YOUR ISEP BENEFITS: WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your host institution is obligated to provide you with certain benefits, and a general description of these benefits is provided below. Additional information describing the benefits that your host institution anticipates offering is provided on the Institutional Information Sheet (IIS), which you should receive from your home Coordinator. Be sure to also refer to the Participant Placement Acceptance Form (PPAF), which in some cases provides further information on your benefits.
Enrollment
As an ISEP student, you enroll in a full-time academic program at your host institution and are guaranteed a full course load as defined by the host institution. Access to all courses cannot be guaranteed; some courses may be closed, some may require prerequisites that you lack, and some may be unavailable because of scheduling conflicts between departments.
Fees
Normal mandatory registration and other fees are paid for you. Laboratory fees, student union membership fees, athletic facility fees, social fees, etc., are covered if they are required of all students. These fees may add up to more or less than the fees that are required at your home institution, and they will likely cover different items.
Optional fees--fees not required of all students--are not covered through ISEP. In addition, fees for cross-registration at another institution, regardless of whether it is an ISEP member, may not be covered.
Orientation
Your ISEP program includes an orientation to your host institution before classes begin. Orientations vary greatly from one institution to another and may be designed for all new students or specifically for international students. Refer to the IIS for the dates and content of orientation. For ISEP-Exchange students, ISEP housing and meal benefits are provided during the orientation period. ISEP-Direct students will receive the same housing or meal benefits that are provided during their specific program.
Housing and Meals
Housing and meal benefits apply to all ISEP-Exchange students and to those ISEP-Direct students whose program includes them.
Housing, or a stipend covering the cost of housing, is available to you from the Official Arrival Date (indicated on the IIS) to the last day of your placement period (Last Date of Benefits indicated on the IIS), including vacation and examination periods. Regardless of whether you receive a stipend for housing or have your housing bill paid by your host institution, you should have at least an interim housing assignment provided for you from the official arrival date. In some cases, this will be a provisional housing assignment and you will have a specified period of time to make housing arrangements for the duration of your placement.
Housing may vary in terms of the number of students per room and per bathroom, kitchen facilities, proximity to the university, etc. You may make changes in housing arrangements only by consulting with and obtaining the approval of your host ISEP coordinator. The IIS provides more detailed information about housing arrangements at your specific host institution.
Meals are provided during each semester of your placement. You may receive a cafeteria meal plan or a stipend. The stipend covers a minimum of 19 meals per week. Stipends suffice for normal student fare and are usually not meant to cover eating in restaurants. Once again, specific information about meal arrangements at your host insitution is listed in the IIS.
Arrangements must be made to provide ISEP students with housing throughout the designated placement period, including examination and vacation periods. However, this does not necessarily mean that you will have the same housing arrangements as during the regular semester. Meals are not provided between semesters. Institutions may make alternative arrangements for you during these periods, whether it is to live with a host family, receive a stipend, or another arrangement. Your host institution is not obliged to convert the value of vacation/exam benefits to a stipend should you decide to make other arrangements or travel.
Note on Stipends
ISEP housing and meal stipends are calculated to cover local costs as described on the IIS. Stipend amounts are almost always specified on the IIS in host country currency. Please note that devaluation of the local currency will not usually result in an increased stipend amount. However, in those cases where the stipend may no longer be adequate to cover the costs described on the IIS, ISEP will consult with the host institution to determine whether an increase is necessary.
Note about the Southern Hemisphere Academic Calendar
Students studying for a full year in the Southern Hemisphere should be aware that the academic calendar runs from February/March to December. For Southern Hemisphere sites, unless otherwise noted on the IIS, vacation benefits do not apply during the break between academic years, from December to February/March. ISEP vacation benefits apply during the recess between semesters (June to July).
Students from institutions on the Southern Hemisphere academic calendar who plan to study in Northern Hemisphere countries for an academic year should be aware that the Northern Hemisphere academic year runs from August/September to May/June. Unless ISEP has made special arrangements for you to receive a summer ISEP placement or otherwise noted on the IIS, vacation benefits do not apply during the summer vacation period (June through August). ISEP vacation benefits do apply during the recess between semesters (December to January).
Equivalent versus Identical Benefits
As an ISEP student, you will have the opportunity to enroll in classes, to participate in the normal life of your host institution, and to live as a typical local student. It is very important to realize, however, that you will not necessarily receive identical benefits to those you leave behind at your home institution. What is typical for students at your host institution may not be the norm at your home institution.
Moreover, because higher education is funded differently throughout the world and also because of fluctuations in the exchange rate, the monetary value of your ISEP-Exchange benefits will almost certainly not be identical to the amount you paid to your home institution. ISEP, in other words, is based upon "equivalent," not "identical," benefits. Also keep in mind that as an exchange student, the amount you paid your home institution is theoretically being used to host an incoming exchange student who is taking your place; an outgoing student has paid your host institution to create an exchange space for you.
In the United States, most post-secondary institutions provide not only education but housing, meals, and a wide range of student services and activities such as sports and clubs, all of which are based on campus. The campus is usually self-contained and protected by a campus security service. In most other countries, the university has traditionally been much less involved in functions not related to teaching and research. Students have been responsible for their own housing, which they often find at some distance from the campus, and for organizing social activities. The situation is changing in many countries: Universities have become more service-oriented in order to accommodate new generations of domestic as well as international students, and student residences near or even on campus are much more common. The expectation, however, remains that students are independent adults, responsible for themselves and for seeking out the available support systems.
Some students remark that it is unfair that students in some countries do not pay for tuition and have “free” higher education. ISEP especially encourages US students to consider the political and social differences between nations as they think about this issue. Education is not free in any country; students, their parents, and other citizens abroad are paying for higher education through national incoming tax rates that Americans would consider extraordinarily high.
Adapting to these differences is part of the ISEP experience. As you are getting settled at your host institution, avoid being too quick to make judgments about arrangements that have been made for you. Before complaining, take the time to find out what the typical accommodations are for local students. Also, try to get a sense of what the customs and values are of your host culture. Adjusting to the living patterns and standards of your host culture may be one of the most difficult challenges you face as an ISEP student; meeting this challenge will give you an insider's perspective on the culture.
Items Not Included
Not included in your benefits are books, fees for passport or other documents, local transportation, pocket money, and travel. Health expenses such as predeparture immunizations, the cost of ISEP health insurance (which you must purchase through ISEP as explained later in this handbook), and routine health care are also not included. In addition, please note that you must usually pay out-of-pocket for covered health care services and be reimbursed. Expenses not covered by your ISEP benefits are your responsibility; you should be prepared to pay for these costs.