What You Should Know - School of Engineering (Ie What You Should Know, undergraduate) (Monash Malaysia)

ALL ABOUT INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

What is the International Exchange Program about?

You can read Monash Abroad’s International Exchange Program website.

You should familiarize yourself with the entry requirements, important dates and application process.

If you are interested in applying for an international exchange. It is strongly recommended that you begin planning early. You must prepare a list of exchange units and unit’s outline and discuss with the Course Director.

Eligibility

If you are an Exchange student, you will:

• Continue to enroll full time 18 - 24 credit points at a Monash campus.
• Continue paying your tuition fee to Monash Malaysia.
• Receive the equivalent credit for the units studied in Monash

Students are eligible to apply International Exchange program for the relevant undergraduate engineering courses, as follows:

1. Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours)
2. Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours)
3. Bachelor of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering (Honours)
4. Bachelor of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering (Honours)
5. Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours)
6. Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours)

The following are not eligible to apply International Exchange Program:

1. Master of Applied Engineering

2. Bachelor of Materials Engineering (Honours)

3. Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (Honours)

Where can I go for Partner Institution ?

Monash University Malaysia students can read the program brochure for each partner university and choose their ideal partner’s institution by using the Monash Program Search.

It is important for you to read ‘Restrictions section’

BEFORE APPLYING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE

Which units am I eligible to select?

It is advisable for you to plan to enroll in a core unit, an elective (technical elective or free elective) when you fill in units in your Smartsheet study plan.

Note: If no equivalency is available for your core unit, you may choose other elective units. The core unit can be taken when you return next semester."

Withdrawal policy from Monash Abroad?

For further information on our withdrawal policy, kindly refer to (Attached link)

When do you apply International Exchange Program?

Please read the ‘Key Dates’ section to get more information.

Students must adhere to the closing dates of the International Exchange application published on the website.

HOW TO APPLY FOR AN INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE?

How do you submit the MONPLAN?

• 1. Go to MonPlan
• 2. Click on Create a New Course Plan to create a plan.
• 3. Choose to prefill your enrollment information to save time.
• 4. Ensure that you draw out your entire course duration from Year 1 to 4 units in your MonPlan before submitting it.
• 5. Ensure that you fill in 4 units (normal study load) in the MonPlan. Also, you must add a new column to include 2 additional units (backup units) that you want to enroll in during Exchange in the Monplan. The total is 6 units for the semester you want to apply for the Exchange.
• 6. Submit for approval by clicking the 'Review' box and indicate your message to the Course Director in a message box (MonPlan).
• i.e: Your respective Course Director will review and approve your Monplan.
• Once it has been approved, you must download a copy of Monplan by clicking on the ‘Print Button’ in a PDF format.
• 7. Please take note that the MonPlan approval deadline will take up to 3 to 4 weeks prior to the campus deadline - refer here.

Notes:

• You can refer to the Engineering Course Map and select the course map for the year you began your course.
• You must ensure that all units in Monplan are approved by your Course Director.

What is Monplan approved?

Click Sample of approved MonPlan

Useful Tips

• You are encouraged to make an appointment with the respective Course Director to understand your course progression before applying for International Exchange.

Explore the ‘Where can I go’ section to choose the right exchange partner university for you.

• Find institutions with an equivalent credit that works for you.

Different partner institutions with Monash University will have their own credit.

• Carefully assess each partner university’s unit credits and category of the unit (i.e. core unit or elective) for each partner institution.

Things to note

What to do if I can’t find unit equivalency?

• You are advised to consult with your respective Course Director if you cannot find most of the unit equivalency.
• Engineering students who cannot find matching units abroad will need to enroll in those units (core or elective) when they return to Monash Malaysia the next semester
• Exchange units may not always have a 100% equivalency match with your Monash University requirements.
• Students are advised to submit no more than 3 times of new additional units via Smartsheet portal. Therefore, you must plan exchange units and discuss with Course Director before submitting new additional units for further assessment.

