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Regional Academic Mobility Program: Overview
R E G I O N A L
A C A D E M I C
M O B I L I T Y
P R O G R A M •
RAMP Overview & History
Introduction
The North American Regional Academic Mobility Program (RAMP) is an innovative approach to serving higher education,
government and industry in Canada, Mexico and the United States by providing channels for academic exchange and
professional training that relate to the benefit of all three countries. It is an informal
consortium of Canadian, Mexican and U.S. universities
whose aim is to foster academic and professional mobility in engineering, business and environmental studies. To be eligible
for the program, students must be attending one of the participating universities — 22 are currently involved, of
which 5 are Canadian, 11 are
Mexican, and 4 are
U.S. institutions.
Program activities are coordinated by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
RAMP was implemented in 1992 under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), with cost-sharing by IIE and the participating universities. Each participating school is
expected to accept incoming students without additional tuition payment, in return for similar treatment of their outgoing
students. Beginning in the second year of the program, the Mexican Ministry of Education earmarked $100,000 for the
participation of needy Mexican students.
The RAMP consortium builds on the experience of the European Community Course Credit Scheme (ECTS), a clearinghouse for
credit evaluation and recognition, in which participating faculties and departments describe and evaluate their courses in
standardized, transferrable credit units. In consultation with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET),
the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE), the RAMP consortium is compiling a body of materials on courses accepted for credit across national
borders.
The North American Regional Academic Mobility Program's three-year pilot phase began with a planning meeting of
engineering schools in fall 1992, with the first student exchange occurring in the academic year 1993/94. During the
planning period, the first group of selected institutions (five from each country) held planning meetings, exchanged
information about curriculum, and nominated and placed the first group of students. Given the globalization of
technology, plans for greater regionalization of markets for products and services, and environmental implications
of expanded investment and commerce, the consortium's first focus in year one was engineering, with exchanges
in business administration added later in year one and environmental studies in year two. Student exchanges
began in 1994/95 for business, and in 1995/96 for environmental studies.
Program Design
Students pursue language and cultural coursework during the program as an essential part of their preparation for
career opportunities in the North American Free Trade Zone. As the students complete their studies in
accordance with the agreements established by sending and receiving institutions, their transcripts will build a
documented record of credit transferability for short-term study in another North American country.
Home universities nominate students from their campuses to participate, but final admission is decided by the
host universities. Students pay tuition at their home universities and are accepted at the host institution without
additional tuition charge. Housing, meals, health insurance and transportation costs ar the responsibility of the
students for the most part, with participating schools helping to identify or provide housing.
IIE is responsible for inviting and convening participating universities, for monitoring, coordinating and evaluating
the overall program, and for disseminating information about the model to potential sponsors and other academic
institutions.
Students
Students wishing to participate should contact the RAMP
representative at their home university. (Note:
Program information for students, including a link to each university's Web site, is arranged by country and field of
study. However, please do not contact a host university directly; all applications should be made through the home campus
representative.)
The main criteria for selection are: academic performance, command of the language of the host country, and
demonstrated interest in an opportunity for career preparation throughout the North American Free Trade Zone. Each
university is responsible for establishing procedures for selection of students.
Since 1993/94, in which the first RAMP student exchanges took place, close to 500 individuals have participated in the
program. Mexico has to date sent the most students abroad, followed by Canada and then the United States. Over half of the
students are in Engineering, in part because the exchange in this field has been underway for seven years (as mentioned
above, the Business exchange has run for six years, and Environmental Studies for five). The largest number of placements
have been at Canadian institutions, followed by U.S. and Mexican universities.
Institutions
A faculty representative who is responsible for the function of the program at the campus level is designated at
each institution participating in the consortium. The main function of this individual is to ensure the firm
commitment of the institutions to the RAMP program, to act as the institution's liaison with IIE; to supervise, in
cooperation with the university's International Education Office, the preparation and updating of information
packages (including academic calendars, curriculum offerings, availability of internships, linguistic requirements,
etc.), the selection of students to go abroad, validation of students' host-school transcripts, and counseling and
monitoring of incoming students. Institutions may participate in more than one RAMP field.
For further details, please see visit the following links:
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