The National Student Exchange Program is back up and running for NVU-Johnson students after a year of being shut down. Students interested in the program can apply and, if accepted, could spend time at one of the 150 colleges and universities in the program.
According to Brady Rainville, NVU-Johnson’s Study Away advisor, the application process is simple. To join the program, founded in 1968, interested applicants choose five schools they’d like to go to, and a placement conference follows shortly after.
The placement process is limited to give everyone a fair shot. Seniors and other students with less opportunity to apply again in the future get first priority. Rainville notes a substantial benefit of this program is financial. Students will have the same financial aid and scholarships no matter where they stay.
“Students generally will pay their current tuition that they’re paying here at NVU and the room and board of where they’re going on exchange. It’s a great way to have a travel experience,” Rainville said.
NSE also offers RA exchange for those who aren’t ready to give up their on-campus job. However, this does limit the schools available to exchange students.
At the moment, a small but mighty group is participating in NSE through NVU-Johnson. “We do have a student out on exchange as well as a student here on exchange from another university in our program,” Rainville said.
On the NSE website, more information is available for interested pupils. NSE reaches from the U.S. and Canada, to Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Within these sites, the universities range in athletic division, population, academic opportunity, majors, programs, etc.
According to the NSE, students who inquire about this program are interested in a variety of courses, traveling and future employment prospects. Fifty-one percent of participants are reported to reside with their exchange school for two terms.
The NSE website notes some statistics about the students in the program. For example, over sixty-eight percent of national exchange students are female. Over eighty-five percent of members attended college in their home state and decided to explore other paths.

The top five majors of students in the NSE are currently listed as Psychology, Biology, Undeclared, Business and English.
To be a member of the NSE, one needs a 2.5 cumulative GPA, no misconduct or outstanding financial balances on their home campus and at least one semester as a full-time student prior to application.
The NSE website also explains how exchange students are held to a rigorous standard at home and away. They must uphold the rules and regulations of their host campus and stepping out of line can result in being sent home.
Since the NSE includes Canada and Puerto Rico, the students traveling to or from these areas are required to show a proficiency in their exchange schools’ language. American students travelling to these areas must show knowledge of French or Spanish, respectively. Students coming to the U.S need a background of English if it is not their first language.
Unlike the NSE, the International Student Exchange Program is still down due to international travel rules with COVID-19. Other than its current status, Rainville said, “The international student exchange program is similar in a lot of ways.”
For the ISEP, students choose 10 places they’d like to venture off to, and a matchmaking system occurs behind the scenes. These matchmakers will often find students who wish to visit each other’s countries, and send them off to close the loop. Although this does not always happen, it is fairly common.
Fiscally, the distinction between the NSE and the ISEP is room and board. Participants of the ISEP will pay housing to NVU, whereas NSE students do not. Both programs offer the same financial aid and scholarships one would receive right here at Johnson.
According to Rainville, though this endeavor is not currently available, the goal is to begin again by next year. For more information, contact Brady Rainville at [email protected] or visit him in Dewey Hall room 156.