Rhodes University Exchange Programme Application Process

Please note that the relevant information regarding courses on offer, as well as general information about the institutions, is available from each institution’s website. It is the student’s responsibility to review this information before applying for the exchange programme to ensure that there are suitable courses available.

The application process take time. Please allow yourself at least 2 weeks for getting all the materials needed and for researching the available options.

Applications open from 22 May 2025/2026. The deadline for admission to all 2025/2026 programmes is on 18 August 2025/2026.

PLEASE NOTE: If students have any specific queries about going on exchange, the International Office will only be able to respond to them from the 9th of May 2016 onwards. 

Here is how to apply:

Step 1: Download the Exchange Handbook 2016-2025/2026‌. Look at all the universities and colleges that may offer courses that you are completing at Rhodes. If you cannot find course information, search for ‘UNIVERSITY NAME + course catalogue’ online. If you still cannot find the relevant course information, please contact the international office via email.

Step 2: Talk with your parents and whoever is funding your studies. Make sure that they are prepared for you to go on exchange. Also, make sure that both you and they are aware of the additional costs involved.

Step 3: Download the Application for Exchange Admission 2025/2026 Fill it out. To do this, you will need to:

• Talk to the Heads of Department for the subjects you will be taking while abroad. There isa section in the application form where your Heads of Department must sign. In the meeting, you will discuss the various institutions that would be available to you. Please take several institutions’ course syllabi with you to these meetings.
• Get two academic referees. These referees should be university lecturers who have marked your work.
• Get an academic transcript from Student Bureau.
• Get signatures from your funders acknowledging that you plan to go on exchange.
• Write a CV.
• Write a personal motivation letter that explains why you want to go on exchange. It should also detail any leadership roles you have taken, and any activities you participate in that would strengthen your application. If you have any particularly poor marks on your academic record, please discuss these in your motivation letter.

Step 4: Hand the Application Form with supporting documents and letters in to the International Office by 19 August.

Step 5: If your application is successful, you will be called in for an interview.

Step 6: If your interview is successful, you will work closely with the international officer to select courses and apply to a host institution. Please note that academic acceptance by the host institution is not automatic.

Before embarking on an exchange, Rhodes students must have obtained approval from the appropriate Head of Department and the Dean of the Faculty at Rhodes for the inclusion of the proposed transfer credit from the host institution in their Rhodes University degree structure. The onus is on you, the student, to ensure that the HOD has approved the courses. This approval must be facilitated through the International Office. Rhodes students are required to spend one semester at the host institution.

What happens to my marks?

The courses you take while on exchange should count towards your degree at Rhodes. This is why it is important to consult with your Heads of Department at Rhodes to see if they are happy with you attaining part of your degree through another university.

Courses successfully passed while abroad will simply be represented as either ‘P’ (Pass) or ‘F’ (Fail) on the system. You will, however, be awarded a converted grade that will count towards your end of year mark for the course (along with the marks you attained at for that course during your semester at Rhodes).

For more information on how your grades will be converted, please consult the Standardised Grade Conversion Tables