Visiting Exchange Students

Academic Calendar

Spring 2025

• Campus Arrival: January 5-6
• Visiting Exchange Orientation (mandatory): Tuesday, January 7
• Classes Begin: Wednesday, January 8
• Classes End: Tuesday, April 29
• Exam Period*: May 1-9
• Earliest Departure: Saturday, May 10

Fall 2025

• Campus Arrival: August 15-16
• Visiting Exchange Orientation (mandatory): Sunday, August 17
• Classes Begin: Monday, August 18
• Classes End: Wednesday, December 3
• Exam Period*: December 5-12
• Earliest Departure: Saturday, December 13

* You must be present in Chapel Hill for the entire exam period.

Important course regulations for visiting exchange students

• To maintain your student visa status, you must remain registered for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester at UNC.
• You are not permitted to register for more than 18 credit hours at UNC.
• The majority of your courses must be business courses, but you are permitted to take one non-business course during your exchange.
• Courses offered through The Friday Center are not available to exchange students.

Available courses

Course listings are searchable on the University Registrar website under the BUSI subject. The fall course schedule is available in mid-February. The spring course schedule is available in mid-September. Please note that course syllabi are not available until you arrive on campus.

Course selection and scheduling

As part of your exchange application process, you are required to submit an online Course Selection Application (emailed to you) in order to request space in Business School courses only (i.e. courses beginning with BUSI).

When selecting BUSI courses, please refer to the two documents that were emailed to you for your Course Selection Application. To view other course listings at UNC, refer to the Office of the University Registrar.

• Courses in the 401-412 range are introductory business core courses.
• Courses numbered above 490 are advanced business electives and will have an introductory course as a prerequisite. As long as you have taken any stated prerequisites at your home university, you may request registration in upper level electives. Please refer to the “Notes” column within the course schedule spreadsheet for course prerequisites and restrictions.
• Some BUSI elective courses require application and permission to enroll. If you’re interested in such a course, you will need to follow the guidelines and submit an application by the deadline. Please refer to the BUSI Elective Course Description document for instructions. You will not be registered for such a course until you are given appropriate permission. We recommend selecting an additional course or courses that will fulfill your 12 credit hours in case you are not admitted to the course. If you are admitted, you can drop any extra courses.

When making your course schedule, keep in mind that the majority of BUSI courses are held either on Monday/Wednesday (MW) or Tuesday/Thursday (TTH) and last for 75 minutes, unless otherwise indicated on the provided course schedule. The Undergraduate Business Program offers both semester length (3 credits) and Mod length (1.5 credits) courses. Mod courses meet for half a semester (Mod 1: Aug-Oct; Mod 2: Oct-Dec; Mod 3: Jan-Mar; Mod 4: Mar-May).

Course registration

Course registration begins in early April for the fall semester and early November for the spring semester.

Course registration is subject to availability; placement in the requested courses is not guaranteed. You must submit your course information by the deadline specified in the email you received from our office.

In order to be registered for a course, the course must have room and you must:

1. Submit your selection on time.
2. Meet any stated prerequisites.
3. Submit the application and receive approval for any courses that require application.

This process will register you only for the number of credit hours that are required by your home university.

You may register for additional courses after you have received your UNC student access information. Typically students register for additional courses in late April for fall exchange and late November for spring exchange.

A note on textbooks

Textbooks can be quite expensive in the US. You can save some money by ordering your textbooks online. Amazon Student allows you to purchase textbooks online with free 2-day shipping.

Accommodation in Chapel Hill

On-campus accommodation is available for fall and spring semester exchange students. Once you have been officially admitted as an incoming exchange student you will receive specific details about applying for on-campus housing (typically in April for fall exchange and November for spring exchange). Exchange students have three options for housing during their exchange to UNC Kenan-Flagler:

1. UNC Residential/On-campus housing
   Recommended for visiting exchange students.
2. Granville Towers
   Only available for visiting exchange students who will study at UNC-Chapel Hill for the entire academic year. University-owned, privately operated residence that offers a wide range of housing plans. Space is not guaranteed at this facility.
3. Off-campus housing/apartment
   Off-campus housing is not encouraged for exchange students and UNC Kenan-Flagler does not assist students in securing this type of accommodation.

UNC Housing move-in dates:

• Fall 2025: August 13 (earliest move-in date)
• Spring 2026: TBD (the earliest move-in date is typically a few days before the first day of classes)

More information about on-campus accommodation is available on Housing & Residential Education.

The figures below should give you an approximate idea of how much it will cost to be a student at Chapel Hill. How much you spend will depend a great deal on your own habits and personal finances.

