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UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA FACT SHEET
Academic Year 2024-2025

Institution – University of Oklahoma
Postal Mailing Address:
International Student Services OfficeDavid L. Boren College of International Studies
University of Oklahoma
729 Elm Avenue, Room 144
Norman, OK 73019-2103 USA
Campus Office Location:
Farzaneh Hall, Room 144

Telephone:405-325-3337

Fax:
405-325-0197

Office Email: iss@ou.edu
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM Central Time
24-Hour Emergency Telephone:
OU Police Department +001 405-325-1911

ProfileThe University of Oklahoma (OU) is a comprehensive research institution in the heartland of the United States ofAmerica. OU offers 21 colleges with more than 170 degree options and over 2,800 full-time faculty members. The
OU campus in Norman is home to a diverse group of more than 27,000 local and international students. Our
exchange and degree-seeking international students originate from 120 different countries.
Please view our informational brochures about the Exchange Student Program online!

Office Contacts
The Incoming Exchange Student Website is the bestsource of current information.
Quick Link: http://www.ou.edu/cis/iss/exchange

Primary contact:
Ms. Rhonda Ehrhardt,
Exchange Student Coordinator
Tel: 405-325-3337 E-mail: iss@ou.edu

Other staff assisting exchange students:
Ms. Shanna Vincent, Director of Education Abroad
Tel: 405-325-1693
Email: ea@ou.edu

Ms. Rhonda Ehrhardt, Assistant Director of Operations,International StudentServices
Tel: 405-325-3337
Email: iss@ou.edu

Nomination Process
Please refer to application section of the Incoming Exchange Student Website for information about nominating
students to attend the University of Oklahoma on the Exchange Student Program.
Partner institutions must nominate exchange students to the Office of International Student Services by March 15
for fall semester and academic year study, and by September 15 for spring semester and calendar year study.
Students must have completed their first year at their home university to attend OU as an exchange student.
Students are expected to be in good academic standing at their home institution.
Home university coordinators should use the Nomination Form linked on our website and provided via email eachterm by OU’s Exchange Student Coordinator to nominate students. Students are sent a confirmation email
immediately following their nomination. An online application link and application instructions will be emailed tothe student after the nomination period is closed.

2Application Process
Application Requirements
After the nomination period is closed, the Exchange Student Coordinator will send each nominated student anapplication link along with instructions. The nominated students must be attentive to their emails throughout theapplication process.
During the application process the student will be responsible for submitting the following information anddocumentation:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Biographical page of passport
Evidence of English proficiency
Financial support documentation
University transcripts (must be translated into English) and current course enrollment
Course preferences will be requested later in the process

The entire application process is managed online. No hard copies of student documents are required.
English Proficiency Requirements
All applicants for whom English is not the primary language of instruction at their home university must present
evidence of proficiency in the English language. English proficiency exam results must be submitted at the time of
application - students cannot be admitted to OU without this documentation.
Please advise students accordingly to avoid processing delays.
Evidence of English proficiency must be demonstrated with a TOEFL (paper based or Internet based iBT), IELTS,
PTE (Pearson), or DET (Duolingo) score. TOEFL ITP scores do not qualify. Incoming exchange students mustmeet or exceed the minimum scores listed below to be accepted as an exchange student to the University ofOklahoma. If a student comes from an English-speaking university where all courses are taught in English, thisrequirement may be waived.
Minimum scores for access to undergraduate courses:
TOEFL (paper based)
500
iBT TOEFL (internet based)
61
IELTS
6.0
PTE (Pearson Academic)46
DET (Duolingo)
90
The above scores qualify students to enroll in undergraduate level courses (numbered between 1000 to 4999). Exchange
students may not enroll in graduate level courses (numbered 5000 and above) unless they have met the Graduate
College English proficiency requirements. If enrolled in graduate level courses, exchange students will receive
undergraduate credits. Students may not earn graduate credit for graduate level courses, and they may not apply these
credits to a graduate degree at the University of Oklahoma.
Minimum scores for access to graduate courses:
TOEFL (paper based)iBT TOEFL (internet based)
IELTS
PTE (Pearson Academic)
DET (Duolingo)

550
79
6.5
60
115

Any exchange student wishing to take coursework in the College of Law must be a law student at his/her homeinstitution and must obtain an iBT TOEFL of 90, IELTS of 7.0, PTE of 66, or DET of 115.

