• Overview
• Academic Exchanges
• Professional Exchanges

Academic and Professional Exchanges Overview

Academic Exchanges

As an established leader in international education, World Learning believes in providing opportunities for higher education to as many people as possible. Through World Learning’s Capacity Building Services, both undergraduate and graduate students can continue their education outside of their home country.

World Learning partners with colleges and universities worldwide to provide academic degree and exchange programs for international students. Students come to the US for a variety of programs, including undergraduate degrees, one-year exchanges, graduate degrees, and doctoral programs.

World Learning has established relationships with a range of universities and schools – large, small, public, private, community colleges, minority institutions – in all 50 states. Many of these relationships are the result of our deep connections through both SIT Study Abroad and the SIT Graduate Institute.

Featured Project: Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD)

This State Department program provides academic exchange opportunities for undergraduate students from Asia and the Pacific and the Western Hemisphere, with a focus on community service, practical internships, and cultural enrichment activities. World Learning is looking for academic institutions to host undergraduate students for either one semester or one-year programs.  Interested institutions are encouraged to submit an application for consideration by clicking on the "Academic Exchanges" tab above.

The deadline for submission is March 31, 2008.

Professional Exchanges

In 2005, World Learning was awarded a five-year contract to manage the USAID Community Connections Program. The Community Connections Program is designed to promote public diplomacy via exchanges of entrepreneurs, local government officials, legal professionals, non-governmental organization leaders, and other professionals. Participants come from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Every participant stays with an American family while visiting and receives professional training and exposure to the American free market. Over time, the program is designed to encourage public-private partnerships in Europe/Eurasia and create more robust links between American and European/Eurasian regions and communities.

Academic Exchanges

Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students (IYLEPUS)

Funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, World Learning is managing a series of summer leadership institutes for Iraqi undergraduate students, to take place at different U.S. host institutions during the summers of 2007 and 2008. Learn more.

FORECAST Egypt

This program handles the placement and monitoring of health-care professionals from the Ministry of Health and Population, who are on 2-year programs with internships.  It runs from June 2007 to June 2010, and is designed to build a cadre of business-minded professionals within the Ministry.

US Scholarship FORECAST Exchange Program 2008/2009 for Serbian and Montenegrin Students

This program, funded by USAID, provides scholarships for one academic year of undergraduate, non-degree students at US universities in a range of subjects. During their year in the US, students also take part in community service and internships. There are currently 30 students studying at nine different universities, and an additional group of 40 will be coming for the 2008/2009 academic year.

MENA Peace Scholarships Project (USAID)

World Learning is managing a new USAID-funded scholarship program for young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa to study in the United States.  The program is directed towards students who have already completed two years of undergraduate study. The program provides academic and leadership training, regional networking, and other skill-building to help prepare the next generation of leaders.

The first group of students will start during the 2008 – 2009 academic year, and will come from the following countries: Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Yemen and Oman. Additional countries may be added in future years.  World Learning is currently looking for institutions interested in hosting these students.

The Peace Scholarships Program has three main objectives:

• Promote Leadership: encourage future leaders who will be at the forefront of policy
• Build Mutual Understanding: strengthen students’ knowledge of the United States, so they have a greater understanding of US culture, politics, economy and diversity; and expand American understanding of the students’ cultures; and
• Encourage Academic Excellence: provide potential leaders with recognized expertise in a specific field, the ability to introduce new ideas and work processes upon their return home and contacts with US professionals. 

Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD) – Western Hemisphere and East Asia and Pacific (State Department)

World Learning was recently awarded the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program for East Asia and the Pacific and Western Hemisphere Regions by the U.S. Department of State.  The overall goal of this program is to provide academic exchange programs for undergraduate students from Asia and the Pacific and the Western Hemisphere. Funded by the Office of Academic Exchange Programs this program exposes the student leaders to the US, its educational system, and society.  World Learning works closely with the State Department to provide scholarships to 190 outstanding undergraduate students from Burma, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam. 

During their programs, students will be engaged in community service, practical internships, and cultural enrichment activities.

Request for Host Academic Institutions, 2008-2009

World Learning is looking for academic institutions to host undergraduate students from East Asia and the Pacific and the Western Hemisphere for either one semester or one-year programs.  Interested institutions are encouraged to submit an application for consideration. Selection will be based on an institution's ability to provide tuition assistance, strong international student support services, and accommodate each student's field of study.

The deadline for submission is March 10, 2008.

Download UGRAD Fact Sheet

Download UGRAD Host Institution Application

Professional Exchanges

Community Connections

In 2005, World Learning was awarded a 5-year contract to manage the USAID Community Connections Program. The Community Connections Program, formerly managed by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and now funded through the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at USAID, is designed to promote public diplomacy through the exchange of cultural ideas and values between participants, US families and local community host organizations.

The Community Connections Program offers home-stay based practical training opportunities in the US for entrepreneurs, local government officials, legal professionals, non-governmental organization leaders and other professionals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Local community host organizations arrange internships for participants based on interests and experience.

Program goals include:

• Provide participants with professional training and exposure to day-to-day functioning of a free market system;
• Encourage public-private partnerships in Europe/Eurasia by including private sector and government participants on US visits;
• Create links between US and Europe/Eurasia regions and communities.

Recruitment and selection are carried out by World Learning’s three sub-contractor organizations: Project Harmony (Russia, Western NIS, Caucasus), American Councils (Central Asia and Belarus), and The Center for Social and Economic Development (Moldova). All participants are recruited through an open competition and selected by local USAID Missions.

US Hosting Organizations are pre-qualified through an open competition conducted three times a year. The selected Hosting Organization arranges for site-visits, meetings and/or internships, host-family placements, local transportation, interpretation, and Experience America activities. The Hosting Organizations work closely with local businesses and public and private organizations, which volunteer their time and resources to develop and implement programs for Community Connections visitors.

Application materials to pre-qualify as a 2008 Hosting Organization:

Download Request for Proposals

Download Budget Template

List of Pre-Qualified Hosting Organizations