How student exchange works , Te tikanga o te whakawhiti tauira

Exchange is a great chance to experience life in another country and university without taking time off your degree.

As an exchange student, you'll:

• study overseas for one or two semesters at a Massey partner university overseas (we call this your "host university")
• take courses at the host university
• get credits that count toward your Massey qualification
• pay your usual Massey tuition fees
• keep getting your student allowance and/or student loan.

Student exchange video

In the video below two Massey University Bachelor of Agricultural Science students share their experiences studying, living, and travelling around Europe during their student exchange to Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Who can go on exchange

You can go on exchange if:

• you're studying for an undergraduate or master's degree worth 180 or 240 credits in any subject except construction, nursing, social work or veterinary science
• you're studying full-time or part-time at Massey – though you'll need to study full-time while you're away
• you meet our academic requirements.

Learn more about the academic requirements to go on exchange

Getting credits toward your Massey qualification

While you're on exchange, you'll take courses at your host university. You'll study full-time for the semesters you're away, and you can earn up to 60 Massey credits .

Your study needs to meet some requirements for your credits to count. These requirements are different for each qualification. Talk to an Academic Adviser at Massey about the courses you want to take.

Book a meeting with an Academic Adviser

If you want to change your courses while you're on exchange, email us first to check the changes meet our requirements.

Email: studyabroad@massey.ac.nz

Fees and costs

You'll pay your usual Massey fees for 60 credits of study for each semester you're away. If you get a student loan or grant from StudyLink, you can keep getting it while you're on exchange.

You may also have to pay some administration and student insurance fees to the host university. You're responsible for paying all the costs of your exchange – but there are some scholarships you can apply for to help.

Learn about exchange costs and scholarships

When to go

Undergraduates

If you're an undergraduate student, the best time to go is in the second or third year of your qualification.

If you go on exchange in your final year (usually your third year), remember that you'll need to earn 30 of your 300-level (third-year undergraduate) credits for your major at Massey.

You can get the rest of the credits while you're on exchange. Talk to your Massey Academic Adviser if you're not sure.

Read more about credits and course levels

Master's students

If you're studying for a master's degree, you can only go on exchange for one semester. It's best to go in the first year of your qualification.

International students

If you go on exchange in your final semester of your qualification, you'll lose the right to apply for a Post-study work visa.

Get more information about the Post-study work visa at Immigration New Zealand

Massey enrolment and distance learning

You don't need to enrol in any courses at Massey while you're on exchange, unless you want to take a distance course. You can take one Massey distance course in each semester that you're away. You can either:

• take the distance course instead of one course at your host university, or
• take the course on top of your full-time workload (60 credits) – in this case, you'll be charged extra fees for the distance course.

If you want to take a distance course with an exam, you'll need to contact the Examinations Office at Massey to arrange to take the exam overseas.

Email: exams@massey.ac.nz

Back-to-back exchanges and extensions

You can do two exchanges at different universities, one after the other. It's easiest to apply to both universities before you leave home.

If you're on exchange for one semester and you want to stay for a second, it may be possible to extend your time away.

Contact our International Mobility Team to discuss your options as soon as you can – and no later than half way through your first semester of exchange. We'll check if the host university approves the extension.