“My time here in Graz was truly a whole new chapter of my life, opening so many doors for me. The things I learnt within and outside the classroom were at a whole new level. At first, I knew surprisingly little about other cultures and places. The converse was also true, I was the first Pakistani for most of the people I interacted with. Despite that, we got the…
Office of International Affairs
The Office of International Affairs (OIA)’s mission is to provide strategic and operational direction to LUMS’ continuing internationalisation. It is responsible for coordinating, developing, and expanding the scope of the university’s global footprint and international initiatives. The Office acts as a liaison between internal and international entities, facilitates international collaboration in line with global standards, and serves as a source of international opportunities, information, and resources.
251-300
ASIAN UNIVERSITIES BY TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION ASIA UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2020
40TH
RANKED ON WORLD’S BEST SMALL UNIVERSITIES 2020 BY TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
651-700
IN QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2022
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It is a great honour to have been entrusted to lead the Office of International Affairs at LUMS. Pakistan stands at the cusp of attaining its rightful place as a major economic, ..
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Exchange Programmes
We are currently managing 50+ exchange partners. The number of our partner universities is growing extensively and rapidly. Through these programmes, students from our partner universities as well as LUMS can study for a semester or the summer at the host institution, sometimes on partially or fully funded scholarships.
Our doors are always open to international students and we promise to do our best to enhance their academic, social, and cultural experiences during their time at LUMS.
For more information, click here and get to know about the exciting opportunities and facilities available at LUMS.
We offer our students a fascinating and exciting chance to see different parts of the world by providing them an opportunity to go on an international exchange programme.
For more information, please click here and get to know more about the application procedures and our partner universities.
Student Experiences
LUMS has hosted exchange students from around the world. Read what they have to say about their LUMS experience.
Syed Taha QadriFH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences“My time here in Graz was truly a whole new chapter of my life, opening so many doors for me. The things I learnt within and outside the classroom were at a whole new level. At first, I knew surprisingly little about other cultures and places. The converse was also true, I was the first Pakistani for most of the people I interacted with. Despite that, we got the opportunity to get to fully know each other. I learnt about the foods, music, cultures of many different places. I used to invite people for dinner and introduce them to Pakistani food. We collectively used to go to German classes for beginners and used to practice it. Also, during Christmas season, we used to visit the beautiful Christmas markets across the city before collecting together to watch the FIFA world cup. Overall, the entire five months were very eventful. Every week was filled with hiking trips, international dinners, social events (basically, parties), and travelling to places within Europe. Towards the end, we became almost inseparable. Now, I have friends from all corners of the world with whom I share these wonderful memories. I am very grateful for OIA and FHJ on giving me this opportunity and would highly recommend this program to anyone who loves meeting new people, trying out new things, and travelling to new places.”
- Fall 2022
“Being an exchange student at LUMS has been one of the greatest experiences in my life and I would choose LUMS at any given time again to be my exchange university. Making friends is a piece of cake. Literally. I made friends by going to Bunker to grab a cup of coffee and left there with banana bread and new friendships that have lasted through the semester. This is just a short inside of how…
Marei ZizelmannUniversity of Passau
Marei ZizelmannUniversity of Passau“Being an exchange student at LUMS has been one of the greatest experiences in my life and I would choose LUMS at any given time again to be my exchange university. Making friends is a piece of cake. Literally. I made friends by going to Bunker to grab a cup of coffee and left there with banana bread and new friendships that have lasted through the semester. This is just a short inside of how welcoming the LUMS student community is. Since diversity is one of the strengths at LUMS, finding a society, a sports team or another group of someone's interest is made easy. If you want to try something new this semester, go for it! This is your chance. Speaking about the academic part, I can truly say that I will miss the interactiveness and the family-like feeling in and outside class.”
- Fall 2022
““I’ve been doing an exchange semester at LUMS at fall 2022, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only the International Office, but the whole University including the student body was the most welcoming society I’ve ever experienced. No matter what time of the day, you’ll always find someone to help you, and the hostels, which are on the campus, make it easy to meet new people…
Joseph Manfred StecherUniversity of Passau
Joseph Manfred StecherUniversity of Passau““I’ve been doing an exchange semester at LUMS at fall 2022, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only the International Office, but the whole University including the student body was the most welcoming society I’ve ever experienced. No matter what time of the day, you’ll always find someone to help you, and the hostels, which are on the campus, make it easy to meet new people and make friends.
Overall, as I have written before, I loved LUMS, Lahore, and Pakistan, and I will miss this place in the future, certainly hoping I’ll be able to come back some day. I can totally recommend doing an exchange semester or research at LUMS, you definitely won’t regret it!””
