A reciprocal agreement is a true exchange program where students from each institution can spend either a semester or year at the host institution as a non-degree seeking student.

Components of a reciprocal student exchange agreement

  • Students will pay tuition to their home university while attending classes at the host institution.
  • For the reason above, the number of students who come and go between institutions must balance over the life of the agreement.
  • UFIC is responsible for the immigration compliance of exchange students and will assist the faculty member in negotiating the terms of the exchange.
  • Academic Managers are responsible for promoting the exchange and should have a line of communication with the partner institution. Please see below for helpful tips on creating a successful exchange program.

How to establish a reciprocal student exchange agreement​

Please note that UF has implemented a new online submission and approval process for all international agreements, which will streamline and facilitate the various approval and compliance requirements. The new process will allow for College Deans, Department Chairs, the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Research Integrity, Security and Compliance, and the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs to approve the proposed agreement online before it is routed to the International Center for final signature.

To establish a reciprocal agreement, the following is required. Templates can be found at the bottom of this page.

  1. If you are interested in establishing a reciprocal student exchange agreement with an international partner, please contact Sharon Brown, who will be happy to prepare a draft agreement for you to share with your partner institution.
  2. At the same time, you may want to begin working on the Course Equivalencies, which is an internal form that lists the courses students can take at the partner institution and their equivalent courses for UF credit.
  3. The Letter of Approval (LOA) is also an internal form that indicates the approval of your chair and your dean or associate dean. Please use your department letterhead for this.
  4. When all three documents are in place, please submit them to Sharon Brown . Our office will review them and upon approval we will ask you to submit through the online portal. We will share more specific instructions on how to submit at that time.

We will be happy to assist and to answer any questions you might have.  Please contact Sharon Brown at: sbrown@ufic.ufl.edu

STEPS

DOCUMENTS

DETAILS

NEGOTIATE AGREEMENT

Reciprocal Student Exchange Agreement

UF has a General Council approved template which outlines the exchange and would be negotiated to fit the needs of both institutions and their respective students.  
Course Equivalencies

Please submit a list of courses students can take at the partner institution and their equivalent course for UF credit.

COLLEGE APPROVAL OF AGREEMENT

Letter of Approval or LOA

Approval from the department to establish an agreement. Please use department letterhead when obtaining signatures.

SUBMISSION OF AGREEMENT

Agreement see link above

Course Equivalencies see link above

Letter of Approval see link above

Certificate of Translation or CoT

Please send all documents to Sharon Brown (sbrown@ufic.ufl.edu) with a copy to: agreements@ufic.ufl.edu

CoT: Only required for translations of documents and languages that are not pre-approved.

SIGNATURE OF AGREEMENT

Original Documents

Two original agreements are signed on behalf of the UF President, so each institution may have an original on file. UFIC will facilitate this process.

Electronic Documents

UFIC will accept electronic documents. Scans must be clear and legible. UFIC will facilitate this process.

AGREEMENT ACTIVATION

Agreement is considered fully executed

Upon receipt by UFIC of the fully-executed agreement from the partner institution, the agreement is activated and an electronic copy is forwarded to the academic manager.

 

UFIC will keep the agreement for UF reference and includes it on UFIC’s website listing of Reciprocal Agreements 

 

Agreement Renewals

All renewals will utilize the same agreement template as above.

120 days prior to the expiration date of an agreement, UFIC will contact the Academic Manager to start the renewal process. UFIC will review the exchange balance as well as the academic performance of students who have participated in the exchange and make a recommendation to renew or allow the agreement to expire. The Academic Manager will be asked to confirm the continuous academic rigor of the partner institution and submit a renewal endorsement. Based on these evaluations, the agreement will be either renewed or allowed to expire.

Once the draft agreement has been finalized and endorsement received, our office will review them and upon approval we will ask you to submit through the online portal. We will share more specific instructions on how to submit at that time.

We will be happy to assist and to answer any questions you might have.  Please contact Sharon Brown at: sbrown@ufic.ufl.edu

To renew the agreement, UFIC will need the following documents

Renewal Process

Agreement Documents

Reciprocal Student Exchange Agreement 

For every renewal, a new agreement will be signed. Our office will work with the partner institution on any changes they would like to make to this template. 
Renewal Endorsement Please contact your study abroad advisor if you need more detailed information regarding this exchange and how students performed in the past. 

Signature Process

Original Documents   (1)

OR

Electronic Documents (2)                      

 
  1. Two original agreements are signed by the Dean of UFIC, so each institution may have an original on file. UFIC will facilitate this process.
  1. UFIC will accept electronic documents. Scans must be clear and legible. UFIC will facilitate this process.

Agreement Activation

The agreement is considered fully executed / renewed, once both parties have signed. 

UFIC will keep the agreement for UF reference and includes it on UFIC’s website listing.

Reciprocal Agreements

Templates

Attachment A – Definition of Contacts

Academic Manager – This is the UF Faculty member who intends to collaborate with the partner institution. This is the individual we will contact to renew the agreement when it is due to expire. If this individual leaves UF while the agreement is active, please contact UFIC to either name a new contact or cancel the agreement.

Partner Institutional Contact – This is the individual in the Partner Institution who the UF faculty member will work with on the academic component of the agreement.

2nd Partner Institutional Contact (optional and preferred) – This contact is the individual who will facilitate the signing of the agreement on behalf of the partner institution.

Helpful tips on building a successful exchange program

  • Promote and market exchange to UF students by holding info sessions and attending the bi-annual Study Abroad Fair.
  • Study Abroad Services can create a promotional flyer for the exchange.
  • Keep an open line of communication with the partner institution and the Study Abroad Advisor assigned to the exchange. Details such as nomination/application deadlines and visa procedures are subject to change which can greatly effect students and their ability to participate in the exchange.
  • Extend an active welcome to participants and be available to both incoming and outgoing students.
  • Assist with academic questions, concerns, problems for incoming and outgoing students, specifically advising or referring to appropriate academic personnel  for course selection, registration etc.
  • Keep in touch with students after they return. These students turn into advocates for the program and can be a great resource for potential exchange students!