How to Apply - Academic Exchange

Ready to swap your classroom for a whole new country? With our Academic Exchange Program, you can spend one or two semesters (4-8 months) studying at one of our amazing partner universities around the world! Earn credits toward your degree while exploring a new culture, gaining global perspectives in your field, and making unforgettable memories along the way. Whether it’s sipping coffee in Paris or discovering tech innovation in South Korea, this is your chance to turn your education into an adventure. Don’t just study- explore, connect, and grow. The world is waiting!

ZHAW’s hands-on approach to engineering and computer science learning was an incredible experience that blended theory with real-world application. The sizes created a supportive learning environment where I could engage more directly with professors and peers. Beyond academics, I had the chance to explore new cultures, make lifelong friendships, and develop personally and professionally. I highly recommend an exchange semester to any student looking for growth and a global perspective.

— Nidhi Modhi, Academic Exchange to ZHAM School of Engineering, Switzerland 2024
Academic life in Australia is very similar to Canadians. Levels of difficulty, courses content, assignments and student life is all very similar. People come to uni for class, then often leave right after. The main difference is the professor - student relationships. It is more formal than in Canada, for example, students call the professors by their first names and are always welcomed to share their personal experiences.

— Alexanne Lacroix, Academic Exchange to Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Step 1

Review the program, general eligibility criteria, partner university requirements and application deadlines on our website. Attend an information session to learn more about the program.

Step 2

Submit your application before the deadline and obtain the required signatures on your Departmental Verification Form (link will be uploaded soon).

Step 3

After you’ve been accepted into the exchange program, pay your acceptance deposit fee and submit an application to the host university before their deadline.

Step 4

Attend the mandatory Pre-Departure Session to learn about your next steps and prepare for your exchange. 

Step 5

Enroll in the INEX course, submit your Course Assessment Form, check the consulate’s official website for visa application requirements and timelines, apply for your Visa/ Study Permit and complete Safety Abroad requirements before departure.

Step 6

After your exchange, submit the Return Student Report and complete the credit transfer process.

Level of Study

Domestic and International
Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student*
- *Not all partner institutions offer graduate exchange options

Academic Requirement

Minimum B average (5.5 GPA)
- Some institutions may require a higher GPA
Completed at least 18 credits at YorkU at the time of application.
Registered as a full-time student
Have not already reached the transfer credit limit (60 credits) for the academic program at York University.

When in your program

Completed at least 18 credits at YorkU at the time of application
Students in their final year of study can participate in the exchange program. However, note that there may be challenges with finding suitable courses at the host institution that qualify for credit transfer. Also, note that semester dates abroad differ from semester dates at YorkU. Therefore, students going abroad in their final year/semester of study may not be able to complete the credit transfer process in time for spring convocation (June).
Students are not allowed to participate in the exchange program in their last semester before graduation. You must complete your last semester at York University.
Winter term abroad is often called “Spring” at the host institution and may be scheduled very differently than York (ex: April – July).

Please note

Glendon students may apply for their department-facilitated exchanges and/or a York International Exchange
Schulich and Osgoode students interested in exchanges should speak with their home faculty about exchange options
Language assessment may be required if students attend institutions where the primary language of instruction is not English and the student choses courses in the language of the host (i.e., students take French history courses in France will need to complete a language assessment at the time of their application).
Students registered with Student Accessibility Services are encouraged to apply for an exchange and should discuss the best partner institution to meet their needs with the global learning team before applying.

Please consult your academic advisor before deciding to apply for the program, as each degree program may have different requirements and course limitations for participating in a study abroad program. Students should go through the degree credit checklist with their academic advisor. You should understand what course and credits you need for graduation and if you can use transfer credits count towards your major/minor courses.  Students must complete the Departmental Verification Form (link will be uploaded soon).

Please note that your academic advisor cannot answer questions about credit equivalency or course content equivalency.

You've submitted your application - now what?! Once you have submitted your application, the global learning team will review - see selection criteria below. You can expect the review process to take 4 business weeks after the application deadline. If there are any questions or concerns about your application, our team will be in touch through email.

