» Incoming Exchange Student Handbook

Online Application System

You will be sent login information for our online application system, the Global Gateway. We will open an application for you and notify you when this is completed. Upon receiving your notification of acceptance, please log in and complete the application materials and support documentation.

Student ID and Email Account

Student ID numbers and Chapman email accounts will be established for you. Your student ID number and email account are your primary sources of identification at Chapman and are used in all communication and in the housing, course registration, and orientation processes. Please ensure you have activated this this email account as soon as you receive the information from Chapman.

Panther Pal Program

We will be partnering you a Chapman student who can help you transition into life at Chapman. Once we have you partnered with your Panther Pal, we’ll send contact information to both of you so you can begin communication.

Course registration can be a frustrating process if you don’t follow instructions and act quickly on emails from our office. Classes are available on a first-come basis, and department chair approvals may be needed for some courses (especially within Dodge College of Film & Media Arts). Please review the academic catalog and my.chapman.edu to create a schedule of classes for yourself. For assistance in searching for available courses, please view the following Course Registration Tutorial. Complete the course registration form that is part of the online application and obtain the required signatures for pre-requisite courses.

Submit the IERF form to globaled@chapman.edu and the Center for Global Education (CGE) will attempt to register you for your preferred courses. The CGE will be in communication with you should a course you’ve selected is no longer available. Please allow flexibility in course selection and compile a list of options to ease this process.

We will make every effort to register you for the classes that you have requested. However, please keep in mind that you may need to be flexible in your choices, depending on class availability and course requirements. If a course has a fee attached to it (e.g., a science lab or most FTV courses), You are responsible for paying that fee to the Business Office before the start of classes in the fall.

Course Load

During regular semesters students may enroll in a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 18 credits. Exchange students at Chapman for an academic year may take up to four units of coursework free during our January session.

Academic Calendar

Adding and Dropping Courses can be done only within the first two weeks of each semester. Please visit the academic calendar for other important dates.

Chapman operates on a traditional American credit and grading system. Typically, three units of credit at Chapman are equivalent to 6 ECTS credits or 20 UK points.

Grades and corresponding grade points follow:

Academic Culture

Classes in the US can be quite different and tend to be much more relaxed, group oriented and participatory than academic environments outside of the US. You will be expected to show up to every class, complete all assignments and exams, and participate in class and on group projects.

Resources

Sometimes, exchange students find the academic workload a bit challenging to get used to. It is recommended that you introduce yourself to your professors and let them know you are an exchange student. All faculty have office hours, during which time you can receive one-on-one advising or assistance with coursework.

Additionally, the Tutoring, Learning & Testing Center (TLT) assists Chapman students in becoming independent learners on the path to academic and career success.

The TLT offers a variety of tutoring services designed to help students attain their academic goals and make their education at Chapman more successful. Our tutoring center staff is intent upon assisting students to develop positive attitudes about themselves and their studies.

Services include:

• Tutoring
  • Individual tutors for Chapman courses
  • Group tutoring opportunities (Supplemental Instruction)
• Writing Center
• Accommodated testing for students with disabilities
• Testing services for a variety of exams including placement, U.S. Constitution, and proctoring services

Benefits

The benefits provided by Chapman to exchange students vary from program to program. If your exchange program does not have a housing benefit, you have your choice of applying to live on campus in the dorms, or locating off-campus housing. Likewise, if your program does not provide a meal plan for the dining hall, you can purchase a meal plan or arrange for self-catering accommodations.

• ISEP students will be accommodated in the dorms and will have a 19-meal a week cafeteria plan
• Korea University, EWHA University, and Feng Chia: Housing is included but no meal plan; meal plans can be purchased for a semester or academic year.
• Anglo American University, Sogang University, Kindai University, ESC Rennes, University of Amsterdam, Reutlingen University: Neither housing nor meals are included.

Application Procedures

If you are applying to on-campus housing, please complete the online housing application by the deadlines listed on the Housing website. If you are planning on securing off-campus housing, please contact the off-campus housing office.