• Room: US $4,000
• Board: US $2,600
• Books/Supplies: US $750
• Travel (local): US $400
• Personal: US $700
• Health Insurance: US $1,350
• Visa: US $360
• Exchange Application Fee : US $100
• Total: US $10,260

These budget estimates were updated in January 2023.

Effective November 8, 2021, all non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States.

To stay on top of the latest health and travel updates, we encourage you to follow the resources below:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for travel guidance to the U.S.
• U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs for travel guidance to the U.S.
• Carolina Together for information specific to UNC
• UNC Office of International Students and Scholars Services for frequently asked questions and resources for international students

We recommend waiting to purchase flights and/or making any other financial commitments until you have your student visa. We encourage you to continue checking resources in your own country for health information related to travel to the U.S.

In order to apply for the Undergraduate Business Visiting Exchange Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, you must be nominated by one of our partner institutions listed below:

• Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
• Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
• Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
• Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
• BBA ESSEC, Paris, France
• ESADE, Barcelona, Spain
• ICADE, Madrid, Spain
• IE University, Madrid or Segovia, Spain
• Korea University Business School, Seoul, South Korea
• Manchester Business School, Manchester, United Kingdom
• National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Peking University, Beijing, China
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile
• Rotterdam School of Management, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Singapore Management University, Singapore
• Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand
• University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic
• University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
• University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
• University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
• WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, Germany

If your institution does not have a formal agreement with UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill, it’s not possible to study here as a visiting exchange student.

GPA equivalent to at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

If English is not your native language or the exclusive language of instruction at your home university, then you must have a TOEFL score of 100 IBT, 7.5 IELTS, or 5 APIEL.

You first need to be nominated by your home institution. After your nomination has been received, complete the application online and submit your required supporting documentation by the deadline.

UNC provides very few support services for students who may have difficulty with the English language. As a result, UNC has strict English proficiency requirements for international students. If your native language is not English or if English is not the sole language of instruction at your home institution, you will need to submit a copy of your TOEFL score report with your application materials. The minimum TOEFL score accepted is 100 IBT. UNC will also accept a 7.5 on the IELTS or 5 on the APIEL.

If you are an Arts & Sciences exchange student, you should not count on taking any business courses at UNC Kenan-Flagler. It might be possible to take a maximum of one business course, but registration in any particular course is not guaranteed, you must meet any course prerequisites and you will be registered after you have arrived on campus and only if there is space available.

Most visiting exchange students live in a student residence on south campus near the Business School. If you are on exchange for the entire academic year you may opt to live in a private residence called Granville Towers. You also have the option to find housing off campus, but the Undergraduate Business Program is unable to provide assistance with finding off-campus housing. Information on accommodation options and the application process is available on the Housing Office’s website.

You are pre-registered for classes based on the preferences indicated on the Course Selection Application submitted with your application. You will have an opportunity to adjust your schedule online before you arrive and during the drop/add period at the beginning of the semester. Course syllabi are not provided to students until the first day of class.

Expect an environment of active engagement, teamwork and academic integrity. Class attendance and participation are mandatory and graded. Visiting students often note the heavy workload during the semester, including assignments, a group project, presentation, midterm and final exam for each course. The final exam must be taken on the date scheduled.

The complete academic calendar is found on the Registrar’s website.

The acceptance letter and DS2019 form are typically sent 6-8 weeks after you have been admitted to the exchange program. These documents are sent by FedEx to the coordinator at your home university.

Exchange students at UNC are provided a DS2019 form for the J-1 student visa. Instructions on applying for the visa may be found on the State Department’s website.

All students at UNC, including visiting exchange students, are required to have health insurance. Students are automatically enrolled and billed for insurance coverage provided by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina (called Student Blue). It is possible to waive the Student Blue coverage if you have comparable existing coverage. More information is available on the Campus Health Services website.

UNC requires all new students, including visiting exchange students, to submit a report of medical history and immunization records. If you are missing certain immunizations, you can have them done at Campus Health Services once you reach Chapel Hill. Failure to submit the report of medical history and obtain all of the required immunizations will result in your withdrawal from UNC. Medical information is private and protected by law in the United States. Your records should be sent directly to Campus Health Services.

UNC has nearly 1,000 student organizations that you can join during your exchange. A complete list is available on the Student Union website. UNC Kenan-Flagler offers business-related clubs for a variety of interests. You can also take part in sports and recreation activities available through Campus Rec.

Yes. Orientation is required and addresses important legal and visa information for international students, academics at UNC and student life.

One copy of your official transcript will be provided automatically to your home university after you complete your exchange. To request additional copies for your own records, please follow the instructions on the Registrar’s website.