Note: If you plan to submit a new additional unit, you can request the Smartsheet link from Monash Abroad via Ask Mira."

Important Information

• Please note that studying at a partner university may delay your graduation or disrupt your course progression plan.
• Final Year Project

Students cannot enrol in the Final Year Project during their exchange at partner universities.

• Participating in an exchange program at a partner university during your final semester may delay your graduation due to differing academic calendars. Additionally, there is no guarantee that the host institution will provide your transcript in time for your expected graduation date.

What Happens After you submit an International Exchange Application?

• You can read the information in the ‘What Happens After You Apply?’ section.

TESTIMONIAL

Yap Zhe Yen

Bachelor of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering (Honours), School of Engineering

Exchange period: Semester 1, 2025

Name of Partner University: State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to gain international exposure while pursuing my degree at Monash University Malaysia. I especially appreciate my parents’ selfless love and financial support throughout this unforgettable exchange journey.

During the exchange, I travelled to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The people I met were kind, helpful, and open-minded, with an inspiring passion for life. One of the highlights was participating in “Oozefest,” a beloved tradition at the University at Buffalo—playing volleyball in the mud as a fun way to de-stress before exams. Everyone dressed up as their favourite characters, and the team spirit was incredible.

This experience made me more open-minded and independent. Most importantly, I built lasting friendships with people from all over the world. We’ve even made a pact to visit each other again someday.

Robotics Day is held once a year at the University at Buffalo, where PhD students showcase their projects, and you can see a variety of robots. It was enjoyable to discuss the latest developments in robotics with them and learn more about the field. I am glad I had the chance to visit Silicon Valley and catch a glimpse of some of the world’s biggest tech companies, such as Google, Amazon, Meta, Tesla and more.

Some might say that going on an exchange program means stepping out of your comfort zone. For me, it was the most comfortable “out of comfort zone” I’ve ever experienced. It was a refreshing break from academic life. Yes, challenges can be intimidating, but once we face them, they become cherished memories.

This is how I would sum up my exchange experience. So, take the leap, step out of your comfort zone, and apply for the exchange destination that excites you the most. You won’t regret it!

Avinash Rvan, Ravindran

Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours), School of Engineering

Exchange period: Semester 1, 2025

Name of Partner University: University of Reading, United Kingdom

If you’re reading this and you’re on the fence about doing a semester exchange abroad, take this as your sign to do it! To me, studying abroad for a semester was about immersing myself completely in a culture from a completely different part of the world. The week before I was set to leave for the UK, it truly hit me that I was going to live completely alone, without anybody I knew, halfway across the world for six months. However, I can tell you now that going on this exchange has been the best experience of my life (and I really am not exaggerating).

I had always lived at home, meaning I never had the chance to experience living independently. During the semester exchange, one of the most enjoyable aspects was living independently and doing everything on my own. It really gave me a sense of freedom I had not felt before.

You can’t experience life abroad without making connections with the people there, and I was incredibly lucky to find an amazing group of friends. It was great fun getting to know these people and learning about the different intricacies of their lives and where they live. They truly made me feel at home in Reading despite not knowing anyone there previously. I learnt so much about all their different cultures and even picked up some phrases in their languages!

The best part about the exchange experience was definitely the people I met. You will encounter many new places and enjoy new experiences, but the most meaningful part will always be the friends you make along the way. So, be as open and friendly as possible!

During my semester abroad, I travelled as much as I could (while keeping up with studies, of course)! As you’ll see in the pictures, there are so many beautiful places out there, and I even got to experience snow for the first time in my life! Travel as much as you can within your budget; it will absolutely be worth the memories.

These six months abroad really taught me that at this age, there’s so much left in the world to see, so I really need to make the most of any time I have. The semester exchange might seem a bit tedious to plan, but I guarantee it’s the best decision you’ll make. Take the leap and you won’t regret it!

USEFUL RESOURCES

MonPlan

AskMira

International Exchange official page

Monash Abroad Brochure

Study plan tutorial

Manual Study Plan Guide