International Partnerships and Agreements

RIT Global supports strategic partnerships with peer institutions around the world in collaboration with faculty and administration across the campus.

Faculty may engage with existing, or connect with new partners through study abroad, research, or even developing pathway opportunities for incoming international students. Developing, sustaining, and expanding mutually-beneficial partnerships also requires collaboration with administration and faculty across all of RIT’s colleges. 

Not all partnership activity requires agreement.

Understanding Different Types of Agreements

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

This agreement tends to be the first step in establishing a partnership. The scope of the agreement is generally to enhance mutual understanding and promote academic collaboration and cooperation through exploration of collaborative research, student and faculty exchange opportunities, student partnership programs, and other mutually agreed educational programs.

Student Partnership for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies

The goal of these agreements is to provide qualified students from the partner university an opportunity to study at RIT. The agreement outlines the program protocol allowing select students from the partner university to enroll in select coursework at RIT and apply for admission.

Faculty Exchange

The goal of this agreement is to outline opportunities for faculty members of both institutions to teach, study, or conduct cooperative research. Generally exchanges will be on a one-to-one basis but need not be in the same semester.

Student Exchange

The goal of this agreement is to enable students to take classes as a non-degree seeking student, generally for one academic term. Students remain enrolled and pay tuition to their home institution. Exchange partnerships must be balanced, generally on a one-to-one basis, but may not be in the same semester.

Affiliation

The goal of an affiliation agreement is to outline the opportunity and protocol for a student to directly enroll in the partner institution as a study abroad student.

Direct Billing

The goal of the direct billing agreement is to outline the protocol and services provided in support of an RIT study abroad program.

Things to Consider

Please consider the following questions when planning a collaboration with an international university or other international partner:

