International Partnerships

The Office of Global Engagement serves as Utah State University’s (USU) clearinghouse for all international delegations and agreements/contracts. For a list of current international partnerships, email global.engagement@usu.edu.

International Agreements

International agreements or contracts may be proposed by faculty, administrators, or personnel from international institutions seeking partnerships. The Office of Global Engagement manages international agreements and contracts that do not involve Sponsored Programs or Purchasing. Global Engagement will confirm that USU faculty or administrators genuinely desire to cooperate before pursuing an agreement. To propose an international agreement, email global.engagement@usu.edu.

The most common international agreements include:

  • Memorandum of Cooperation [MOC] – Foundation for all other agreements
  • Governmental Entity Higher Education Addendum [GEHEA] – Required for each partner institution
  •  Student Exchange Cooperative Agreement [SECA]

Intnernational students holding the flags of their respective countries

USU prefers to use templates approved by the Office of Legal Affairs. If an agreement deviates from the approved template or if there is a specific agreement of cooperation that builds upon the Memorandum of Cooperation, Global Engagement facilitates negotiation of the agreement and consults with Research Compliance, Risk Management, and Legal Affairs. There may be several iterations before there is consensus on agreement content and wording.  

Most international cooperation involving students can be achieved with establishing the Memorandum of Cooperation and the Student Exchange Cooperative Agreement, and following USU policy and procedure. If a program requires specific forms and contents of cooperation – if there are  exceptions to policy and/or procedure, if personnel or resources are required to manage the program, and/or there are significant financial implications – an agreement detailing that specific program can be developed.

When agreements are ready for formal review at USU, Global Engagement submits the documents for review using Document Approval in ServiceNow. The ServiceNow form requests review by the initiator(s), department and college administrators, Research Compliance, Risk Management, university administrators, and the Office of Legal Affairs. If approved at all levels, Global Engagement prepares and delivers the documents to the President’s Office, which include the full review and approval documentation from ServiceNow and the final document(s) for the president’s signature (per Policy 528: Contract Signature Authority and Delegation).”

International Delegates Visiting USU

Please contact global.engagement@usu.edu to coordinate a visit from an international delegation.

The Office of Global Engagement will provide the delegation with a letter of invitation specifying the details of the visit and USU’s responsibilities once the details of the visit have been finalized.

International Students/Scholars 

International students/scholars involved in scholarly activities at Utah State University facilities need to be present on a J-1 or F-1 visa. Documents required to obtain these visas (DS2019/ I20) are issued through the Office of Global Engagement. Please review additional information about visiting scholars.

  • All scholars are eligible for a J-1 visa regardless of the length of their program.
  • Delegations of international visitors who come to USU to familiarize themselves with the campus, facilities, and program offerings or for meetings related to the development and implementation of partnership activities are exempt from the J-1 visa requirement.

All international students/scholars are to check-in at the Office of Global Engagement regardless of their visa status.