International Visiting and Exchange Students

Study at Illinois Tech among a diverse student body in one of the world's greatest cities—Chicago! The International Visiting and Exchange Program is for students who are enrolled as a full-time student overseas and are interested in spending a semester or a year at Illinois Tech.

How to apply as an international visiting or exchange student

  1. Exchange Students Only: Request that your home institution’s study abroad advisor nominate you be emailing us at intl@iit.edu.
  2. Apply online using the online application form. (View instructions.
  3. Submit official or certified copies of your transcript(s) from all universities/colleges you have attended to Illinois Tech's Office of Undergraduate Admission. Illinois Tech requires transcripts from all higher education institutes attended, regardless of financial or academic standing, length of attendance, or length of time since attendance. In cases where official transcripts are not issued in English, you must submit the official native language transcript along with a certified translated English version. Official transcripts should be sent to Illinois Tech directly from the higher education institutes. You may upload an unofficial copy of your transcripts to your Application Tracker once you have submitted your application.
    • Architecture students must also submit a portfolio.
  4. Provide an official copy of the English proficiency TOEFL or IELTS score report. The code to send your TOEFL scores to Illinois Tech is 1318. Read more about the English proficiency test requirements.
  5. Provide a completed evaluation form or a letter of recommendation from one of your math, science, or English instructors. Letters of recommendation are not required for international undergraduate students; however, they can enhance your application. If you choose to submit the letter should include information about your achievements and any other important information that will illustrate your potential at Illinois Tech.
  6. Provide a copy of your passport, which is needed to fulfill the visa requirements. Read more about the visa requirement.
  7. Submit Proof of Funds to demonstrate that you or your sponsor have available finances to meet the educational and living expenses while you are a student at Illinois Tech. Read more about the Financial Document requirements.

International visiting students are those students who are currently attending a university and would like to study at Illinois Tech for one semester or one year on a study abroad experience. Visiting students attend universities that do not have direct exchange programs with Illinois Tech. In most cases, this means that students will be paying tuition, fees, and housing and food (if they decide to live on-campus) to Illinois Tech rather than to their home universities during the study abroad period. After the completion of their study at Illinois Tech, international visiting students will return to their home institution to complete their degree. These students will not receive a degree from Illinois Tech.

Please consult the international office at your current university for more information regarding your study abroad experience and to verify that your university does not have a direct exchange agreement with Illinois Tech.

International exchange students are those students who are currently attending a university that Illinois Tech has a direct exchange agreement with. This means that students will pay tuition to their home university while they study at Illinois Tech. However, exchange students will still pay fees to Illinois Tech while studying here, as well as housing and food costs (if they choose to live on-campus). Prior to applying, exchange students should have their home institution’s study abroad advisor nominate them using the Illinois Tech Study Abroad Nomination Form.  Exchange students may study at Illinois Tech for one semester or one year. After the completion of their study at Illinois Tech, international visiting students will return to their home institution to complete their degree. These students will not receive a degree from Illinois Tech.

Please consult the international office at your current university for more information about your study abroad experience and to verify that you will be eligible to study at Illinois Tech on a direct exchange agreement.  

Current Exchange Agreements:

  • INSA Lyon (Engineering only) – France
  • University of IUAV Venice (Architecture only) – Italy
  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology – Sweden
  • Pforzheim University (Business only) – Germany
  • Queensland University of Technology – Australia
  • Singapore Management University (Business only) – Singapore
  • University College Cork – Ireland
  • University of Birmingham – England
  • ZHAW School of Management (Business only) – Switzerland
  • ICAI Comillas – Spain
  • Brno University of Technology – Czech Republic

Illinois Tech prides itself as a research-based institutional with a wide variety of courses in over 40 majors. Each visiting and exchange student will have an academic adviser within their major to help them learn which courses are available each semester and select courses based on their previous coursework. It is important to consult with your current university before selecting courses at Illinois Tech to ensure that the courses you take during your time abroad will transfer to your degree program when you return home.

All of the courses offered at Illinois Tech are listed in the course bulletin. You may use this guide to determine which courses you plan to take at Illinois Tech. It is important to note, however, that not all courses listed in this bulletin are offered every semester. Some courses may only be offered in fall terms, whereas others may only be offered in the spring. Course schedules that list all of the available classes for your desired entry term will be announced in late October (for spring entry terms) or late March (for fall entry terms).

Illinois Tech accepts applications for fall, spring, and summer term:

  • The fall term runs from August to December
  • The spring term runs from late January to mid May
  • The summer term runs from the end of May to mid August

 

Important deadlines can be found below:

 

Fall 2021

Spring 2022

Nomination Deadline for Exchange Students Only (earlier is preferred)

May 1, 2021

November 1, 2021

Application Deadline

(earlier is preferred)

May 15, 2021

November 15, 2021

Financial Documentation Deadline (earlier is preferred)

July 1, 2021

December 1, 2021

 

Admitted visiting students will be considered for a tuition scholarship of $10,000 per semester toward their studies at Illinois Tech. They will also be reviewed for a housing scholarship of $2,500 per semester (only applicable if a student chooses to live on-campus). This scholarship can be deducted from the total amount of funds they are asked to prove on the Financial Affidavit of Support.

Admitted exchange students will be reviewed for a housing scholarship of $2,500 per semester toward on-campus housing in McCormick Student Village or Gunsaulus Hall. Since exchange students will not pay tuition directly to Illinois Tech, they will only need to demonstrate the non-tuition expenses on their Financial Affidavit of Support.

You can view tuition costs for the current academic year on the Office of Student Accounting. Students studying at Illinois Tech for one semester may divide these figures in half to estimate their cost of attendance.