2. Once I'm accepted

It is strongly suggested that students arrive in time for Orientation at the beginning of your exchange. You should not make any travel arrangements during the exam period until you have your exam schedule; travel plans are not considered an acceptable reason to have an exam rescheduled. For the full list of important dates, please see Undergrad Important Dates and Graduate Important Dates. 

Arrange Housing:

The University of Waterloo has housing resources to help you with your housing decision. Please review the following to help with your decision to live on- or off-campus.

Off Campus

Exchange students also choose to live off campus in the Waterloo community. Research options for off-campus options include:

• The Off-Campus Housing listing service.
• The Waterloo Co-operative Residence Inc. (WCRI), a co-operative residence that is built, owned, and run by students.

We strongly recommend that students wait until they receive an official exchange offer letter before paying for off-campus housing.

On Campus

Campus Housing reserves a finite number of rooms for undergraduate exchange students each academic year. You can only apply after accepting your admission to the University.
The ability to select housing is contingent on acceptance to the University and space availability.

To apply to on campus housing you will need to claim your WatIAM and have a home University email address.

Applications for each term tend to open around the following terms:

1. Fall Only: On-campus housing applications will open in mid-April.
2. Winter Only: On-campus housing applications will open in early September.
3. Spring Only: On Campus housing applications will open in early December.
    

Offers

Students who receive room selection times will have the ability to select their own room for their time at the University of Waterloo. Selection times are not created on a first-come, first-served basis and are not guaranteed. Times are made on a rolling basis, considering several factors, including accessible housing supports and roommate requests.

If Communications are sent before your UWaterloo address is active, we will send them to the email you have on file with the University. A $500 non-refundable housing deposit must be paid to secure the assignment with the remainder of residence fees paid termly before the fee arrangement date through Quest.
 

Cancelling a Campus Housing Residence Contract

If you accept a housing offer and later decide to cancel for reasons other than revoked admission or academic withdrawal, you will be financially responsible for your residence fees. For more information, visit the Room Changes & Cancellations section of our website to learn more about our Withdrawal and Cancellation, Contract Appeals, and Contract Replacement processes.

Accessible Housing Supports

If you have a documented disability/medical concern and require accessible housing supports, please visit the Accessible Housing website to learn how to successfully submit your Accessible Housing Form.

Assignments are based on space availability, and an approved accessible housing request does not guarantee an assignment. Campus Housing will have to assess space availability and recommendations and will be in touch with more information and next steps.

Architecture students

The School of Architecture is located in the city of Cambridge, about 1.5 -2 hours away from the Waterloo main campus by public transit. Exchange students studying at the School of Architecture are advised to search for accommodation in Cambridge using the Off-Campus Housing listing service. Commuting by public transportation would not be feasible to/from the Waterloo campus on a regular basis.

You require a valid passport or travel document issued by your country of citizenship in order to travel. 

After you have been admitted to the University of Waterloo, you will be provided with an official Offer of Admission and Letter of Acceptance form that can be downloaded from Quest.

Two-term exchange student 

Two-term exchange will be an option for the 2025 – 2026 academic year (Sep 2025 – Dec 2026).

The Government of Canada has announced that incoming exchange students who require a study permit will be exempted from the study permit cap and will not require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL).

To study in Canada as a two-term exchange student, you will require a study permit.
 

One-term exchange student 

If you are an exchange student studying in Canada for less than six months, you may come to Canada and study with either:

• a valid Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) depending on your country of citizenship, or
• a valid study permit (a TRV or eTA is automatically issued with a study permit approval).

Differences between a study permit vs a TRV/eTA

TRV/eTA:

A TRV/eTA is an entry document which allows you to visit Canada for six months at a time, unless a Border Services Officer decides otherwise. As a visitor in Canada, you are not authorized to work. 

The majority of countries can apply for a TRV.  However, only certain countries may apply for an eTA. The benefit of an eTA is that it is a low-cost application ($7 CAD) which usually takes less than 24 hours to be approved. Apply for an eTA here. 