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Academics
Courses Options
Most departments and courses taught on the Norman campus are open to exchange students. Exchange students are
permitted to enroll in courses outside of their primary field of study if they demonstrate appropriate backgroundknowledge and prerequisite coursework in the subject area. Please see below for restrictions.
Subjects AVAILABLE to exchange students include the following:• College of Architecture• College of Arts and Sciences• College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences• College of Business• College of Earth and Energy• College of Education• College of Engineering• College of Fine Arts
• College of International Studies• College of Journalism and Mass Communication• College of Law
Subjects NOT AVAILABLE to exchange students include the following:• Coursework offered at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City or the OU Tulsa campus
o Ex: Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Telecommunications• College of Continuing Educationo Ex: Administrative Leadership, Liberal Studies, Criminal Justice• College of Business at the graduate level (numbered 5000 and above)o Ex: Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, Management, Marketing & Supply
Chain Management, and Management Information Systems• Department of Economics at the graduate level*
Restrictions exist for undergraduate enrollment in some departments. For example, all courses in the following
colleges require advisor approval before enrolling: Architecture, Business, Earth and Energy, Education,
Engineering, and Journalism. Architecture and Fine Arts require portfolios prior to enrollment. All Department ofEnglish courses, other than English for Exchange Students, require a graduate-level English proficiency score (seesection on “English Proficiency Requirements”).
*Undergraduate coursework in the Department of Economics requires exchange students to take a math placement
exam online prior to any course enrollment. Due to departmental policies, several undergraduate Economics courses
are not available. No graduate Economics courses are available.
Full details available on the Incoming Student Website.
Course Selection
The Class Navigator website, classnav.ou.edu, is the simplest and most flexible tool to find course offerings
each semester. Linked here is an instructional guide to assist students with proper search parameters.
When searching for potential coursework at the University of Oklahoma, students should review the prerequisite
enrollment requirements and restrictions for each desired course. Students will not be approved for advanced
courses if they are missing prior coursework required for successful participation at OU.

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Course Enrollment Process
Course preferences are submitted via a special link to the Exchange Student Coordinator. The Exchange Student
Coordinator works with the appropriate departments, advisors, and faculty members to enroll students in their top
choices. Students cannot self-enroll in courses. It is not recommended that students contact other campus officials
directly, as this can delay the enrollment process.
Every effort is made to assist students, but OU cannot guarantee enrollment in coursework before arrival on
campus. Exchange students must be flexible in their course preferences as course offerings can change, andenrollment in coursework at all levels is subject to policy requirements within each academic department.
All exchange students are required to enroll in a full-time course load for non-degree students, regardless of theiracademic level at their home university. Full-time course load is defined as 12 US credit hours (average of 4
courses). OU courses vary in weight from 1 to 5 credits, but the majority of courses are worth 3 credits. Students
may not enroll in more than 15 OU credits. 12-15 credit hours is the standard workload for domestic students on
campus.
Academic Expectations
Exchange students must regularly attend classes and make a good faith effort to progress academically in theirprogram to meet the requirement of maintaining satisfactory advancement towards program completion. At the
middle of each semester students will complete a Mid-Term Progress Survey. Any student not attending classesand
making a good faith effort to succeed in classes may not be eligible to stay at OU after the end of the semester.

Grading Scale
Percentage grades will not be posted on transcripts. Grades are shown only in the form of a letter grade with noplus or minus.
• The passing grades used are A, B, C, D, and under certain conditions, S and P.
• The non-passing grades are F, U, and NP.
• Each hour of A, B, C, D, and F carry a grade point value as follows: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0.
• Grades of S and P, as well as grades of I, X, U, N, NP, AW, and W, carry no grade point value and will not
be letter graded with an A-F.
• A grade of W is assigned when a student withdraws from a course after the deadline. This is a neutral
grade and does not factor into the grade point average.
Transcripts
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) affords students certain rights with respect to theireducation records. These rights can be found here:
https://www.ou.edu/content/recordsandtranscripts/release_of_information.html.
In most instances FERPA requires a student to provide his/her consent prior to OU releasing information contained
within a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows the disclosure of information contained within an
exchange student’s education record, without consent of the student, to an exchange student’s home institution.
Accordingly, at the end of a student’s exchange period, the Office of International Student Services will send one
official OU transcript to the exchange student’s home institution via courier mail.
Students can obtain an unofficial copy of their grades approximately one week after the end of the semester
through one.ou.edu. Students may request additional copies of the official transcript directly through the Office ofAcademic Records after the term ends.