- Fall 2022
“I was given a chance to go on an exchange program for the fall semester 2022/2023 to Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and might I say it was one of the BEST experiences of my life. The people were very hospitable and made me feel at home in no time. The visa process was a bit bumpy to begin with but turned out to be an experience. The food and places were…
Omaimah MuhammadUniversity of Malaya
Omaimah MuhammadUniversity of Malaya“I was given a chance to go on an exchange program for the fall semester 2022/2023 to Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and might I say it was one of the BEST experiences of my life. The people were very hospitable and made me feel at home in no time. The visa process was a bit bumpy to begin with but turned out to be an experience. The food and places were surreal and straight out of a dream. Infact whenever, I felt down or stressed out, I casually took a train to Bukit Bintang, KL. The city centre is just gorgeous, with various international F&B outlets and a great place for window shopping. Grateful to all my friends (kk10 x kk12 forever) for making the trips worth every penny. Shoutout to Mr. Ho And all my professors for guiding me throughout the stay and giving me an experience of life.”
- Fall 2022
"I was selected for the Exchange Programme in Ozyegin University, Turkey for the Fall 2022 semester by the Office of International Affairs at LUMS. These 4 months I spent as an exchange student were a source of great learning. It made me more independent and strong. The exposure I gained from being alone in a different country, with a different language, spending time with people of different…
Rameesha AsifOzyegin University, Turkey
Rameesha AsifOzyegin University, Turkey"I was selected for the Exchange Programme in Ozyegin University, Turkey for the Fall 2022 semester by the Office of International Affairs at LUMS. These 4 months I spent as an exchange student were a source of great learning. It made me more independent and strong. The exposure I gained from being alone in a different country, with a different language, spending time with people of different cultures and history, was an experience of its own kind. I was able to make friends from all around the world, gaining knowledge about their backgrounds, as well as giving knowledge about mine. These four months taught me the art of managing all chores simultaneously while enjoying life to the fullest. Turkey had always been on my bucket list, and thanks to the OIA, I was able to turn this dream into a reality. Special thanks to the staff at OIA for helping and guiding me throughout the process. My experience as an exchange student in Turkey is beyond explanation through words, it was a feeling, an emotion, a dream!"
- Fall 2022
"My exchange at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Applying for an exchange was a completely impromptu decision, one I didn't even discuss with my parents before being selected for an interview. All I knew was that I needed to get out of my current environment because I felt I was stagnating.
I am so glad I applied, because I…
Rida ArifKoç University, Turkey
Rida ArifKoç University, Turkey"My exchange at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Applying for an exchange was a completely impromptu decision, one I didn't even discuss with my parents before being selected for an interview. All I knew was that I needed to get out of my current environment because I felt I was stagnating.
I am so glad I applied, because I discovered a version of myself that I didn't know existed. I landed in Istanbul worried about how I will make friends and connections to last me four months, but I came to discover that there were over a hundred exchange students from all over the world visiting Koc for an exchange. The joys of a walkable city, impeccable public transport, and endless places to explore were just the tip of the iceberg of an unforgettable exchange.
My Turkish roommates were the best roommates I've ever had (I've been a hostelite for three years), and I still regularly text and video call with the friends I made, despite the varying timezones (UK, Netherlands, Canada and Egypt to name a few). The courses there were also intellectually stimulating, with top-of-the-line professors, some of whom I made great connections with and am still in touch with after returning. I hope this experience is as fulfilling for others as it has been for me, and I wouldn't change a thing about it."
- Fall 2022
"My semester abroad in Graz, Austria was an unforgettable experience that broadened my horizons and challenged me in ways that I never imagined.
I gained a new perspective on the world and made lifelong connections with people from different backgrounds. Studying Global Business in a multicultural class, I was able to work with people from more countries than I could have imagined.
…Alina TariqUniversity of Applied Sciences - FH JOANNEUM
Alina TariqUniversity of Applied Sciences - FH JOANNEUM"My semester abroad in Graz, Austria was an unforgettable experience that broadened my horizons and challenged me in ways that I never imagined.
I gained a new perspective on the world and made lifelong connections with people from different backgrounds. Studying Global Business in a multicultural class, I was able to work with people from more countries than I could have imagined.
Living in an apartment with flatmates from Sweden, Spain, Azerbaijan, and Romania, I learned so much about different cultures (and foods!). I made friends who quickly became like family. We explored the city together, tasted traditional Austrian dishes, cooked our home dishes for each other, and even traveled to neighboring countries during our weekends. Our conversations were a mix of English and (attempted bits of) German, and we all created lifelong bonds.