Review the list of eTA eligible countries. 

An additional list of eligible countries added under the eTA expansion program can be found here.  Applicants applying from one of these countries would still need to have a visitor visa if traveling to Canada by car, bus, train or boat and would have to: 

• have held a Canadian visitor visa (TRV) in the past 10 years, or

• currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa. 

Study permit

If you are applying for a study permit, the entry document (TRV or eTA) would be issued to you with a study permit approval. A study permit is a status document which is required for studies longer than six months.

As an exchange student with a valid study permit that includes both on and off-campus work authorizations, you are able to work on-campus without limitations on hours and work off-campus for up to 20 hours per week. In order to work, you would also be required to be registered in a full-time course load. If you're studying at Waterloo for only one term, you still need to apply for a study permit if you would like to work while studying. In your study permit application, it's important that you include a letter of explanation to clarify why you are applying for a study permit for one term of study. If you receive approval for a study permit, and wish to work on and/or off campus during your studies, you need to verify that the study permit has the R186(f) or (v) work condition for on and off campus work stated on it when it is issued to you at the airport.

Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) Exception

Please note that the study permit application questionnaire will now ask "Do you have a provincial or territorial attestation letter or meet an exception from submitting a provincial or territorial attestation letter?”  

• If you are an exchange student studying under an exchange agreement between your home institution and a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada, and you do not pay tuition fees to the DLI, then a PAL is not required.  You can select “Yes, I meet an exception from submitting a provincial or territorial attestation letter.”

Once you have completed the questionnaire, you will get to a document checklist which has a category for proof of PAL exception:

• You should upload the following statement: “I am an exchange student studying under an exchange agreement between my home institution and a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada, and I do not pay tuition fees to the DLI.  Therefore, I meet one of the exceptions listed under the Who Doesn’t Need a PAL/TAL heading on the IRCC website.” In addition, we recommend printing the same IRCC website to PDF and including it in this section (as it will have a time and date stamp showing the exception was listed at the time of your application).
• Merge into a single PDF file

Please check out the immigration applications webpage for additional resources.

Contact one of University of Waterloo's immigration consultants for free if you have questions.

Tuition fees for the majority of exchange programs are paid to your home university. You should confirm the tuition fee arrangement with your university's exchange coordinator.

Every term you study at Waterloo, you will be assessed for incidental fees, Fees cover mandatory health insurance, access to resources that help support and maintain your academic, physical and mental well-being, and unlimited access to the regional transit system. All fees are approximate in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Student Financial Services will post your fees on your Quest account approximately one month prior to the beginning of term, and you must pay your fees before arriving at Waterloo. 

You will be enrolled in two health insurance plans while on exchange in Canada.

• The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) covers basic health care services, such as medical doctor appointments, hospital visits, and most diagnostic tests.
  • As an exchange student traveling to Waterloo you must pay for UHIP. Applications for UHIP exemption are only considered if you meet the criteria outlined under "opt out/exemptions" on the UHIP website after you have paid.
• The Studentcare extended Health and Dental Plan covers extra costs like prescription drugs, paramedical practitioners, vision, and dental care.
  • You must first pay for Studentcare extended Health and Dental Plan and can opt out at a later date through Studentcare if you meet the criteria and can prove that you have equivalent coverage. 

The University of Waterloo is committed to ensuring all students can access and meaningfully participate in their education by removing barriers and building capacity for personal success.

AccessAbility Services offers academic accommodations (e.g, notetaking, testing accommodations) for students with disabilities and disabling conditions (e.g., injuries, medical conditions, or impacts of trauma such as from violence, discrimination, or oppression). If you believe you may require academic accommodations during your studies at Waterloo, complete the AccessAbility Services online application. If you have any questions, contact AccessAbility Services by phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 35082 or email: access@uwaterloo.ca.