Is Foreign Exchange Available to an International Student?

International Students
1

Hi, so I’ve decided that I want to attend a university outside of my home country (USA) mainly because I can’t afford the high tuition costs.
But, I’m having such a hard time narrowing down the schools!
My top 2 choices are Ewha Woman’s University in South Korea and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
I’m Korean (adopted), so attending university in South Korea has always appealed to me and is favored with my family, but I’m also really interested in Thai culture.
I was originally planning on majoring in Korean Language and Culture which would make the Ewha ideal but, Chula offers Korean language courses (taught in English as well). And I’ve been considering changing my major to something like, communications or international business and minoring or double majoring in a foreign language (I’d like to learn both Thai and Korean)
I have high grades and test scores, so I’m not concerned about entry (though, I’ll apply to a wide variety of schools just in case). Ewha also offers a wider variety of courses, but I keep feeling an attachment to Chula.

Anyway, I’m not asking you to make a decision for me (just giving some background on why I asked this question, though I wouldn’t mind some advice ^^) I’m just wondering if International Students have the option of studying abroad in a different university?
Like, if I (an American student), enrolled in a South Korean university, am able to study abroad for a semester or two in Thailand.

I know it seems kind of silly considering you ARE already studying abroad, but I love to travel and experience different cultures and there’s no better way to do that than studying in that country.

Thanks

2

I don’t know about the specific universities you are considering, but yes, international students typically have access to the same study abroad programs as domestic students. Two potential complications to keep in mind are visas and funding sources. (Does your target country give visas to American students for an exchange visit? The visa rules for South Korean citizens in Thailand may be different than for American citizens in Thailand. And if South Korean students could get public financial assistance for a study abroad, that assistance may obviously be off limits to you.)

3

Yeah, I did some more research and for Chula international students have the same study abroad programs as the Thai students (along with financial aid and and funding). You have to continually reapply for visas though, switching back and forth, so that might be a pain. I’m going to do more research about Ewha, I feel like it’s not as simple as Chula.

So far I’m leaning towards Chula because it’s much cheaper, USA financial aid extends to this school, and they’re partner universities with Ewha, so professors from South Korea teach the Korean courses and there’s a lot of opportunities to eventually transfer and graduate from a South Korean university (with financial aid and funding).