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Official page ↗Track this applicationDocument checklist
United States
Global UGRAD (US semester exchange)
A fully-funded one-semester exchange at a US university for undergraduates from ~60 countries, run by the US State Department. You don't pick the university — they place you — and the programme deliberately favours students who have never travelled to the US.
No application feeReturn-home ruleLimited eligible countries
Fact sheet
- Funding
- One US semester — tuition, housing, stipend, flights, insurance
- Typical deadline window
- ~Dec – Feb (via the US embassy in your country)
- Application fee
- None
- Language test
- TOEFL taken at semifinalist stage (arranged by the programme)
- Where you study
- United States
What it covers
- ✓Tuition and fees for one semester at a US university
- ✓Housing and meals
- ✓Monthly stipend and round-trip airfare
- ✓Health insurance and pre-departure orientation
Can you apply?
- ▸Undergraduate enrolled in a participating country, with at least one semester left at home after the exchange
- ▸Strong academic record plus community/extracurricular involvement
- ▸First-time US travel is an advantage, not a barrier
Insider tips
- 01The essays weigh leadership and community service heavily — concrete volunteer stories beat grades alone.
- 02It's a J-1 exchange with a home-return expectation built in; frame your application around what you'll bring back.
- 03Each embassy runs its own deadline and shortlist — find 'Global UGRAD' on your local US embassy's exchange-programs page.
Useful services for this route
How we fund this siteMagoosh IELTS Prep ↗
Self-paced IELTS prep — far cheaper than coaching centres.
Wise ↗
Pay application/deposit fees abroad at the real exchange rate.
StudentUniverse ↗
Student-only fares for your first one-way flight.
Independent services we'd recommend anyway — using them never costs you extra.
Stipend amounts and deadlines shown are recent figures and change between intakes — always confirm on the official page above before planning.