The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program is a student exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.
Since 2008, World Learning has provided this opportunity to over 2,500 Global UGRAD students. Participants leave the U.S. with the tools to become leaders in their professions and communities. Global UGRAD alumni go on to receive Fulbright grants, obtain prestigious international internships, and work in business and government in their home countries and regions.
History
The World Learning Inc. family was founded in 1932 when Dr. Donald Watt launched the organization’s flagship program, The Experiment in International Living. Inspired by the belief that sending Americans abroad would expand their worldview and cultivate cross-cultural understanding and respect, Watt and 23 young men — the first Experiment group – sailed for Europe to attend a summer camp with Swiss and German teenagers.
The students returned transformed. They had a different outlook on the world, as well as new leadership and communication skills. The following summer, The Experiment became the first program to offer homestays so that American students could fully immerse themselves in different cultures.
Which Countries Can Participate?
Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, North Macedonia, Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza), Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
Program Goals
- To promote mutual understanding between people of the United States and other countries.
- Provide a fulfilling exchange experience to drive academic, cross-cultural, and leadership competencies for students from Global UGRAD countries.
- Enhance students’ academic knowledge and professional skills needed to pursue long-term academic and career goals.
- Cultivate students’ comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the U.S.
- Facilitate opportunities for students to establish social networks with U.S. host institutions and local communities.
- Empower students to engage constructively in the civic life of their local and global communities
Eligibility
- Applying candidate must be above 18 years of age;
- Must be a citizen of a UGRAD participating country;
- Must be enrolled in an undergraduate course in good standing at any accredited university, public, or private, and has at least one semester remaining at their home university at the conclusion of the UGRAD program;
- Completed secondary education in their home country;
- A solid command over English (Written and Spoken);
- Able to begin studies in the US in August 2021 or January 2022;
- Eligible to receive and maintain the US student exchange visa (J-1) required for the program;
- Must be cleared by a physician to participate in the program;
- Committed to returning to their home country after completion of the program.
For clarifications regarding queries click here
For the official website click here
For applying to the program click here
