Environment 1 (EV1), room 347
519-888-4567, ext. 33463
Vanessa travelled to New Zealand (Roys Peak, in the photo above), Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia during her exchange to Australia. Read more about Environment students' exchange experiences, below.
Applications for an exchange in Winter and Spring 2023 have closed, but applications for the Fall 2023, Winter 2024 and Spring 2024 will open October 1, 2022.
To access the exchange application, you will first need to attend an information session.
To go on exchange during | Application round | Applications open |
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First - Your best chance of getting your first choice |
First round closed November 1, 2021 |
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Second - Only schools with space left after first round will be available | Second round closed January 27, 2022 |
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Continuous - Only schools with space left after second round will be available. |
Continuous round closed July 27, 2022 |
For an exchange during | Applications open |
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Fall 2023, Winter 2024 or Spring 2024 | October 1, 2022 |
Fall 2024, Winter 2025 or Spring 2025 | October 1, 2023 |
Fall 2025, Winter 2026 or Spring 2026 | October 1, 2024 |
*Please note that you must maintain a minimum average of 70% and remain in good standing until the time you leave for your exchange.
If you are unsure about whether you meet the eligibility criteria, please contact Jaime Fohkens.
For international exchanges, you pay your normal tuition fees (for 2.5 units) to Waterloo. There is no extra tuition charged to participate in an exchange program. Please note that your tuition for an exchange term does not change if you take a lighter course load at your host school.
Summer programs through the University of Waterloo vary. For some summer programs, you pay the program fee directly to the host school and for others, you pay your tuition fees (for 1.5 units) to Waterloo. You can find this information, as well as the program cost, on the program's summary page in Waterloo Passport.
You are responsible for any extra studying costs (student fees, books, lab fees, etc.), travel expenses, passport and visa arrangements, accommodations, food and all other living expenses, etc., including health care.
Costs of living abroad vary considerably, but is often not significantly higher than living in Canada. To make your exchange more affordable, consider schools located in smaller cities or towns, where housing tends to be much lower than in larger cities.
The University of Waterloo offers a number of awards and bursaries in support of international studies. You can be considered for most of the international experience awards by completing one application.
Some of our partner schools offer funding for exchange students. If there is funding available, you will find that information on the school/program's summary page in Waterloo Passport, beside "What financial support is available?".
You can find the programs that are available to Environment students in Waterloo Passport. You do not have to log in to search for programs (and will only be able to log in after you attend an info session).
Note: If you will need to take courses that transfer back at the 300- or 400-level during your exchange, it is recommended that you do not go on exchange to Singapore, as it can be very difficult to find and get into courses at that level, even if they are offered during the term you will be there.
You will find plenty of useful links in the school profile (the page you see after clicking on the name of the host school) that will take you to information on courses, housing, the school website and more.
See the Application Steps tabs on the Student Success Office's Go abroad page to find out more about the exchange process and how to apply.
You will receive an email from the Global Learning Team when you've been matched with a host school. You will only be matched with one school/program.
If you choose to decline your match, please let the Global Learning Team know if you would still like to be considered for another match, otherwise you will automatically be removed from the exchange program. If you do not accept your match by the deadline given in your match email, your match will automatically be declined.Most students are able to transfer a full course load of credits (2.5 units) back to Waterloo after completing an exchange term. The key is to look into courses early and have them assessed before you leave for your exchange so that you know which transfer credits you can expect to receive when you return to Waterloo.
You are welcome to take any course that your host university will allow you to enrol in, making this the perfect opportunity to take courses that can only be found at your host school. Just keep in mind that you cannot receive transfer credit for a course you have already received credit for at the University of Waterloo.
Once you have been matched with a host school and have accepted your match we can start the process of getting courses assessed for transfer credits, although it is usually more beneficial to wait until you hear from your host school with next steps, as they will usually give you more information on the courses that would be open to you as an exchange student. When you choose to get courses assessed is completely up to you, and mainly depends on the credits you are hoping to get during your exchange.
Complete the Arts Transfer Credit Application Form for Non-Arts Outgoing Exchange Students form.
Email Jaime Fohkens (max. 6 courses at a time) with the following information for each course:
Be sure to include your full name, program and student number in your email when requesting course assessments.
When can I start getting courses assessed?
You can start getting courses assessed for transfer credits once you are matched with a host school and have accepted your match. However, it is usually best to wait until you have access to the host school's application to have courses assessed, as you will likely have access to more information about the courses that would be open to you, as an exchange student, during the term you will be on exchange.
The credits you need to find during your exchange term will be another factor in when you choose to get courses assessed. If you are looking for a specific credit, you may want to start the process earlier to ensure there are some options for getting that particular credit (although we can't guarantee that you will be able to enrol in a particular course, even if it is offered during the term you will be on exchange). If you only need to find electives, you may not want to have courses assessed until closer to the start of your exchange term, or once you find out which courses you've successfully been enrolled in.
Even if you only need to find electives, you should have courses assessed before the deadline to make changes to your course enrolment at your host school, just to make sure that they are not equivalent to a course you have already taken at Waterloo.
How do I find courses at my host school that I can take as an exchange student?
A link to courses at your host school, and information about the courses and areas of study that are restricted to exchange students, can usually be found on the program page in Waterloo Passport, beside "What courses can I take?".
If the link is broken or doesn't seem to have the information you're looking for, try searching on your host school's website. Be sure to look for information specifically for exchange students, as there could be courses that aren't open to exchange students or a special list of courses created just for exchange students.
Do I have to take courses related to my program?
No, you are free to take any course your host school will let you take. As long as a course shows on your transcript with a credit weighting and a passing grade, and you haven't already taken the equivalent course at Waterloo (see Transfer credit assessment process, above), you will receive credit for it.
You should talk to your academic advisor about the courses you still need to meet your degree requirements, so that you are aware of the credits you still need to graduate. This will help you as you look for courses.
If you are looking for a course above the 100-level, be sure to stay away from courses with the words "introduction to" as they will likely be assessed at the 100-level. A list of Environment courses that have been assessed for students in the past can be found on our transfer credit equivalencies page. If there is a specific Environment credit you are trying to find, you may find our Environment course information page (for course outlines before Fall 2021) and UW Outlines (current and more recent outlines)
It says that a full course load at my host school is 4 courses. Does that mean I can only earn 2.0 units for my exchange term?
No, as long as you take what is considered to be a full course load at your host school, we will make sure you receive 2.5 units of transfer credits, as long as you pass all your courses and have not already received the credit at Waterloo (for specific transfer credits, e.g. GEOG 101).
Where can I find information on visas, housing, etc.?
Your host school will provide more information on all the things you will need to sort out for the term you will be there on exchange, likely when they send you information about applying directly to your host school. You can also find helpful links to some of that information on your host school's program page in Waterloo Passport.
Connor (Planning) - Macquarie University, Australia
Siddhartha (Environment and Business) - Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore
Devon (Geography and Environment Management) - Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Ryan (Environment and Business ) - University of Navarra, Spain
Katelyn (Environment, Resources and Sustainability) - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Corbin (Environment and Business) - University of Wollongong, Australia
Vanessa (Geography and Environmental Management) - Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Claire (Environment, Resources and Sustainability) - University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Jacqueline (Environment and Business) - Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany (Ontario Baden-Württemberg (OBW) exchange program)
If you have been on an exchange and would like to share your story and/or photos, please contact Jaime Fohkens. We would love to hear from you!
Jaime Fohkens
jaime.fohkens@uwaterloo.ca
EV1-337 | 519-888-4567, ext. 48480
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