Graz itself is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. Living here allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for art and culture, and I loved taking walks between the old and modern parts of the city. I was most fascinated by the city's rich history, including the many museums and galleries showcasing Austrian art and artifacts. I was especially fortunate to be here during the Christmas season and witness the most mesmerizing Christmas lights and markets set up all over town!
I highly recommend studying abroad to anyone who wants to expand their cultural understanding and create unforgettable memories. I am extremely grateful to OIA at LUMS for providing me with this opportunity and guiding me through it."
- Spring 2022
"Exchange semesters were fun they said, never did they tell me that it would be so hard coming back. ODTU, the university that has my heart. The best decision I have ever taken was to apply for this exchange, as it shaped my life in the best ways. From always wanting to be independent to achieving it was a journey worthwhile. Locating myself in a university as big as a city – doing my own…
Hijab RafeeMiddle East Technical University, Turkey
Hijab RafeeMiddle East Technical University, Turkey"Exchange semesters were fun they said, never did they tell me that it would be so hard coming back. ODTU, the university that has my heart. The best decision I have ever taken was to apply for this exchange, as it shaped my life in the best ways. From always wanting to be independent to achieving it was a journey worthwhile. Locating myself in a university as big as a city – doing my own chores, finding time to study, hanging out with people with different nationalities was something I never thought I would find the most happiness in. When studies would get tough, getting lost in the university’s forests, and finding myself in-front of a lake was breathtaking, while also having the option of taking just a single bus ride to the best beaches, snowy mountains, or the mighty Galata Bridge. Despite having being gone to Turkey before, experiencing it as a student spanned over a couple of months is just a different story. Living there as a student, and also managing myself as a tourist was a challenging but thrilling task. From skiing in -22 degrees on one weekend to studying for my computer engineering exam on the other, my life was a compilation of spontaneous plans. Aside from the adventures, my academic takeaways were also immense; sitting in the Business department listening to Tugral Atasoy’s witty stories to hearing Eminegul Karababa’s years of experience condensed into a 2-hour lecture, there was a lot to learn, especially in my ‘Introduction to Database Management Systems’ class which pushed me way beyond my comfort zone- having to design a Graphical User Interface and learning two programming languages in less than a month certainly wasn’t easy. My greatest achievement, however, I believe is how I managed to learn the art of communicating in an entirely new language, after picking bits here and there from taxi drivers, waiters and classmates. I never knew I would get so comfortable to call ODTU my home. Every night I look forward to going back there, sitting at the same café’s socializing with the same people over silly things, repeating the best time of my life.
None of this could have been possible without the LUMS OIA, comprising of @Gulmeena and @Zainab who made it possible for me to encapsulate this everlasting experience into my life and for that, I will always be thankful."
- Spring 2022
“This exchange has truly been a life changing experience for me. Turkey refined my perspective about a lot of ways I view the world. Not only have I matured intellectually, but also learned to appreciate diversity. Befriending individuals from different corners of the world and exploring culturally rich places with them has been a surreal experience. I am grateful to the International Office…
Tayab RashadKoc University
Tayab RashadKoc University“This exchange has truly been a life changing experience for me. Turkey refined my perspective about a lot of ways I view the world. Not only have I matured intellectually, but also learned to appreciate diversity. Befriending individuals from different corners of the world and exploring culturally rich places with them has been a surreal experience. I am grateful to the International Office at LUMS and Koç as well as my family for keeping me rooted through this journey.”
- Spring 2022
“Traversing through the bittersweet trajectory of the exchange semester has really altered my worldview about a lot of aspects. Over the last few months, I have learned how to live independently, intuitively think of solutions to conflicts and to put my best foot forward in situations where my preconceived notions about the world were challenged. This was my first time traveling abroad and it…
Aiman RahmanKoc University
Aiman RahmanKoc University“Traversing through the bittersweet trajectory of the exchange semester has really altered my worldview about a lot of aspects. Over the last few months, I have learned how to live independently, intuitively think of solutions to conflicts and to put my best foot forward in situations where my preconceived notions about the world were challenged. This was my first time traveling abroad and it has truly opened me up to the joys of navigating a foreign city on my own. I will surely miss Istanbul but the stories it has left in its wake are unforgettable. I am incredibly grateful to my professors at Koc University, the Office of International Affairs at LUMS and the friends I made along the way for keeping me grounded."
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Get directions and come experience OIA
Postal Address
Office of International Affairs
LUMS
DHA Lahore Cant. 54792, Pakistan
Contact Information
- Tel: +92 42 3560 8000 Ext: 2143
- Email: international@lums.edu.pk
Office Hours
- Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.