MBA Program Office
International Exchange Program
The Wharton School sponsors MBA student exchanges with 16 partner institutions around the world: seven in Europe; five in Asia; one in Australia, one in Israel, one in India, and one in Brazil. Each year a number of Wharton students are nominated for study at a partner school, and students from the partner schools send students to Wharton. Exchanges are possible in both semesters and during the summer, depending upon the exhange institution's calendar.
While on a full-semester exchange, students are expected to take the equivalent of four Wharton credits or two Wharton credits if on a half-semester exchange. Keep in mind that MBA students are allowed to earn four credits of the 19 required for graduation outside of Wharton. All courses taken on exchange are electives. You may be able to receive credit towards your major. To do so you will need to petition your major advisor in the semester before your exchange and gain the department's approval. If you are interested in the exchange program, you should plan your academic schedule carefully and talk with your department advisor.
Selection for the exchange program is highly competitive. The following criteria are used, in order of importance:
- Quality of application essay
- Academic performance
- Applicant's ability to represent Wharton well
- Graduating class: 2nd years have preference over 1st years
You should be aware of the policies governing participation in the exchange program.
- All core courses must be completed before participating in the exchange. Exchange credits may not be used to meet Wharton's core requirement;
- Students on academic probation or in violation of Wharton ethics guidelines are not eligible for the program;
- A ll courses taken on exchange are electives; prior departmental approval is necessary to earn major credit for exchange courses;
- Students on half-semester exchanges (including INSEAD) are required to take a minimum of two Wharton credit units. Full-semester exchange periods require taking the equivalent of four Wharton credit units, unless otherwise approved by the program director;
- While MBA students may earn 21 credits without additional tuition charge (21.5 for the Class of 2008, only), 15 MBA credit units must be taken at Wharton, leaving a total of 6 (6.5 for the Class of 2008, only) credits available for exchange. Tuition for any credits earned over the 21-credit limit (21.5cu for the Class of 2008, only) will be charged to the student's bursar bill at the amount appropriate for the academic year in which the extra credit is completed;
- Students at each school will pay their own travel, housing, and all incidental expenses incurred during the exchange visit
- Career management services are available at the host school only while on exchange;
- Exchange students will be treated on par with home students (at a comparable stage in the program) with respect to registration priority for courses.
- For INSEAD:
Those students interested in attending INSEAD should be aware of the following:
- The credit equivalence between the two programs is: 1 Wharton cu = 1.5 INSEAD courses
- Wharton students must take a minimum of 3 INSEAD courses ( i.e., 2 Wharton cu) and a maximum of 6 INSEAD courses (up to 4 Wharton cu) during the exchange.
- Students may visit either of the two INSEAD campuses for either one or two INSEAD periods. Periods 4 and 5 of the INSEAD calendar offer the best selection of electives.
- Interested students must submit an application. This is not a formal commitment to going on the exchange, merely a request for consideration;
- The form must be submitted to the MBA Program Office by the appropriate deadline; deadlines for each program are listed below. Applications submitted after the posted deadlines will not be considered. Email submissions are not permitted;
- Applications will be reviewed by a three-person selection committee made up of MBA Program staff using the criteria listed above;
- Once the application has been processed, students will be informed of their exchange program status. Students accepted into the program will then have the chance to accept or decline this offer.
The following schedule will help you plan the application process:
- February 11: Application deadline for summer exchanges, including INSEAD May/June period (use the February deadline application)
- March 21st: Fall semester exchanges (use the Fall semester exchange application)
Note to Second Year Students: If you are accepted into summer programs you may need to make plans to return to Philadelphia if you plan to attend Wharton's graduation ceremony in May. Delaying your arrival until after graduation may put you in violation of the host school's registration policies. It is your responsibility to ensure that all Wharton graduation requirements are met prior to leaving on exchange.
Some programs are more suitable for exchange in specific terms, based upon the school's schedule. See the calendar for a listing of the 2008-2009 academic schedules at exchange schools.
Since this is a direct exchange, tuition is paid to Wharton and not to the exchange institution. Any financial aid that you receive should not be affected by your study abroad plans. You will be responsible for housing and other living expenses.
There are a variety of ways to obtain information about the exchange programs:
- Read the information presented on this site and follow the links in the calendar to the exchange school websites and fact sheets.
- Attend one of the exchange program information sessions offered during Pre-Term and the fall semester. At these meetings interested students can learn about application process and program requirements.
- Make an appointment with Ada Obrea, Associate Director, MBA Program Office, by calling 215-898-7604.
- Watch for the announcement concerning the "Buddy" system!! By being a buddy to one of the visiting exchange students, you can learn a lot about prospective host schools.