  1. Do you have the support of your department chair and dean, or the Vice President for Research?
  2. Is the partner institution and its academic unit compatible with RIT’s reputation for excellence in teaching and research?
  3. What are the joint academic activities in which the two institutions will engage? Some examples include:
    • Exchanges of, or visits by faculty, staff, and/or student researchers
    • Exchange of research materials or technical information
    • Research collaboration
    • Joint conferences or workshops
    • Scholarship collaboration
    • Special short-term projects
  4. How will these activities benefit RIT?
  5. What university resources will be required to carry out these activities? Examples:
    • Funds
    • Facilities and office space
    • Research materials, tools, databases, equipment
    • Time and effort of RIT personnel
  6. When will the activities ideally begin?
  7. Will you be sharing or jointly developing any intellectual property?
  8. What will the financial obligations of RIT and the partner institution be? Some examples include:
    • Who pays for travel, housing, health insurance, living expenses, etc?
    • Will any payments be made by one party to the other?
    • Will any fees be charged for laboratory or overhead expenses?
    • Will either party be contributing money to student scholarships?
  9. Will the activities taking place at RIT be supported by funding from any external sources?
  10. How many years would you like the agreement to be in effect? (3-5 years is common.)
  11. Who else at RIT and what other colleges and departments can be involved in the activities of the partnership? Partnerships are more successful when there is engagement across the university.
Clear All
Title Country RIT College Type
Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
MOU
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) China
  • Saunders College of Business
Student Partnership Program for Undergraduate Study
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) China
  • Saunders College of Business
Student Partnership Program for Graduate Study
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) China
  • Saunders College of Business
Faculty Exchange
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) China
  • Saunders College of Business
Joint Degree
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) China
  • Saunders College of Business
Joint Degree
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) China
  • Saunders College of Business
MOU
Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) and Weihai Municipal Government China MOU
BenSan International Ventures Direct Billing Agreement
Burren College of Art Ireland
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
MOU
Burren College of Art Ireland Affiliation Agreement
Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
MOU
CISabroad Direct Billing Agreement
Dayanandra Sagar Institute (DSI) India MOU
Doshisha University Japan
  • College of Liberal Arts
Affiliation/Direct Billing Agreement
Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
Student Exchange
Engineering World Health Direct Billing Agreement
Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL) Ecuador MOU
Explorica Inc. Direct Billing Agreement
Hands on Travel Direct Billing Agreement
Hochschule Anhalt Bernburg - Dessau Germany
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
Student Exchange
Hochschule Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW) Germany
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
MOU
Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences Netherlands
  • National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Student Exchange
Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences Netherlands
  • National Technical Institute for the Deaf
MOU
Hunan University China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
  • Saunders College of Business
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
MOU
Hunan University China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
Joint School Agreement
Hunan University China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
Joint School Agreement
Hunan University China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
Joint School Agreement
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Madras) India
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
MOU
International Medical Education Group (IMEG) United States
  • College of Health Sciences and Technology
MOU
Jiangnan University China MOU
Jiangnan University China
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
Student Partnership for Graduate Study
Jiangnan University China
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
Student Partnership for Undergraduate Study
Kanazawa Institute of Technology Japan MOU
Kanazawa Institute of Technology Japan Student Exchange
Kazakh Economic University-Turar Ryskulov Kazakhstan
  • Saunders College of Business
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
  • College of Liberal Arts
MOU
L'Institut National des Sciences Appliquees de Rennes (INSA) France Student Exchange
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) Kazakhstan
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
  • Saunders College of Business
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
  • College of Liberal Arts
MOU
Liepaja University Latvia MOU
Malardalen University Sweden
  • Saunders College of Business
  • College of Liberal Arts
MOU
Malmo University Sweden MOU
Malmo University Sweden
  • College of Liberal Arts
  • Saunders College of Business
Student Exchange
Ministry of Education Rwanda Rwanda MOU
Momoyama Gakuin University Japan MOU
Momoyama Gakuin University Japan Student Exchange
Moscow State University Russia MOU
National Cheng Kung University Taiwan
  • Saunders College of Business
MOU
National Cheng Kung University Taiwan
  • Saunders College of Business
Student Partnership Program for Undergraduate Study
National Secretariat of Higher Education, Science and Technology Ecuador MOU
National Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Engineering and Innovation (SENESCYT) Ecuador MOU
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Taiwan
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Student Partnership Program for Graduate Study
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Taiwan
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
MOU
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru Peru MOU
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru Peru Student Exchange
Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCP) Dominican Republic MOU
PSG College of Technology India
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
MOU
RED MUTIS Colombian University Network Colombia MOU
School for Field Studies Affiliation Agreement
Seoul National University of Science and Technology South Korea MOU
Seoul National University of Science and Technology South Korea Student Exchange
Shanghai Publishing and Printing College (SPPC) China
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
  • College of Liberal Arts
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
MOU
Shri Ramdeobaba College of Engineering and Management (RCOEM) India
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
MOU
Siena School for Liberal Arts Italy Direct Billing Agreement
Sungkyunkwan University South Korea
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
MOU
Technion Israel Institute of Technology Israel MOU
Tianjin University of Finance and Economics China
  • Saunders College of Business
MOU
Tianjin University of Finance and Economics China MOU
TianJin University of Technology China MOU
Uiversidad APEC Dominican Republic MOU
Universidad de Monterrey Mexico MOU
Universidad del Pacifico (UP) Peru
  • Saunders College of Business
  • College of Liberal Arts
MOU
Universidad del Pacifico (UP) Peru Faculty Exchange
Universidad del Pacifico (UP) Peru Student Exchange
Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala Guatemala MOU
Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) Peru MOU
Universidad Peruano de Publicidad Peru MOU
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) Spain MOU
Universidad Pontificia Comillas Spain
  • College of Applied Science and Technology
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
Student Exchange
Universidad Publica de Navarra (UPNA) Spain
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
MOU
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL) Peru MOU
Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana Honduras MOU
Universite Blaise Pascal France MOU
University of Coruna Spain MOU
University of Ferrara Italy
  • College of Imaging Arts and Science
MOU
University of Paderborn Germany
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
MOU
University of Paderborn Germany
  • Golisano College of Computing and Information Science
Student Exchange
University of Padova Italy
  • Golisano Institute of Sustainability
MOU
University of Rijeka Croatia MOU
University of Science and Technology Liaoning (USTL) China MOU
University of Tokyo Japan MOU
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) India MOU
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) India
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Student Partnership Program for Undergraduate Study
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) India
  • Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Student Partnership Program for Graduate Study
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) - Andhra Pradesh India MOU