities abroad. Our current exchange partners are:
If your institution is not on this list, contact the study abroad or student exchange office on your home campus to show your interest and to see if a partnership is in the process of being developed.
We look forward to meeting you here at Brooklyn College!
Incoming exchange students may choose from any of the courses offered, if prerequisites are met and space is available.
To locate classes of interest to you for the term you will be studying at Brooklyn College as an exchange student, you will want to use two sources of information: the Brooklyn College Bulletin and the Schedule of Classes.
Both documents can initially be accessed on the Academic Calendars and Course Schedules page. The Brooklyn College Academic Calendar will be accessible from there as well.
The results will give you the course work in a specific department. Courses of interest may be offered in different departments (Communications, English, Film, etc.), and you are welcome to choose courses from any field.
When submitting your exchange application for study at Brooklyn College, please provide a carefully selected prioritized list of six to eight courses that includes both the course number and course name. Note that, in general, the 1000 numbers refer to introductory courses, 2000 to second year, etc. It is important that you pick courses that match your needs at your home institution (talk with your adviser there). In choosing courses for a specific field, review the list on the departmental website and contact the head of the department or program should you have any questions.
Exchange students whose native language is not English, or who are coming from countries where English is not the official language, should take the TOEFL (minimum 61) or IELTS (minimum 6) tests to ensure that their level of English is sufficient to intensively read and discuss in English in class, and are able to write papers in English. Exchange students may also confirm their level of English with a signed letter on official university letterhead by an English-speaking professor certifying their level of English.
Once you are accepted by your home university as an exchange student to Brooklyn College, send the following to IPSA via post-mail or scanned e-mail:
Post-mailed documents should be addressed to:
After review and acceptance of your initial application by IPSA, you may be asked by ISSS to provide additional documentation.
The Brooklyn College Academic Calendar can be accessed on the Academic Calendars and Course Schedules page and is updated on a regular basis. Check there for more specific information and exact dates.
* Exchange students who opt to take additional course work during the Winter Intersession (January) will not be charged additional tuition and fees.
You must arrive on the date indicated on the DS 2019, which will be two to three weeks prior to the beginning of the term. Prior to your arrival, you will receive information on the J-1 orientation and welcome workshop, both of which attendance is required. Please note these dates on your calendar.
Exchange students find housing through a variety of sources such as friends and family; or online resources such as Airbnb, Craigslist, and Sara’s Homestay. Most students find shared housing in Brooklyn, or in another borough of New York City. Keep in mind that rental housing is in high demand and goes quickly. It is very difficult to rent an apartment as an international student unless you have a U.S.-based guarantor.
It is important that wherever you choose to live, your lodging will be near transportation that will get you quickly to the college and to areas of interest to you in the New York City area. The subway lines that have stops closest to the college are the 2, 5, and Q. There are also many buses that bring you close to campus. An MTA MetroCard applies to buses and subways. Remember that a long commute can reduce the time you have available for study and social activities.
Below is a quick reference to some of the resources that may assist you in locating housing for your stay and studies at Brooklyn College.
Health care is very expensive in the United States. For this reason, all J-1 visitors and their dependents are required to have a valid health insurance policy to cover their full stay in the United States. Information on policy requirements will be included in the DS 2019 packet that you receive from ISSS.
For initial health concerns and most immunizations, all students have access to the Health Clinic on the Brooklyn College campus.
