University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) is a voluntary regional association of government, non-government and/or university representatives of the

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

sector established in 1993 to enhance cooperation and exchange of people and expertise through increased mobility of higher education students and staff.UMAP About
UMAP Governance
UMAP has been endorsed by

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy, economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

and member countries are implementing UMAP projects.UMAP Brief History

History

In 1991 the movement of University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) was initiated when

Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee Universities Australia (formerly the ''Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee'') is an organisation founded in Sydney in May 1920, which attempts to advance higher education through voluntary, cooperative and coordinated action. After being ba ...

proposed and sponsored two conferences to promote the discussion on educational cooperation in Asia and the Pacific, inviting representatives of institutes of

from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. The first meeting was held in April 1991 in

and the second meeting was held in September 1991 in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. During the second meeting, representatives of 18 countries and territories in the region agreed to establish themselves as a ''Reference Group'', and this was termed the ''First Reference Group Meeting''. Additional annual meetings were held between 1992 and 1996, at

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. In the fourth meeting, participants called on Member governments to set up a central scholarship fund to encourage mobility in the region and

started publicly supporting UMAP. In the last meeting held in 1996, the location of ''UMAP International Secretariat'' was discussed and decided to establish in

. Between 2011 and 2015, the location for the International Secretariat was moved to

Fu Jen Catholic University Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private Catholic university in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and re-established in Taiwan in 1961 at ...

in Taiwan, and moved to

Toyo University is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Itakura, and Akabane. Overview The predecessor to Toyo University was , which was founded at Rinsho-in Temple by Enryo Inoue in 1887. Inoue felt that the ...

in Japan in 2016. However UMAP Taiwan National Secretariat is still in Fu Jen.UMAP 台灣國家秘書處 - 台灣在UMAP的參與
/ref>

Aims

"''UMAP aims to achieve enhanced international understanding through increased mobility of university students and staff''".

UMAP Members

Membership is open to countries/territories in the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

region. Members can be represented by government, department or minister of education, individual university or university umbrella organization. However, individual persons are not eligible to become members.UMAP Members

Eligible Countries / Territories

Full Member Countries / Territories

UMAP participating Universities

Governance and Budget

The governing authority is UMAP Board. The board is composed by representatives from each of UMAP Full Members. Each of the Full Members has a voting right, however Secretary General of the Board cannot vote.Governance and Funding
Annual budget is prepared in US dollars and UMAP Members need to make a contribution according to the budget. Members can make additional voluntary contribution. These contributions can be funding, facilities or resources.

Exchange

UMAP exchange program is a two-way

student exchange A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but doe ...

and it is for

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

and

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

students in all disciplines to undertake a minimum of one semester or maximum of two semesters towards their degree in universities overseas, with credit transfer managed by UMAP and cooperating institutions.

Home Universities Responsibilities

* Selection of students and staff * Approval of study program, including any necessary language training * Determine and allocate financial support to participating students and staff * Provide preparatory courses prior to the departure * Recognize work completed overseas for credit towards their degree Universities Responsibilities

Host Universities Responsibilities

* Waive tuition fees to participating student and staff * Provide the approved and agreed study program * Evaluate the performance of participants and report to Home Universities * Provide appropriate counseling and support services * Assist students and staff with accommodation * Ensure that appropriate health cover is arranged

Exchange Agreements and Funding

UMAP does not offer individual exchanges, however UMAP countries/territories fund national UMAP programs. Under the agreement between countries/territories, students’ fees are waived and credit transfer will be made under UMAP credit transfer program. Exchange funding agreements are between the host and home universities. Institution-to-institution agreements covers the maintenance of scholarship benefits, eligibility for government funding assistance and health cover costs.UMAP Exchange Funding
For example,

Australian universities Tertiary education in Australia is formal education beyond high school, consisting of both government and private institutions and divided into two sectors; vocational education and training (which includes TAFEs) and higher education (which incl ...

receive A$5,000 per student that applies to UMAP exchange program in order to subsidise the cost of the student’s participation. In addition, universities that receive funding are required to complete a report in order to receive funding from their government. This will vary depending on the agreement between home and host universities, countries/territories.UMAP Exchange Funding in Australia

UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme (UCTS)

UMAP has developed a pilot

UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) has developed a pilot UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme (UCTS) to facilitate greater student mobility in the region by providing a framework for establishing credit transfer arrangements.UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme
The UCTS objective is to ensure effective credit transfer for students undertaking

exchange program A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...

in universities from UMAP countries/territories.More about UCTS

Scholarships

During 2002-2005 UMAP provided

scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarshi ...

for student in members’ countries/territories universities. However, the program is temporarily closed until further notice.UMAP Scholarships

Mobility Programs

Student Connection Online

Language and Culture Program

Academic and Research Mobility Forum

Vice President Forum (2009)

Alumni Forum

Similar program

The Erasmus Programme (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a European Union student exchange program. Erasmus Programme. UMAP and the Erasmus Programme are regional associations and similarities can be found between these two programs, especially in the credit transfer and tuition fee waiver scheme where UMAP adopted a similar approach to facilitate student mobility. There are some differences between these programs.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.umap.org/
UMAP
Department of Education, Science and Training (Australia) Academic transfer Student exchange 1993 establishments International college and university associations and consortia