Create a New Agreement
Looking to formalize a new international partnership? Below is the agreement development process for CSU faculty and staff to get started. Click through each step for more information.
Potential partners at international institutions can reach out to [email protected].
Step 1: Conversation with International Partnerships Team
International Programs is here to support CSU departments in developing and sustaining positive relationships with institutions around the world. To ensure that our partners have consistent and positive experiences with CSU, let’s work together to co-create international collaborations.
Start the process by contacting our International Partnerships team via the partnership inquiry form. Our team with reach out to schedule an initial conversation that will involve defining the partnership, discussing goals, areas of collaboration, and activities included.
Step 2: Pick an Agreement Type
After discussing and defining the partnership, the next step is to select the appropriate agreement type to proceed. There are many types of international agreements that can be signed with partners, and typically the formalization of an international partnership would start with an International Memorandum of Understanding (IMOU).
The Office of International Programs has worked closely with the Office of General Counsel to develop agreement templates. Please reach out to [email protected] to access these templates. Potential partners may provide their own institutional templates. While we may be able to utilize these, they will likely undergo additional review and may extend timelines.
There are many types of international partnership agreements, but the most common include:
– Academic Collaboration Agreement (ACA): Examples: Accelerated master’s programs, COIL programs, and Dual Degree programs
– Direct Enrollment Agreement (processed with Partnerships Coordinator & Education Abroad Director)
– Erasmus + Agreement
– International Memorandum of Understanding (IMOU)
– International Memorandum of Understanding Renewal (IMOU Renewal)
– Internship Agreement
– Letter of Intent
– Letter of Implementation
– Bilateral Student Exchange Agreement (processed with Partnerships Coordinator & Education Abroad Director) Reciprocal agreement between two institutions that allows students to study at partnership institution for a specific period. Typically students participating in these programs pay tuition and fees to their home institution rather than their host institution.
Step 3: Evaluate Courses and/or Articulate Degrees (Academic Collaboration Agreements ONLY)
If there is interest in developing an Academic Collaboration Agreement, then courses/degrees the agreement will include, and at which level (undergraduate or graduate), will need to be determined.
The process of evaluating courses, transferring credits and articulating degrees is time consuming and can take between six and eighteen months. To ensure a greater chance of success and efficiency, it is recommended that academic partnerships focus on one or two specific degrees, programs, or pathways.
The partner institution and CSU faculty members involved need to evaluate their institutional priorities and student needs before choosing which courses to evaluate and degrees/pathways to articulate.
Once the area of focus for the ACA has been determined, the partner institution needs to submit the following materials in BOTH the language of origin and in English to the International Partnerships team. These materials will be used to evaluate the feasibility and transferability of credits from home institutions to CSU. The three required materials needed are:
1) Full program of study outlining the coursework required to complete the program at the home institution. This needs to reflect each:
– Course title
– Course number
– Credit allotment
2) Syllabus for each course included on the program of study. This needs to reflect:
– Course title
– Course number
– Credit allotment
3) Student transcripts reflecting the actual courses taken by the student and the terms in which each course was taken. Private information can and should be redacted. These transcripts need to include:
– Course title
– Course number
– Credit allotment
The Partnerships team will submit these materials to the appropriate office depending on the type of agreement and course level. Materials are submitted to the Office of the Registrar for undergraduate programs and to the Graduate School for graduate programs. Once the courses/degrees/programs have been evaluated, mapped, and articulated, the Academic Collaboration Agreement can be drafted.
Step 4: Draft an Agreement
Once an agreement type is selected, you will work with the International Partnerships team to draft the agreement. Depending on your partner institution, it may be necessary to have the agreement translated.
Depending on the nature of the agreement, multiple different parties may be included in the drafting, negotiation, and signing of the agreement.
The Partnerships team in OIP will help determine which parties should be included in the agreement process. These parties may include:
– Representatives at the partner institution
– Representatives from the CSU department/college
– Education Abroad (EA)
– International Enrollment Center (IEC)
– International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)
– Programs for Learning Academic and Community English (PLACE)
– Office of the Registrar (if developing an Academic Collaboration Agreement)
– Graduate School (if developing an Academic Collaboration Agreement at the graduate level)
Step 5: Negotiate the Agreement with Partners
Upon the finalization of the draft, it is time to send the agreement to your international partners for their review. The International Partnerships team will assist you with this.
If you are developing an Academic Collaboration Agreement, it may be necessary at this point to involve other CSU Partners for review. This may include the Office of the Registrar and/or the Graduate School.
Step 6: Legal and Export Control Review
Once your international partners have reviewed the agreement, it is time to address any requested edits and submit the agreement for review. The International Partnerships team will handle the submission of the agreement to the Office of General Counsel and Export Control. Their review process can take around 2-3 weeks, depending on the areas of collaboration, the partner institution, and current case load.
The reviewers may request some edits be made to the agreement. In this case, the agreement would be edited by the appropriate CSU partners and sent to the international partners for review as well. After changes are made and agreed upon by all parties, it would be resubmitted for legal and export control review.
Step 7: Collect Signatures
After the agreement has been approved by all necessary parties, it is time to collect signatures! Signatures can be collected electronically or physically. This step will be handled by the Office of International Programs.
The Vice Provost for International Affairs is the designated signing authority for all agreements that are international in nature. Upon special request, it may be possible for other institutional leaders to sign the agreement as well.
Important Note: International Agreements that are not signed by the Vice Provost for International Affairs are not considered legally valid partnerships.
Contact [email protected] if you have signing authority questions.
Signatures may also be captured during a Formal Signing Ceremony.
Step 8: Final Steps
OIP will email an electronic copy of the fully executed agreement to the partner institution. If a physical document is required, the CSU department/college may be asked to cover the cost of shipping.
A copy of every signed agreement will be stored with the Office of International Programs as well as the Office of General Counsel.
RENew an Existing Agreement
If you already have an agreement with an international partner, the Office of International Programs can also assist with renewal agreements. The steps for renewing an agreement will be very similar to those listed above, but may be expedited depending on the institutional/partnership history. Contact [email protected] for assistance with renewals.
PARTNERSHIPS MAP
Check out CSU’s partnerships with institutions around the world!