Memoranda Of Understanding (MOU)

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a collaborative agreement between two entities, in our case between Virginia Tech and another entity such as another university, a non-governmental organization (NGO) or a private sector organization to cooperate on specific tasks or issues. Virginia Tech has approximately 160 MOUs with organizations around the world, covering student exchange agreements as well as collaborative research ventures. While VT maintains a template for this process, individual departments or programs are encouraged to add or delete relevant details to assist in clarifying the partnership.

To initiate an MOU, use the template below to create a cover sheet.  Next, upload a draft of the MOU template with relevant edits into the MOU system at: https://mou.gss.vt.edu/.  Please send an email to sshort@vt.edu to request access to the system.

At each step, as revisions are required, the initiator can “check out” the older draft and then “check in” a newer version. 

The MOU at Virginia Tech is typically reviewed by University Legal Counsel where notes will be added to the system to apprise the parties of any necessary changes. Once the changes have been made, the revised draft is re-submitted to the system and University Legal Counsel will approve and send on for review. Next is normally the Office of Export Control and Secure Research.

Then the MOU is then routed through to the Associate Vice President for International Affairs.  Then, final VT signatures are obtained which are normally at the provost level. 

Upon completed provost signature, the initiator will receive notice from the provost staff that the partially signed document is ready.  This allows the MOU to be sent to entity with whom the university will be collaborating for co-signature completion by its representative.

The final co-signed document should be retained by the initiating Virginia Tech party and also uploaded back into the MOU system for storage.

Anyone who initiates the MOU should plan to track the progress through the various steps in order to prompt relevant departments.

The President of Virginia Tech or a designated representative is the final authority on all MOU entered into by the university.

Susan E. Short
Associate Vice President for Engagement
Email: sshort@vt.edu

Visit the main MOU page for the MOU template and to search the MOU Database. 

Please note that the Student Exchange Agreement (SEA) template, while located in the MOU system, can only be initiated after a review within the Global Education Office.  Contact 540-231-5888 for more information about the student exchange agreement process.