San Jose State University’s exchange student program provides the opportunity for students from our bilateral exchange partner institutions, CSUIP and ISEP, to study at SJSU for one or two semesters as non-degree seeking students. All exchange students enter the U.S. on an SJSU university-sponsored J-1 non-degree student program visa (except for ISEP students). If you have any questions about the incoming exchange to San José State, please email us at j1-visa@sjsu.edu.

Eligibility

• There must be a valid exchange agreement between your home institution and SJSU, or you must be part of either CSUIP or ISEP.  All students need to be nominated by their home institution/organization. Students may not self-nominate.
• Maintain good academic standing at your home institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale for undergraduate students and 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for graduate students.
• Demonstrate adequate English proficiency by providing one of the following as part of your application:
  
  • IELTS  (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.0 or higher for all majors, except Engineering, which requires a scre of 6.5 or higher; 
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 61 or higher for all majors, except Engineering, which requires a score of 80 or higher; 
  • PTE (Pearson English Language Test) score of 44 or higher;
  • Duolingo 95.
• If admitted: Provide sufficient financial funding to cover educational expenses for your program's duration (i.e., one semester or one academic year).  For the 2024-2025 academic year, a minimum of USD $13,764 is required for one semester or $27,528 for an academic year.

Nomination and Application Deadlines

Please contact your home institution about being nominated. After the nomination deadline for each term, ISSS will contact your home institution with application information, which can be accessed and submitted via our web-based application portal.