Exchange to GT-Atlanta for MS Analytics Program

Master of Science in Analytics students who matriculate through GT-Shenzhen must spend their first two semesters at GT-Shenzhen. A student who wishes to exchange to GT-Atlanta before graduation must read the following instructions carefully.

Students may have the following exchange (to Atlanta) options.

    1. Exchange to Atlanta for one academic semester. Complete the first 24-30 credit hours in Shenzhen and study in Atlanta during the following fall or spring semester.
    2. Exchange to Atlanta for two academic semesters. Complete the first 18-21 credit hours in Shenzhen and study in Atlanta during the following fall & spring or semesters.

The exchange opportunities will only be awarded to a small number of highly qualified students and are subject to space availability on the Atlanta campus. F-1 visa holders must maintain full-time student registration of 12 credit hours during the academic semester in Atlanta.

For option 1, a student who wishes to exchange to GT-Atlanta must declare the intent to exchange at least six months before the starting date of the exchange semester. This will give the program officers time to evaluate the application and process the necessary paperwork. For option 2, a student must apply by November 15 of the previous year for a starting exchange semester in the Fall of the subsequent year.

The student must be in good academic and disciplinary standing. The opportunity to exchange is not guaranteed; the MSA program directors will review the applications as well as the capacity on the Atlanta campus and decide which students will be allowed to exchange. The MSA program may interview the applicants as part of this process.

For both options, the students will be given tentative program approval for the exchange; however, the final approval is subject to the student’s performance in all semesters before the exchange. For example, suppose a student is initially approved for exchanging to Atlanta in Fall 2023. In that case, the final approval will come at the end of the Spring 2023 semester, provided that the student is still in good academic and disciplinary standing.

Exchange students come to Atlanta on an F-1 student visa and are expected to pay the standard out-of-state MSA tuition and fees for the Atlanta campus. Exchange students sponsored by a foreign government or institution can only come to the US on a J-1 visa.

Students must declare their exchange option when they apply for the exchange, and the I-20 form will reflect the intended duration of stay in Atlanta and the required financial resources.

To apply for exchange, the student should email gtshenzhen-msa@nullisye.gatech.edu with the following information: Name, GTID, option choice, and which semester(s) the student wishes to study in Atlanta. In addition, a short essay from the applicant and a recent resume are required so that the program officers can review the applicant’s motivation.

Note that while GT-Shenzhen students are given the opportunity to exchange to GT-Atlanta, the decision to grant the US visa or not resides with the visa officer.

No matter whether the exchange student comes to Atlanta for one or two semesters, F-1 students are allowed to arrive in the US for up to 30 days before the start of the semester to settle in and are allowed to remain in the US for up to 60 days for travel and leisure following the completion of the degree program.

Students who have completed the MS degree program in Shenzhen can participate in the graduation ceremony in Atlanta if they can secure a proper US visa (such as a tourist visa).