5Student Life
Arrival and Departure
Arrival Date: Monday or Tuesday one week before classes begin
Departure Date: Saturday after the last day of final exams
Students will move into campus housing on the designated arrival day, and they will be required to bring their
passport with visa and Form DS-2019. The exact arrival day will be communicated to students by the Exchange
Student Coordinator. At the end of the semester, students may check out of housing and leave campus as soon as they
complete their final exams. Please view OU’s Academic Calendar for program dates each term.
An airport pickup service may be available through the David L. Boren College of International Studies for students
arriving the week prior to the start of classes. This service, known as Airport Transport, is part of the New
International Student Orientation experience described below. If Airport Transport is not available, students are
expected to take a shuttle, taxi, or Uber/Lyft ride to Norman upon arrival. Shuttles are available 24 hours a day, 7days a week. Airport Transport is not available at the end of the term.
Per J visa regulations, students are allowed to enter the United States up to 30 days prior to the Start Date on their
Form DS-2019, and they are allowed to remain in the United States up to 30 days following the End Date of the
program. The Start Date (first day of classes) and the End Date (last day of final exams) correspond with the exact
term dates on the Academic Calendar and cannot be adjusted.
New International Student Orientation (NISO)The New International Student Orientation (NISO) experience includes four components:
1) A pre-departure Mandatory Internet Orientation, covering topics on immigration, health and safety, as
well as academic and social integrity.
2) Airport Transport where students are greeted by OU students and staff at the airport and shuttled tocampus.
3) ISS Arrival where students submit arrival documents to the International Student Services office
via an online form tocomplete immigration-related tasks.
4) NISO Connection, a required in-person orientation on campus where students are introduced tovarious aspects of OU and meet other international students.
Extracurricular Opportunities
Student Life at the University of Oklahoma is full of opportunities for exchange students, including:
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Fitness and Recreation
International Advisory Committee
Student Government Association
Campus Activities Council
Union Programming BoardOU Cousins
Friends to International Students

Housing
Incoming exchange students are encouraged to live in campus-owned residences. Housing charges are billed per
semester. Find more information on the OU Housing and Food Services website about OU Traditions Square.
While OU cannot guarantee on-campus housing for all exchange students, every effort will be made to houseexchange students on campus who meet the deadlines communicated to them by the Exchange Student
Coordinator. Most incoming exchange students obtain housing on campus if they meet the deadlines. The Officeof International Student Services manages on-campus housing requests for exchange students. Exchange students
should NOT apply for housing through the regular OU Housing and Food Services website. All questions about
on-campus housing for exchange students should be directed to the Exchange Student Coordinator.

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The costs per semester to live in on-campus apartments are below. Rates are based on the 2023/2024 academic
year prices and may vary from year to year.
•

Fall 2023 semester rate for OU Traditions Square: $2860.00. This includes August 14, 2023 through December 16,
2023 rent.
Spring 2024 semester rate for OU Traditions Square: $2860.00. This includes January 9, 2024 through May 11,2024 rent.

••*Students staying for the academic year will be billed for spring semester rent duringthe first part of January.
The per semester rate above will be higher if the student leaves later than the designated departure date. Questions
about arrival and departure dates for exchange students should be directed to the Exchange Student Coordinator.
Also, if an exchange student damages the apartment in which he or she is living, OU Housing and Food Services
will assess additional charges.
Please note Traditions Square is currently the only on-campus option for exchange students at this time.
Off-campus housing is available, but this is not facilitated through the Office of International Student Services. Offcampus housing options are generally only feasible for exchange students planning to study at the University ofOklahoma for a full academic year.

Expected Expenses
Food:
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Semesterly Meal plans are available for purchase depending on personal choice. Please do not purchasea campus meal plan without first consulting the Exchange Student Coordinator.
Regular grocery expenses may average $400-600 per month depending on student needs, but it is helpful tonote that access to grocery stores may require bus travel.

Books:• Depending on major subject, books can cost anywhere from $250-800 per semester.
Health Insurance:•

Health insurance premiums will be $940 for the fall semester, and $734 for the spring. (2022/2023 rates)
Academic year rates update in June.

Personal Expenses:•

Depending on personal choice, costs can range from $400-800+ per month

Additional Fees:••••$30 Sooner Card ID$154.50 Exchange Student Program Fee (each semester)$77.25 International Student Maintenance Fee (each semester)$206 New International Student Orientation Fee*All costs and fees are subject to change without advance notice.

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Important Policies
Immigration and Visa
International Student Services assists all incoming exchange students with issues related to their student visas.
• After a student is accepted to the Exchange Student Program, the student must provide financial support
documents that meet minimum amounts (details available on the Incoming Student Website).
• Once this financial documentation has been verified, International Student Services will issue an initial
Form DS-2019 for the student. This document is mailed to the student’s home institution with visa
application instructions.
• The student must use this original document to apply for a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa (non-degree
student category) at a US Consulate abroad.
• Information on applying for a visa can be found here.
• Information on the SEVIS I-901 fee can be found here. You must pay the SEVIS fee before yourconsular interview.
Employment and Internships
On-campus employment: Generally, exchange students are not permitted to obtain on-campus jobs while they
are studying at OU. Exceptions may be considered for students presented with on-campus research opportunities orother work directly related to their studies if these experiences are not otherwise accessible at their home
universities. Exchange students are not permitted to work in general student positions such as the library or foodservices.
Academic Training: Internships will be considered for Academic Training, a benefit of the J-1 visa, and will
require special authorization by the OU International Student Services office. Examples of permissible Academic
Training employment include research opportunities led by an OU faculty member or an internship to fulfill a
degree requirement at the exchange student’s home university. ISS does not assist exchange students in seeking
internships.
*Off-campus work performed without OU ISS authorization could result in the loss of the exchange student’s
immigration status.
Health Insurance
The University of Oklahoma has a fully-equipped, on-campus health facility: Goddard Health Services. OU
maintains a self-funded student health plan (SHP) for students enrolled in Norman-based programs. International
students are automatically enrolled in the SHP; the cost for insurance will be billed to the student's bursar
account at the beginning of each semester. All international students are required to maintain coverage thatmeets the minimum requirements of their visa and complies with requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The OU SHP meets all these requirements.
Healthcare coverage for students must meet the ACA requirements for Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC). Suchcoverage must provide:
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3.
4.
5.
6.

