The Baltimore Student Exchange Program (BSEP) is a consortium of colleges in the Baltimore area that have partnered to allow undergraduate students to take a course not available at their home institution at a partnering BSEP institution in the fall and/or spring semesters. While there is no extra tuition cost, some courses may requires an additional fee to cover materials, facilities, or equipment use. In those cases, such fees would be paid to the host institution.
The following schools participate in BSEP:
- Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)
- Goucher College
- Johns Hopkins University
- Loyola University Maryland
- The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
- Morgan State University
- Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Steven University
- Towson University
- University of Baltimore
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Who is BSEP for?
Any full-time (registered for 12 credits or more at Loyola) sophomore, junior, or senior at Loyola is eligible to take one BSEP course each fall and spring semester, if the course is not offered at Loyola.
What is the approval/registration process?
Students must be in good academic standing at Loyola (minimum of 2.0 cumulative QPA) and receive the permission of their advisor and the AASC on the BSEP Request Form and in the offices of AASC and Records). Students seeking to count a course towards their major must also receive the approval of the respective department chair. The BSEP form must be submitted prior to the end of Loyola's drop/add period.
After submission of the BSEP form, Loyola's Records office will work with the other institution to register students. Students must satisfy any pre-requisites for the course. Availability of courses is not guaranteed, as BSEP students are registered after the host institution's students have registered. Students are notified via Loyola email regarding their BSEP request.
How do I advise my students about BSEP?
Encourage your advisees to look at exciting course opportunities at other colleges. For example, are they interested in a foreign language or dance class that Loyola does not offer? Suggest that they branch out and try BSEP!
Students can search for courses at other colleges easily by accessing the listing of BSEP institutions online through Baltimore Collegetown.
Other FAQs:
- Students are limited to a maximum of eight BSEP courses during their academic careers.
- Independent/private study courses are excluded from BSEP.
- Courses taken through BSEP count towards residency requirements and the grades are included on the Loyola transcript and in the Loyola cumulative QPA.
- Students must provide their own transportation.
- Online BSEP courses are permitted.
- Towson University will not accept graduating seniors in their final semester.