2025-2026 Global Exchange & Scholarship Application Period

The online application period for Global Exchange program will be active between 8 November 2024 08:00 and 21 November 2024, 13:00. Please be advised that late applications will not be accepted.

(NEW) Students can also apply for a scholarship for the Global Exchange period. Students who wish to apply to the Global Exchange Program Scholarships (GEPS) must check the instructions below carefully.

• What is the Global Exchange Program
• General Information and the List of Partner Institutions
• Eligibility Criteria To Apply
• How to Apply
• How to select institutions
• Evaluation & Ranking
• Placement
• Eligibility criteria to be nominated to the partner institution after placement
• Global Exchange Program Scholarship (GEPS)
• Information Sessions 

What is the Global Exchange Program

Global Exchange is a mobility program that allows students to study for a semester of their degree at a partner institution of Özyeğin without paying any tuition fees to the host institution. The program mainly consists of study mobility in non-European countries.

Global Exchange Program Scholarship (GEPS) is offered for this application period. Interested students can see the “Global Exchange Program Scholarship (GEPS)” section for details.

General Information and the List of Partner Institutions

We highly suggest you review the list of partner institutions and the links below before submitting the application form.

• Presentation
• List of partner institutions
• Global Exchange - Outgoing students web page
• Global Exchange Program – Reminders
• Frequently Asked Questions (Turkish | English)
• Infosheets about partner institutions - This platform contains the latest information regarding partner institutions' academic calendars, monthly living expenses, etc. and is subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria To Apply:

• To have completed at least 24 ECTS credits in either the undergraduate or graduate program,
• To have a minimum of 24 ECTS credits remaining for graduation from their primary majors in case of undergraduate students,
• Minimum 2.80/4.00 CGPA for undergraduate students, and 3.00/4.00 for graduate students (for double major and minor students, the cumulative GPA in their transcripts will be applicable),
• For graduate students, to have submitted the letter of approval obtained from the academic/thesis advisor which confirms the student’s participation in Global Exchange,
• To satisfy other application requirements, if any, for the respective program for which the student applies
• Double-major students should select one of their programs when applying.
• English Preparatory Program students, Scientific Preparation Program students, special students, students on leave of absence, and unregistered students are not eligible to apply.

How to Apply

Applications are taken online via KION application system. Students need to log into the system with their OZU username and password to apply.

First-time users must click the “Register & Apply” button first and create an account. You must use your OZU username and password to login to the KION system. If you experience technical problems with the application and/or have questions, please send an email to international.relations@ozu.edu.tr.

Students who fulfill the eligibility criteria and log into the KION application system must upload a Statement of Purpose document, where the motivation for applying to the Global Exchange program is explained and complete the online application on KION in order to be evaluated.

If you experience technical problems with the application and/or have questions, please send an email to international.relations@ozu.edu.tr.

How to select institutions:

University preferences for the Global Exchange will be made through the Global Exchange application form at KION. Students may select up to three (3) institutions from the partners list and must submit the online application form before November 21st, 2024 – 13:00.

Evaluation & Ranking:

• After the application deadline, eligible students will be invited for interviews with the jury. The jury consists of the Faculty Program Coordinator and International Exchange & Partnership Programs Office (IEPP) members for undergraduate students; and the thesis advisor, or -if not assigned yet-, the academic advisor and IEPP members for graduate students, respectively.
• The student’s academic standing, language proficiency, motivation to participate in the program, academic preparedness to study in a foreign destination, and ability to represent the University abroad as well as the academic and personal value the receiving institution will add to the student, to what degree the student will be able to demonstrate their experience at the partner university upon their return, and the student’s previous international experiences are considered.
• The student is awarded a score on a 100 scale at the end of the interview.
• Students whose total score after the evaluation is 59 points or lower are not placed to partner institutions.
• The interview score of a student who previously participated in Global Exchange is deducted by 5 points in the subsequent application evaluation.
• All applicant students will be ranked based on their interview scores and placed to the partner institutions of their choice depending on the availability of quotas.

The interviews are planned to be organized between 2 – 6 December 2024. Each student will receive an invitation by email to attend the interview.

Due to the tight schedule and the upcoming deadlines of the partner institutions, delay requests will not be accepted.

Placement

• IEPP will announce the placement results by email and will ask the placed students to confirm their placements via the commitment form provided by IEPP.
• Commitment forms must be submitted via the KION system by Friday, December 16th, 2024 at the latest. Otherwise, students will not be placed to partner institutions and their applications will be cancelled automatically.
• Placed students must satisfy the minimum application requirements of partner institutions before the date of nomination determined by partner institutions. Otherwise, partner institutions may reject students’ applications.
• The final decision to admit a nominated student is made by the partner institution.

Eligibility criteria to be nominated to the partner institution after placement:

• Attending the jury interview and being evaluated and placed to a partner institution,
• Fulfilling the language requirement provided in the List of partner institutions (i.e.TOEFL/PTE with the required score) until February 14th 2025.
• Partner institutions require good academic standing for student evaluation. Therefore, it is strongly advised to keep the CGPA above the specified scores in the “Eligibility Criteria To Apply” section & list of partner institutions.
• In case of being subject to disciplinary action of suspension in the semester in which the student is expected to go on Exchange, participation in the Global Exchange program will be automatically cancelled.
• All the other requirements of the partner institution must be fulfilled.
• IEPP Office will make an eligibility check for each student during the nomination period. Students who do not fullfill the requirements will not be nominated.

Students are also expected to acknowledge the following information below:

• Bachelor’s, thesis master’s, and doctoral degree students can benefit from Global Exchange (including SEMP) for a maximum of two semesters and a summer school period, while non-thesis master’s degree students may benefit from Global Exchange (including SEMP) for a maximum of a semester.

