The International Student Exchange Program chose Emporia State to be the pilot school for its new USA Direct program.

“ISEP is International Student Exchange Program, so it’s for international students, American students, basically any country,” said Meredith Hodges, study abroad representative.

ISEP is a network of 150 universities outside the United States and 200 universities inside the United States. According to ISEP.org, Emporia is one of only a handful of universities ISEP considered to be the pilot.

“Emporia State University has been an ISEP member for a very long time,” said Gonzalo Bruce, dean of International Education. “They have had great reviews from ISEP students who have come to Emporia State University and they always write reviews of their experience here and their assessment typically is very positive. ISEP is very close to us. They have come to ESU. They know what this campus is like and the support system that international students enjoy when they come here.”

With ISEP, students – American and international – can choose up to 10 different sites and compete for placements at universities with people from all over the world.

“Whichever one they get placed at they get to go abroad, and if it’s an exchange, they will be able to pay ESU’s tuition and fees as if they were here for that semester or summer,” Hodges said.

With USA Direct, however, international students will be paying a fee to come to ESU. They will pay tuition, room and board, plus travel expenses.

“It’s really opening another avenue for ISEP students to come to Emporia State University,” Bruce said. “The idea is that students that were not placed in the exchange but still want to experience studying in the United States, they can come and they can do it on a fee paying basis.”

Another facet of the program that makes it different from the existing exchange programs is the possibility of homestay. International students could be placed with families in the Emporia community and live with them while they stay in the U.S., integrating them into American culture, much like high school foreign exchange programs.

International students studying through USA Direct will not receive a degree from ESU. They will come to study for 1-2 semesters, either for academic purposes or in the intensive English program, and then if they wish to pursue a degree they would have to apply to the university.

“(USA Direct) is a great opportunity for us because if you can imagine 150 universities, it’s more than 45 countries,” Bruce said. “So, that’s great for us because one of our pillars of strategic lines is to diversify the international student population, so this is a great way to bring students who cannot do that otherwise or would not probably come here so it’s a great way to expand our country representation.”