Selection is based on:

Academic Performance (i.e. GPA)
Letter of Intent
Academic references
Suitability of the partner institution’s program/course for your degree requirements
GPA requirements at the partner institution - some partners will require a higher GPA than YorkU's 5.5
Spaces available at the partner institution

You will be notified if you have been nominated for an exchange by York University. Remember, you may not get your first choice, so it's important to list at least one alterative partner institution. If nominated, you will be sent a notification via email and will have to accept your nomination online.

York University will nominate you to the host institution according to the institution’s deadlines and procedures (after we receive the deposit fee – need to confirm). The host institution will then contact you directly inviting you to apply as an exchange student from YorkU. Be mindful of their deadlines and get started on the host application early as there are often many steps to complete. Note that final admission is granted by the host institution.

Once admitted by the host institution, you'll receive an acceptance letter, student ID and email, and will be able to review courses available to exchange students.

Now that you've accepted your nomination to the partner institution, you will need to determine the courses that you will take abroad. It is your academic department that determines which courses abroad are equivalent to those at YorkU. This process is completed through the  Course Assessment Form.

The course assessment form is used upon the completion of your exchange program to facilitate the credit transfer process. It is required that you submit a completed course assessment form prior to your exchange program.

Step 1: Visit your partner institution website and review the courses that are available to exchange students. Note that you must maintain full-time student status at your host institution, which could range from 3-6 courses in total.
Step 2: Collect any information available from the host institution about the courses you wish to take overseas. Find the syllabus, course outlines, and course descriptions that can help your academic department review the course content.
Step 3: Complete your course assessment form and submit it to your academic department. Be sure to include as much supporting information as possible (see step 2). To find the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) or Department Chair, you may use York Atlas and search by Department.
Step 4: Wait to hear from your academic department. Assessing course credit equivalency can take some time. The earlier you submit the form to your academic department, the better. Please allow for a minimum 4-6 week processing period.
- When are signatures required? Great question! We included some guiding principles below:
- If a student wants to fulfill a lower-level elective (1000/2000) outside of their major, no academic signature is required. Students must sign to confirm that they acknowledge credit transfer at this level.
  - ^{For example: If a student is a Science major and takes a Science course on an exchange through INEX without academic sign-off, they will only receive lower-level non-major (elective) credits toward their degree.}
- If a student wants to fulfill an upper-level elective (3000/4000) outside of their major, signature is required by the department (UPD, UPA, Chair, or faculty member) in the subject area
- If a student wants to fulfill a course to count toward their major, sign off is required at all levels (1000/2000/3000/4000) – by the department (UPD, UPA, Chair, or faculty member) in the subject area
- All other courses (major/minor) need sign off at all levels (1000/2000/3000/4000) – by department (UPD, UPA, Chair, or faculty member) in the subject area.
Step 5: Submit your completed form online.

Note: that credit systems differ around the world and sometimes it can be difficult to find all of the supporting information needed to submit to your academic department

Students on exchange pay tuition fees to York University, not to the host institution. The global learning team will give you an INEX course code that facilitates your registration and tuition charge at YorkU. Students must adhere to the fee payment deadlines according to the YorkU academic calendar, despite being abroad.

Note that students are often required to take a full course load at the host institution.

Stay connected with the Global Learning Team – we are here to support you!
Keep in contact with the International Office at the host institution
Reach out to your department at York if there are any changes to your courses
Reflect on your learning

Post Nomination Steps

York University will nominate you to the host institution according to the institution’s deadlines and procedures (after we receive the deposit fee). The host institution will then contact you directly inviting you to apply as an exchange student from YorkU. Be mindful of their deadlines and get started on the host application early as there are often many steps to complete. Note that final admission is granted by the host institution.

Once admitted by the host institution, you'll receive an acceptance letter, student ID, and email, and will be able to review courses available to exchange students.

Step 1: Visit your partner institution website and review the courses that are available to exchange students. Note that you must maintain full-time student status at your host institution, which could range from 3-6 courses in total.

Step 2: Collect any information available from the host institution about the courses you wish to take overseas. Find the syllabus, course outlines, and course descriptions that can help your academic department review the course content. If you can’t find this information from the website, you should contact your host institution to request the information.

Step 3: Complete your course assessment form and submit it to your YorkU academic department. Be sure to include as much supporting information as possible (see step 2). To find the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) or Department Chair, you may use York Atlas and search by Department. If you can’t find the UPD or Department Chair’s contact information, please reach out to the department/faculty (YorkU Department Contact List).