1.MEC as required by the ACA with no annual or lifetime limits,
2.No exclusions for pre-existing conditions,3.Preventive care and women's health care as required by the ACA covered at100%,
4.An annual deductible not greater than $500, and5.Coinsurance that does not exceed 25% of allowable charges under the plan.
6.Coverage for repatriation of remains and medical evacuation to a student’s home country. The benefit
for repatriation may not be less than $25,000 and the benefit for medical evacuation may not be less than
$50,000.

Short-term Limited Duration Plans (sometimes referred to as "travel plans"), or other similar health plans created forthe purpose of providing coverage to international students or non-immigrant visa holders, do not meet therequirements for student health coverage. Coverage purchased outside the United States will not meet the coverage
requirements.

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When a Waiver for Coverage Under the SHP May be Granted
Students who already have healthcare coverage may be able to waive this requirement by filling out the online
waiver application after arrival. To waive the coverage means to decline the OU SHP and to remove the insurance
charge from the student’s bursar bill. With the waiver application, the student will need to submit their fullinsurance policy, including:
1. A list of the exclusions,2. The policy must be written in English (not a translation of the actual policy or plan document),
3. Premiums must be payable in US dollars, and
4. Claims must be paid in the US in US dollars.
OU’s eligibility and waiver administrator, Academic HealthPlans (AHP), will evaluate the plan to determine if itmeets the waiver requirements. If the waiver is denied, the student must keep and purchase the SHP. Please be
prepared to do so, as the waiver criteria are very difficult to meet and cannot be satisfied by healthcare
coverage purchased outside the United States.
Students may be granted a waiver from enrolling in the OU SHP for any semester that the student:
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.

Is enrolled in the OU employee group health plan or other employer sponsored ACA compliant grouphealth plan,
Provides evidence that the student is enrolled in ACA compliant individual coverage which meets OU’s
waiver requirements and is purchased through the Exchange (HealthCare.gov) or another insurance carrierthat is based in the United States,
Provides evidence that the student is enrolled in coverage that is backed by the full faith and credit of thegovernment of the student’s home country and is provided through an ACA compliant plan or policy
written in English,
Is sponsored by the US government or other entity that has guaranteed payment of all the student’s
medical expenses, and repatriation and evacuation expenses, in English,
Is enrolled exclusively in OU distance learning classes.

Students who have been granted a waiver from coverage under the OU SHP and who lose coverage at any time
during the semester for which the waiver has been granted must immediately report any loss of healthcare
coverage to Academic HealthPlans, ou.myahpcare.com. Failure to maintain coverage as required under thispolicy is a violation of OU's Student Code of Conduct and is grounds for disciplinary action.
Review the full Student Health Plan Coverage Requirements Policy.
Please review the dates of the OU SHP carefully to know what days you will be covered by the healthinsurance in the US. The OU SHP does NOT cover dental or eye care; please take care of these healthrelated events before arrival.
OU Immunization Requirements:
Oklahoma state law requires that all students enrolled in an Oklahoma postsecondary institution provide
documentation of vaccinations against Hepatitis B (three doses) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR - twodoses). See the linked Certification of Compliance for details regarding this Oklahoma law.
OU policy requires students who hold US visas to provide evidence of having been testedfor Tuberculosis (TB)
within six months prior to attending classes for the first time. To Comply with the Policy (choose one):▪ Provide a medical record from a physician, clinic, or hospital indicating a negative test for TB in the 6 months
prior to enrollment OR▪ Provide documentation of a negative chest x-ray in the 6 months prior to enrollment OR▪ Provide a medical record indicating successful treatment of TB OR▪ Receive a TB test at OU Health Services (OU will offer free TB testing at our on-campus clinic)
Immunizations required by the federal government to enter the USA:
Compliance instructions will be distributed to students if they are accepted into the program.
All non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before boarding anairplane to the US. You must provide proof of vaccination status. For information about which COVID-19 vaccines
are accepted, please visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website.
Updated: June 2023