Housing Deposit

For on-campus housing, you will not have to pay the housing application fee, but you will be responsible for a $300 refundable housing deposit. To make this deposit, please wire the funds by following the instructions below (Include full name & “Exchange student dorm deposit”). View international wire payment instructions. 

Wiring Instructions:

Account Name:   Chapman University General Operating Account
                              One University Drive
                              Attention: Financial Services Dept.
                              Orange, CA, 92866

Name of Bank:   Wells Fargo Bank - Orange Plaza
                              Orange Plaza Branch
                              101 E. Chapman Ave
                              Orange, CA  92866

Account Number:  9286-0000-1111-2222-3
ABA Number (Routing Number):  121-000-248

International Wires, Swift code: WFBIUS6S
Please include the student name and student identification number in the description section of the fund transfer.

Please contact Cynthia Wheeler at cwheeler@ chapman.edu or 714-997-6944 if you have any questions about wire instructions.

Chapman ePay

Chapman University is proud to be an E-Commerce University. Monthly emails are sent to students’ Chapman email accounts notifying them when their eBILL is available. Students and authorized payers can view student accounts online using Chapman’s eBILL feature. Payments online can be made via e-check through a checking or savings accounts OR by mail to the Chapman University Cashier's Office. 

Getting Around Southern California

Public transportation in SoCal will not be what you are used to back home. Around the city of Los Angeles, there is a subway and bus system that is relatively extensive and easy to use.

Metrolink trains run up and down the Pacific Coast from San Juan Capistrano to Palmdale, and then from the coast inland to Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. This train system, however, is a commuter train so it doesn’t run as frequently as you might be used to. The Orange Metrolink Station is located 10 minutes from the Chapman main campus. From this station, you can get trains to LA or San Diego County.

To catch an Amtrak train, take the Metrolink from Orange to Anaheim and transfer to Amtrak. LA Union Station is where you can transfer from Metrolink or Amtrak to the subway and bus system in Los Angeles.

Around the city of Orange, the Orange County Transportation Authority operates a very comprehensive bus system.

Buying a car

Some students decide to buy a car for the semester and then sell it before they depart for home. Craigslist is a good resource for used cars.

Airports

Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is approximately forty minutes to one hour from Chapman University, depending on traffic. All local airports:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 310-646-5252

Wheelchair Accessible Vans: 310-646-8021

Distance from Chapman: 40 miles

Ontario International Airport (ONT)

909-937-2700

Distance: 35 miles

San Diego International Airport (SAN)

619-400-2400

Distance: 92 miles

John Wayne / Orange County Airport (SNA)

952-252-5200

Distance: 11 miles

Long Beach Airport (LGB)

562-570-2600

Distance: 21 miles

Bob Hope/Burbank Airport (BUR)

818-840-8847

Distance: 48 miles

There are three shuttle services we recommend to get you to campus from either LAX airport or John Wayne/Santa Ana Airport. Both cost about the same. Please use One University Drive, Orange, CA 92866 as your destination address for the shuttle reservation.

• Shuttle2LAX
• Prime Time Shuttle
• Super Shuttle

To get to LAX from Chapman, take Metrolink from Orange to LA Union Station and take the LAX FlyAway bus to LAX terminals.

Chapman Shuttle

Chapman has just launched a Shop n' Shuttle service providing free rides for students to local grocery and convenience stores. Thanks to the support from Chapman's Student Government Association, the shuttle service will continue running Saturday afternoons during the school year. The Chapman vans, which hold up to seven passengers, pick up students every 45 minutes from 2-4 p.m. from the Sandhu Residence Lot. The current route includes stops at Albertsons, Target, Walmart, Sprouts, Trader Joe's and CVS.

International Insurance

All exchange students are required to obtain international health insurance. ISEP students will be covered by MedEx as part of the application process.

The International Student Health Form will be part of the application you will need to complete for us online. For your convenience, this form can be completed online and printed. The physical examination section must be signed off by a physician.