Note that AMDS courses review can be only reached out to apsas@yorku.ca.

Step 4: Wait to hear from your YorkU academic department. Assessing course credit equivalency can take some time. The earlier you submit the form to your academic department, the better. Please allow for a minimum 4-6 weeks processing period.
- When are signatures required? Great question! We included some guiding principles below:
- If a student wants to fulfill a lower-level elective (1000/2000) outside of their major, no academic signature is required. Students must sign to confirm that they acknowledge credit transfer at this level.
  - ^{For example: If a student is a}^Science^{major and takes a}^Science^{course on an exchange through INEX without academic sign-off, they will only receive lower-level non-major (elective) credits toward their degree.}
- If a student wants to fulfill an upper-level elective (3000/4000) outside of their major, signature is required by the department (UPD, UPA, Chair, or faculty member) in the subject area
- If a student wants to fulfill a course to count toward their major, sign off is required at all levels (1000/2000/3000/4000) – by the department (UPD, UPA, Chair, or faculty member) in the subject area
- All other courses (major/minor) need to sign off at all levels (1000/2000/3000/4000) by department (UPD, UPA, Chair, or faculty member) in the subject area.

Step 5: Submit your completed form online.

Note: that credit systems differ around the world and sometimes it can be difficult to find all of the supporting information needed to submit to your academic department

You can submit more than one Course Assessment form. If you change your courses and would like to have the new courses count, you must complete and submit a course assessment form for the new courses. After updating your course assessment form, you must re-upload the updated course assessment form online.

Students on exchange pay tuition fees to York University, not to the host institution. The Global Learning Team will give you an INEX course code that facilitates your registration and tuition charge at YorkU. Students must adhere to the fee payment deadlines according to the YorkU academic calendar, despite being abroad.

The Global Learning Team will send the INEX course code and enrollment instruction to students in May for Fall/Full-Year exchange and in November for Winter exchange. Undergraduate students must enroll in at least 9 credits to maintain full-time student status at YorkU. Graduate students must enroll in at least 3 credits to maintain full-time student status at YorkU.

Note that students are often required to take a full course load at the host institution. The host institution will provide more information before their course enrollment begins. If you have questions about the full course load at the host institution, you should contact your host institution directly.

The host institution will guide you on their housing options, pricing, and deadlines. The housing options and resources depend on the host institution. Students must follow the host institution’s guideline on housing application. If you have questions about host institution housing, you should contact your host institution directly.

The host institution will provide the acceptance letter required for Visa and Study Permits. It is your responsibility to contact the appropriate consulate or embassy to ensure that you have the proper documents and apply in time prior to your departure. Students MUST research the visa or study permit requirements independently through the official website of the relevant Consulate, embassy, or immigration authority and ensure that you understand all required documents, procedures, and timelines.

Students are strongly encouraged to begin their Visa/Study Permit application as soon as possible after receiving the final acceptance letter from the host university. Visa and immigration processing times may vary, and students are responsible for allowing sufficient time to complete the application process before their exchange begins.

Students MUST be responsible for your Visa/Study Permit application. York International will NOT be able to answer any questions about foreign country's Visa/Study Permit application for exchange or help to monitor student’s Visa/Study Permit application.

Be sure to review the expiry date of your passport and renew ahead of applying for any study visas or permits. It is good practice to ensure your passport expiry date is 6 months beyond when you plan to return home from your exchange.

Stay connected with the Global Learning Team – we are here to support you!

If you have any questions about York’s safety abroad requirements or concerns about your safety and risks while abroad, please contact safetyabroad@yorku.ca. In the event of an emergency abroad, please call local emergency services first and refer to York’s emergency contact card.

Keep in contact with the International Office at the host institution

Reach out to your department at York if there are any changes to your courses. You should contact your academic department with new course syllabus/outlines and course assessment form for review. After you update your course assessment form, you should upload it online. For more details, please refer to the Credit Transfer part.

Reflect on your learning. If you have any photos or stories you want to share, you can prepare to share them by completing the return student report after your exchange semester ends.

Complete the Return Student Report
Make sure you pay all fees abroad at host institution
Contact your host institution for your transcript. The transcript should be sent to goglobal@yorku.ca.