Global Exchange Program Scholarship (GEPS)

Overview

The Global Exchange Program Scholarship (GEPS) is an OzU scholarship designed for students participating in the Global Exchange program. The scholarship will be offered for one semester.

The GEPS supports outstanding undergraduate students seeking to gain intercultural and academic experience through international exchange at one of OzU’s global partners. This scholarship may cover living expenses and travel costs for the duration of the exchange program partially. The scholarship is planned to cover up to 3.500 USD per student to be transferred in two instalments.

The availability of this scholarship depends on funding, the number of applicants, and the quality of the submitted applications.

Interested students must submit the GEPS Application Form until November 21st, 2024 13:00 to be evaluated. Late applications will not be considered.

The results will be announced in early March 2025.

Eligibility criteria to apply for the scholarship:

• Applicants must be undergraduate students and fulfill all the Global Exchange application and nomination requirements as described above.
• Applicants must be in good disciplinary standing.
• All Non-Turkish citizens are welcome to apply for the scholarship to participate in an exchange outside of their home country only. (International students intending to participate in the Global Exchange semester in their home countries are not eligible for the GEPS.)
• Students who receive the GEPS will not be prioritized if they apply for this scholarship again. Details are explained in the Evaluation section.
• Applicants must complete the scholarship application process prior to departure according to given deadlines.

Application

• Applications will be collected by the IEPP office via the GEPS Application Form and it must be submitted until November 21st, 2024 13:00.
• Students are expected to explain their motivation for applying for GEPS and include information about their background and financial status, if applicable.
• Late applications will not be considered.

Evaluation

• Initial Screening: Applications will be initially reviewed for eligibility and completeness. Students who do not submit both the Global Exchange application form and the scholarship application form before November 21st, 2024 13:00 will be considered ineligible.
• Evaluation by Selection Commission: Eligible applications will be evaluated based on their interview score. Additionally, the Selection Commission will review the GEPS Application Forms and students who are considered in the “disadvantaged” category will receive additional points.
• Financial Need Assessment (if applicable): Priority will be given to students with financial needs. Personal statement via the application petition and other additional documents will be taken into consideration.
• If multiple applications have the same score, students who are close to graduating will be prioritized. If these students are graduating at the same time, their CGPAs will be considered. If their CGPAs are also the same, the student with a higher cost of living in the host country will be prioritized.

Notification of Results

• Deadline for Eligibility: To confirm participation in the Global Exchange program and secure the GEPS application, accepted students must submit the required language proficiency document for the placed university by February 14th, 2025.
  
  
• Acceptance and Scholarship Award: All applicants will be notified of their GEPS application status via email in early March 2025. GEPS recipients will be invited to sign a scholarship agreement form.

Other Scholarship Alternatives

Alternative external scholarship providers may exist. However, the availability of these external funds is not guaranteed and depends on the discretion of the partner institution or fund provider.

• Canada - Study in Canada Scholarships:

Study in Canada Scholarships aim to increase opportunities for Canadian post-secondary institutions to welcome international students from a wide range of countries and territories on short-term exchanges for study or research.  Canadian institutions must apply on behalf of eligible students before the deadline.

OzU’s partners, the University of Alberta and Memorial University of Newfoundland, might be able to apply for the scholarship program. Please see the details here.

• Japan - Scholarship for Study in Japan under Agreement by JASSO:

JASSO (Japan Student Services Organisation) provides scholarships for international students accepted into a Japanese school, such as a university, graduate school, junior college, college of technology, or professional training college. This program is for short-term exchanges lasting from 8 days to one year. It is available to students whose home education institution outside Japan has a student exchange agreement with the Japanese university. 

OzU’s partner, Yokohama National University, is a part of the program and might be able to provide additional funding for up to 80.000 JPY.

• Switzerland - Swiss-European Mobility Program (SEMP) by Movetia :

The Swiss Programme for Higher Education is called the Swiss-European Mobility Programme, SEMP. It gives Swiss higher education institutions the possibility to support incoming exchange students doing a study or training mobility in Europe with funding. Students accepted by partner universities in Switzerland will be eligible to apply. 

Grants (all outgoing and incoming students) are paid by Switzerland via Movetia. Movetia is the Swiss agency for exchange and mobility. It is sponsored by the Swiss Foundation for the Promotion of Exchanges and Mobility (SFAM). Please click here for detailed information. Please note that the availability of the funding cannot be guaranteed by OzU since SEMP funding is administrated by the Swiss side.

OzU’s partners in Switzerland, the University of Fribourg and FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, might be able to provide funding for an academic stay in Switzerland to cover living expenses, such as accommodation, meals, obtaining visas, etc. For student mobility, the grant also includes travel costs.

• United States of America – Oregon State University, College of Engineering:

In line with a bilateral agreement between OzU and OSU, outgoing OzU students might be considered for a scholarship fund by OSU. OSU may pre-pay for the airfare and housing up to a certain amount. Students who are interested should contact OzU International Exchange and Partnership Programs Office directly. Eligible students will receive further instructions and information from our office.

Information Sessions 

There will be three identical information sessions about the application process. depending on your availability you can attend one of them online or on campus.

1st session - on campus:  
Date & time: November 12th 2024, Tuesday, 10:40 – Turkish  
Location: AB2 – G01

2nd session – online:
Date & time: November 14th 2024, Thursday, 11:40 - English
Link: Zoom Link

3rd session - online:
Date & time: November 20th 2024, Wednesday, 11:40 - Turkish
Link: Zoom Link

If your classes overlap with all sessions, you can get an appointment for an online meeting by this link.

If you experience technical problems with the application and/or have questions, please send an email to international.relations@ozu.edu.tr.

International Exchange & Partnership Programs Office
Ozyegin University