Student Exchange Experience from IITD

A brief FAQ summary of my Foreign Exchange experience from IITD, and pointers for potential exchangees.

If any questions remain unanswered, create an issue in the Issues tab.

About me

• CS1 class of 2026.
• Semester exchangee at DTU (Denmark Technical University) during Fall semester, 2024 (Semester I, 2024-25 at IITD).

Eligibility and Application Process

• As of 2024-25, applications are invited at the end of the second year of study, to exchange for any semester of the third year, for both B. Tech and Dual degree students.

• There are 2 rounds of selection:

  • Round I: Applications:
    • Eligibility: CGPA $\geq$ 8.00
    • Students have to apply on e-Academics s-portal, where they are asked for different achievements and an SOP.
    • This is a pretty chill round, >100 students are selected generally.
  • Round II: Written Exam:
    • Written exam with General Knowledge-related MCQs and Essays.
    • Not super eliminative, ~80 students selected.

• A rank list is released, and a Google form is floated for students to fill their preferred host universities.

• Host universities are allotted based on rank, i.e, a person with a smaller rank gets priority of preference.

• Selected students can look at the rank list and final allotment list from my year to get an idea of rank-uni mapping.

Factors to consider while selecting host university:

• Courses offered, and potential disruptions in your degree planning
• Accomodation, Food facilities, Transportation inside the country.
• Finances
• Desired potential travel experiences
• Dietary and cultural restrictions, if any

Course Planning

• In your host uni, you need to look for courses which would get approved for equivalence at IITD (significant overlap required).
• Your host uni should have a public course-base for this purpose.
• Then approach institute authorities to get guidance and final approval on these courses.
• There are 3 (in my knowledge) modes of getting your departmental courses approved:
  • DUGC (not in all departments) - Approach in person/mail
  • Department's Forex Advisor (not in all department) - Approach in person/mail
  • Coursewise Faculty - Mail the faculty concerning every course
• You have to mail faculties separately if you want approval for HUL courses.
• If you are not able to find perfectly mapped courses, you could ask for approval of courses under 'Special Topics'.
• Core courses are difficult to get passed (generally), so an ideal strategy would be to go for DEs and HULs.

Accomodation

• Look for host uni-provided accomodation.
• You can also look for sublets on Facebook and common uni groups.
• Another option is talking to people you know, who are moving out, for future subletting.

Finances

• Expect an average expenditure of INR 6-7L.
• Apply for scholarships/financial assistance if applicable.

Miscellaneous

• Ensure timely processing of Visa and/or Passport.
• Look at transportation arrangements.
• Make travel plans somewhat prior to travel, to get cheap prices.
• Look at the cooking/eating arrangements beforehand.
• Make a packing list.

Financial Details

• Students are expected to bear travel and lodging expenses themselves.
• Some host institutions may provide partial financial assistance (varies greatly).
• Tuition and boarding fees (if keeping hostel room) are to be paid at IITD. Tuition Fee is waived off at host institution.

My Coursework and Stay details (TU Denmark)

• Courses (CSE + HUSS): OS, Parallel Systems, Numerical Algorithms, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Special Topics in Psychology.
• Accomodation: Uni-provided
• Transportation: Public transport with student support, alt is bicycling

Ask more questions in Issues.