Definition of International Student Exchange
International student exchange refers to the opportunity for students to take classes or spend a semester at a foreign university, based on established cooperation agreements between the government or between Universitas Airlangga and partner universities. The grades and credit hours earned at the foreign university will be recognized and equated by the respective home university.
This exchange program aims to provide students with the chance to enhance their soft skills and hard skills through learning experiences at different universities.
AUN-ACTS Credit Transfer Program
The ASEAN University Network (AUN) ASEAN Credit Transfer System (ACTS) program is organized at Universitas Airlangga through the Academic Mobility Exchange for Undergraduate at Airlangga (AMERTA) scheme since 2014. The AUN-ACTS program aims to facilitate learning experiences for students within the ASEAN region at universities in ASEAN member countries. ACTS is designed to accommodate the differences in credit system implementation among universities in ASEAN without requiring changes to the existing national/institutional credit systems.
At Universitas Airlangga, AMERTA is attended by ASEAN students under the framework of AUN-ACTS. However, AMERTA is not limited to ASEAN students only, as it is also open to international students globally. Therefore, AMERTA accepts students from around the world by implementing the AUN-ACTS student exchange system in its program.
The AMERTA program is open to students who wish to study unique courses from an Indonesian perspective in the fields of social culture and humanities, science, and health sciences. Prospective AMERTA students apply through the UNAIR website and undergo administrative processing. The arrival, accommodation, and departure processes are facilitated by the International Office. By participating in the AMERTA program, international students receive a tuition fee waiver and partial living allowance for one semester. They also receive free Indonesian language learning, participate in cultural trips, and engage in international activities. At the end of their learning journey, students receive a certificate and transcript of grades that can be transferred and converted into the credit system of their home university. This process is jointly handled by the Directorate of Education, the International Office, and the Directorate of Information Systems. In 2020, AMERTA was offered in both offline and online modes in response to the pandemic situation. This approach aims to continue facilitating the participation of international students in the AMERTA program. To enhance the quality of the AMERTA program, the Video Conferencing with Universitas Airlangga (DECOTA) program was introduced in 2020. This program invites academics from partner universities abroad to join in teaching within AMERTA. AMERTA participants benefit from high-quality instruction provided by professors from Universitas Airlangga as well as professors from partner universities abroad.
Outcomes and Impact
The AUN-ACTS program enriches students' international experience and enhances their soft skills. In addition, ACTS provides benefits to students in the following forms:
- Credit earning: Students can earn credits through the program.
- Intellectual exchange: Students engage in intellectual exchange with their peers from ASEAN universities.
- Networking: Students have the opportunity to network with fellow students in ASEAN.
Credit conversion and recognition:
Credits and courses obtained from partner universities are converted and recognized according to the credit system and curriculum of the universities bound by the AUN-ACTS agreement.