Additionally, please complete the TB Risk Assessment Form in the Global Gateway. Both of these forms must be submitted in order for you to use our on-campus health center upon arrival. Also, please be prepared to furnish your health insurance ID card when you arrive.

Health care services usually include the following:

1. First aid: Cuts, abrasions, and burns.

2. Acute illness: Fever, sore throat, sudden pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

3. Doctor’s hours: Physician and Gyn Nurse Practitioner visits are available by appointment

4. Health maintenance: Immunizations, Hepatitis B vaccine, TB skin testing, and tetanus boosters.

5. Health screening: Pregnancy, PAP, STDs, blood pressure, and diabetes screening.

If the medical condition is beyond their scope of service, an outside referral is made. We have contracted physicians in the community who will accept our Chapman Student Health Insurance upon referral. Specific services (lab, x-ray, ultrasound, mammogram) may be covered with a Student Health Referral.

The Chapman Student Health Center is located at the corner of Sycamore and Glassell. The Health Center is open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Walk-In hours are 8:30am-12:30pm during regular semesters.

An appointment is usually needed to see the doctor or gynecological nurse practitioners. Please call to schedule an appointment with a health care provider. Appointments are needed in the afternoons. Doctors; hours vary according to their availability.

Psychological Services

Visit Student Psychological Counseling Services to learn more about available services to exchange students.

Public Safety

Chapman University is located in safe Old Towne Orange. The Department of Public Safety is tasked with ensuring the campus and the surrounding Chapman neighborhood continues to stay safe. Through collaborations and partnerships with the Orange Police Department, Public Safety continues to enhance the safe environment of Chapman University.

The mission of Public Safety at Chapman University is to facilitate a safe environment conducive to learning, working, and personal growth through the development of community partnerships with all campus constituents.

In addition to campus patrols, safety alerts and maintaining campus safety, following are the services and resources offered by Public Safety:

1. Vehicle Jumpstarts
2. Safe Ride
3. Bicycle racks and registration
4. Lost & Found
5. Parking services
6. R.A.D Self Defense Course

To call Public Safety, please call 714-997-6763. All students are advised to program this number into their cell phones.

Fall orientation is typically scheduled for the third week of August. Please plan on arriving to Chapman by the Monday prior to the start of Orientation in order to get settled and ready for the week's activities. We will hold an exchange student meeting on Tuesday during orientation week.

For the spring semester, orientation is typically held on the last Friday in January. Please plan on arriving the Wednesday prior in order to get settled. We will hold an exchange student meeting on Thursday prior to orientation.

Getting a Mobile Phone

On arriving at Chapman University, one of the first things students do is organize their mobile phone and service provider. Following are the service providers available in the vicinity of Chapman University:

1. AT&T - 125 S. Main St, Ste A, Orange (714) 538-5700

2. Verizon Wireless - 691 S. Main St, #80, Orange (714) 564-0050

3. Sprint - 1449 W. Chapman Ave, Orange (714) 385-1730

4. Boost Mobile - 260 N Tustin St Ste A, Orange, CA ‎ (714) 288-9462

Exchange students usually do not have a credit history in the USA. Therefore, some cell phone providers may charge a deposit of up to $500 to start your post-paid monthly plan.

**Note** We recommend you explore all options available including the pre-paid plan that they have. Unlike certain countries, mobile phone providers in the USA may have fixed term contracts (e.g. two year contract).

General Questions.................................................Henry Carey: exchange@chapman.edu

Immigration/Visa Questions....................................Xochitl Lopez: xlopez@chapman.edu

On-Campus Housing Placements.............................Emily Belote: ebrent@chapman.edu

Off-Campus Housing Placements.............................Ketzia Abramson: kabramso@chapman.edu

Online Application and Course Registration...............Henry Carey: exchange@chapman.edu

Chapman Email Account........................................IS&T Service Desk: servicedesk@chapman.edu