FAQ

FAQs for Students

Q. Are tuition fees charged for UMAP programs?

A. It depends on the program:

Program A:  Fees for examinations, admission and tuition at Host institutions will be waived.  Tuition should still be paid to the Home University, if required. Students should consult the coordinator of their Home institution for details.

Program B: As this is a bilateral student exchange, tuition fee exemption or reduction depends on negotiations between the Home and Host institutions. Students should consult their Home coordinator for more information.

Program C: It depends on the specific institution and program. Most programs charge tuition, but there are some for which tuition is waived. Students should read the specific details for each program of interest.

Q. Do I have to pay application fees?

A. No, there are no fees to use the USCO Application.

Q. Does UMAP offer scholarships? How can you apply for financial support for the UMAP programs?

A. Scholarship funding is currently available to students coming from or studying in Taiwan and Canada.  Please see the “Financial Aid” section for more information.

Q. Does the UMAP scholarship grant plane tickets and housing?

A. UMAP does not currently grant students with plane tickets or housing fees. Students must cover these expenses by themselves.

Q. Can I apply to any of the institutions listed under the UMAP Membership page for Programs A&B?

A. You can only choose institutions that are currently active in the program. They are listed under the Program A & B section in USCO. Additionally, in order to apply, you must first confirm on the  USCO Program A & B page whether your institution is currently participating in this program. If your institution is included in the list, you may then apply for the program.

Q. How do you submit the application forms for Programs A, B, and C?

A. Start by going to the UMAP Student Connection Online (USCO) website and register your student account. After reading the program details and reviewing the program contents, length, application deadlines, etc. you can select your top five preferred institutions. After submitting the application through the USCO System, it will be passed to coordinators of your institution.  They will check of the contents and nominate students. You need to be nominated by your home institution; each institution can nominate two students per semester for Program A if it doesn’t have additional outbound allocation. After the coordinator endorses your application, you must wait for your application to go through the screening process and receive approval.
Once your application is approved by both the UMAP International Secretariat and host institution on the system, you will then need to submit your “Study Plan.” 

Q. Are graduate students eligible to apply for UMAP programs?

A. Yes, as long as they are currently enrolled in one of UMAP’s participating institutions and will not be graduating from their Home institution before the end of the exchange period.  Students should review the Programs A/B page to see which institutions offer graduate programs. Check available programs and select those offered at the graduate level.

Q. When does the application period start?

A. Application schedules for Programs A and B will be listed under “Timelines”.  Program C and virtual programs are offered on a rolling basis throughout the year.  Check the USCO2 program listing to see what is available.

Q. Are there language requirements?

A. It depends on the institution and program. If a “Prerequisite” mark appears on “Language requirement” of the program, the system will automatically screen your level of the registered language proficiency and it will only accept those applications that satisfy it.

Q. Are there minimum GPA requirements?

A. It depends on the institution and program. If a “Prerequisite” mark appears on “GPA requirement” of the program, the system will automatically screen the level of your registered GPA and it will accept applications that satisfy it.

Q. I have been nominated by my Home Institution to the UMAP International Secretariat. However, I have yet to receive any result or confirmation from the Host Institution. What should I do?

A. Check the “Timeline of Program A & B” and refer to the placement deadlines to see when you can expect to be notified about results. You can see the current status of your application in the UMAP Student Connection Online (USCO) System.

FAQs for UMAP Members

Q. How does an institution join UMAP?

A.  Follow procedures outlined in this link to Join UMAP.

Q. What are the advantages of becoming a UMAP member?

A. UMAP’s range of study abroad programs meets the diverse needs of students.  UMAP’s interconnectedness allows for the development of mutual confidence and accountability among numerous institutions.  The UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme (UCTS) enables students to participate in a variety of quality programs, while earning academic credit.

UMAP has an open organization (membership) and an open platform comprising governments, consortia of higher education institutions, and individual institutions. This provides opportunities that extend well beyond those offered by bilateral agreements.

Any country or territory in the Asia-Pacific region is eligible to become a full member of UMAP and participate in UMAP programs. This gives students and faculty members unparalleled access to an incredible diversity of cultures, peoples, histories, and opportunities.

There are also scholarships offered by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) and, starting in 2022, Global Affairs Canada.

Q. How do students apply for the exchange programs?

A.  1. Students create an account on the USCO System by registering their email address and password. For more information about the USCO System, students can refer to the Student Quick Start Guide

2. Students complete  applications in the USCO System for up to five preferred programs and click “Save and Submit”. The USCO System will automatically inform the UMAP coordinators at the home institution that an application has been submitted.

3. Coordinators log into the USCO System. They can then review the applications they have received, and nominate up to two students by clicking “Approve as Program A”. Institutions with additional quotas for outbound students are able to nominate additional students according to the number of allocations they have available. Any additional students can be approved for Program B. Please note: Students in Program B may be required by their host institutions to pay tuition fees.

Q. Can a member university immediately send outbound students if they have already signed the Pledge of Agreement?

A. No. Your institution must first complete and submit a program offering in  the USCO system during the “Call for Proposals” period. The UMAP IS will issue a call for programs to member institutions through the UMAP website’s News page and via email. Only institutions that offer Program A/B for a specific application period are eligible to send outbound exchange students to other participating institutions during that time.

Q. How does an UMAP member apply to offer a program?

A. When the “Call for Proposals” is open, institutions are able to submit their programs through USCO System. Institutional Coordinators need to log in the system and fill out necessary items in the “Outline of Proposal” form and submit for review by clicking “Save and Submit”.

Q. Does UMAP provide scholarships for student or staff exchanges?

A. Yes. UMAP may provide scholarships for students who participate in UMAP programs to and from Taiwan and Canada. Please refer to the UMAP home page for more information. UMAP also has a grant called UMAP Research Net, which provides funds for joint research projects conducted by researchers from UMAP institutions.

In some UMAP countries/territories, governments fund national UMAP programs. Participating institutions may also make arrangements to fund bilateral exchanges, taking into account such matters as maintenance of scholarship benefits, eligibility for government funding assistance, and health care costs.

Q. What are the requirements for sending exchange students?

A. The following are the required steps for sending outbound students:

1. The country/territory of the institution must be a current Full Member of UMAP. (Note: Only a country/territory which has a UMAP National Secretariat (UMAP NS) that pays the membership fee is considered a Full Member). If your country/territory is not a Full Member, please consider establishing a UMAP NS in your country/territory. For more information or to discuss how UMAP IS can support this process, please contact us.

2. The Institution which is going to participate in UMAP Program must sign “Pledge of Agreement”.

3. The Institution which is participating in Program A & B by submitting the Outline of Proposal through USCO System is eligible to send its students to other participating institutions. (Note: Even though institution has joined Program A & B, it does not necessarily mean that the institution must receive 2 exchange students in cases when no eligible applicants have applied to that particular institution).

Q. How many students can we send each semester?

A. Generally two students per semester. Please refer to Article 2 in “The Pledge of Agreement”:

1. The maximum number of inbound and outbound exchange students for each institution will not exceed 2 per semester (Program A). Nevertheless, in the case that the university/institution has previously accepted more than the maximum number of 2 inbound exchange students for Program A, extra ‘allocations’ will be given to the institution to send more outbound students in any of the following semesters.

2. If you would like to send more than two students, you are able to nominate them in Program B for which tuition may be charged based on bilateral agreements made between any 2 participating institutions. (Program B: UMAP Bilateral Student Exchange Program). Note that conditions have to be negotiated between the two institutions. Once the agreement has been made, the institutions must inform the UMAP IS.

3. The count of one year should be based on the UMAP Program year, not the academic year of each participating universities. For example, “Program A & B 2021-1” is a program starting from Fall 2021 and “Program A & B 2021-2” is one for Spring 2022. Together, “Program A & B 2021-1” and “Program A & B 2021-2” constitute one academic year.

Q. If my institution had previously signed a contract with UMAP many years ago, is it necessary to renew the agreement if we want to participate again?

A. The previous agreement is still in effect even if there has been a change in the International Secretariat. Nevertheless, please contact the UMAP IS or check with the National Secretariat to determine whether or not your institution’s current copy is still applicable.

We may ask you to submit the previously signed “Pledge of Agreement” again depending on the situation. If your university would like to renew the agreement, feel free to also contact the UMAP IS.

Q. Are there restrictions on the number of programs (Programs A, B, and C) that we can offer in each round of applications?

A. For Program C, there is no limit to the number of programs you may offer. For Programs A & B, it is up to you to determine whether to offer special programs for international students only and/or programs which are already offered to your regular students. We ask that you explain the proposed programs as part of the “Outline of Proposals”.

Q. Are graduate students eligible to apply for UMAP programs?

A. Yes. As long as the graduate student will continue to be enrolled at the home institution throughout the study period,  s/he is eligible to apply for relevant programs. Please review program details to see which institution offer graduate studies.

Q. Do institutions have to pay to participate in student exchange programs?

A. Depending on the policy of a country/territory’s National Secretariat, which pays the membership fee, institutions may be able to join without any additional payments. Please contact the NS of your country/territory for more information.

Q. When do we need to submit the Outline of Proposals?

A. During each cycle, the UMAP IS sends an email to each member institution’s UMAP coordinator asking for program proposals. Please see the “Timeline of Program A & B” document on the News page for details.

Q. After the agreement has been signed, what programs can we participate in?

A. You can participate in any and all UMAP programs as long as you follow the conditions stated in the Pledge of Agreement.

Q. Is there a possibility that our student will not get admitted to his/her desired institution?

A. Unfortunately, there is a possibility that a student may not be admitted to his/her first priority institution. This is because an institution may only accept up to 2 students per semester. When the number of applicants exceeds 2, it is up to the Host’s discretion to select which student(s) they will accept. Other students may be declined even though they may meet the requirements.

Students can choose up to 3 institutions on their applications. If a student is declined by his/her first choice, the USCO System will nominate him/her to his/her second or third priority (even fourth and fifth). However, there may be cases in which all of the student’s desired spots have been occupied by other students because of the popularity of the institutions.

Q. Can a student postpone his/her exchange to the next cycle?

A. Postponement decisions must be made by the host institution. If they approve the postponement, then the postponement will be accepted. Note that you will still need to notify UMAP IS if there is a postponement.

Q. How do we send students to Program B and how many students can we send?

A. Program B is a bilateral exchange and/or student exchange with Tuition fees charged.

1. Nominate more than two students:
If you nominate more than 2 students, you are able to do so under Program B in the USCO System. It is at discretion of the Host institution whether to accept the additional students and, if accepted, whether to accept them with tuition waived or tuition charged.

2. Bilateral student exchange:
In case of bilateral student exchange, institutions need to communicate directly with each other to negotiate the conditions, such as tuition fees, and make an agreement. It will be up to each Host to determine whether or not they will waive the tuition.

Q. How long is the term of the membership?

A. There is no termination of membership unless the member decides to withdraw from UMAP.

Q. How do you apply for Research Net?

A. A call for proposals will be made every two years. Interested applicants may submit proposals as outlined in the Call. Only proposals from groups of 2 or more researchers from UMAP institutions in different country/territories will be considered. Selected group(s) will be provided with research funds from UMAP and will be announced on the UMAP website.