Go Abroad

Math students interested in pursuing an international exchange must meet these minimum requirements. 

1. Year level 

Students are eligible to go on exchange as of the start of their third year of study. Students can go on exchange in their final term of study but please be advised that this will cause an unavoidable delay to your graduation as a result of multiple institutions working together to process your final term's records. Double degree students are eligible to go on exchange beginning in 4A. Math/CPA students are eligible to go on exchange, but only in their 4A term. 

2. Academics 

You must have the following academic record to qualify: 

• Minimum cumulative average (CAV) of 75%.  
• Minimum faculty average (FAV) of 70%. 
• Must be in 'GOOD' or 'EXCL' academic standing. 

We will also look at your general progress across your entire academic record. The Faculty of Mathematics has the final decision on whether to endorse a student for exchange. The endorsement can be revoked if academic performance suggests a student is unlikely to be successful on exchange. 

3. Strong Ambassador for the Faculty of Mathematics and the University of Waterloo 

As a participant in the exchange program, you will be trusted to act as a representative of the Faculty of Mathematics and the University of Waterloo. Unprofessional conduct or behaviour, including any history of academic offences, which reasonably cast doubt on your ability to be a strong ambassador for the Waterloo community may result in your application not being endorsed by the Faculty of Mathematics. 

Any questions related to eligibility and integrity can be directed to the Math Integrity Officer at iomath@uwaterloo.ca.   

4. Language requirements 

Many of our host schools offer courses instructed in English and do not require you to speak the official language of your host country with any degree of fluency. Exceptions include some programs in France, Sweden, Spain, and many in Germany and China. You must show your fluency in the language of instruction before you will be placed at those host schools. Note: proficiency or fluency in the language of the the host country will in all cases allow you to take a wider range of courses. We encourage all students to take relevant language courses at Waterloo before they depart if they have no background in the common language of the host country. 

• Students are not permitted to take any equivalent courses from List A or any communication courses (List 1 and List 2) while on exchange. 

• Students are responsible for confirming the course equivalencies ahead of time and they must be careful not to take courses on exchange that are equivalent to a course at Waterloo which is an anti-requisite to another course they have already taken or will need to take in the future. 

• Students will normally be required to take what is considered to be a full-time course load at their exchange school. Full-time at other institutions may not be defined the same way as full-time at Waterloo. 

• A full-time course load at Waterloo is defined as a term in which a student is enrolled in at least 1.5 units, a full course load would be 2.5 units.  

• Regardless of how many courses students complete while on an exchange term, the maximum number of transfer credits they can receive at Waterloo will be equivalent to 2.5 units. 

• Students are expected to complete all of their courses at the host institution during an exchange term.

• Students who have already been granted more than 7.5 units of transfer credit would not be eligible for exchange.  

• Students participating in an exchange program are required to pay all compulsory incidental costs (e.g. lodging, food and insurance).
• Tuition fees for exchange terms are assessed at the University of Waterloo.
• Students are charged tuition that is equivalent to 2.5 units of academic credit at Waterloo regardless of how many courses they take while on exchange.
• It is the student’s responsibility to pay their tuition fees by the applicable deadlines to avoid late fees and any complications to their journey.
• The process for paying tuition fees for an exchange term is the same as it would be for paying for a normal study term at Waterloo.
• Please carefully review all payment details at Waterloo and at the host institution.
• Student’s participating in a Study Abroad program will have their tuition fees assessed at their host school.

• Review the eligibility requirements for Math students.
• Complete a mandatory Go Abroad Information Session hosted by the Study Abroad team on LEARN.
• Review the application process on the International Experience Centre website.
• Math Exchange will be hosting a Faculty-specific exchange information session in person on late September or early October.

• See the 'Application Steps Before Match' and 'Application Steps Match Process' tiles on the International Experience Centre's Go Abroad page.
• Please direct questions about the application, changing your choices, or the information session to the Study Abroad team in the International Experience Centre.

Number of courses

Waterloo students must take at least the minimum number of courses required by their host school for a given term. However, regardless of the number of courses you will actually take or finish while on exchange, the Waterloo tuition you pay is the equivalent of five UW courses (i.e. 2.5 unit course load).

Regardless of how many courses students complete while on an exchange term, the maximum number of transfer credits they can receive at Waterloo will be equivalent to 2.5 units. 

Using both the host school's website and Waterloo's course descriptions, make a list of courses you would want to take that you believe are similar enough to qualify for Waterloo credit.

We recommend you discuss potential options with your academic advisor(s) to confirm which courses work best for your degree progression. 

Your course choices may change throughout the application process; remember at every step that we cannot guarantee course availability abroad. It is important to be flexible when selecting your courses. We also recommend that you select extra courses for backup options as changes may occur after arriving at the host school. 

Course approval requests

Begin by checking the exchange course equivalencies to see if the course you are planning to take has already been assessed for a Waterloo course equivalency. If your course appears on the exchange course equivalencies chart then you do not need to take any further steps.

For any courses you plan to take that do not appear on the exchange course equivalencies chart you must submit your course requests for approval by e-mailing the department advisor responsible for the course area you are seeking equivalency in, as listed under ‘Contacts’ below. (ie. email the advisor for Statistics when seeking approval for a STAT course.)

Make sure to include the following details:

• Subject line: term abroad, host school- your last name (ie: F18, Leeds Exchange - Smith)
• Email Body
  • Your full name with UW ID#
  • Name of the host school (where the course is being offered)
  • the host course title with code/number
  • the course description, and URL link and/or syllabus (if available). Please provide as much detail as possible, as this betters your chance of receiving accurate approval
  • suggested UW course match, and/or any other information that you feel may help with the assessment

Please copy Math Exchange on all of your correspondence.

Math Faculty contacts

Double Degree students:

• If you are requesting Laurier BUS courses, you should contact Bethany Ankucza at Laurier. This is for course approval AND to verify if courses can count toward a concentration. NOTE: only Double Degree students wanting BUS courses should contact Bethany.

Non-math course approval requests

• Health: health.exchange@uwaterloo.ca
• Arts: Please complete this form. 
• Engineering: engexchange@uwaterloo.ca
• Environment: env.exchanges@uwaterloo.ca
• Science: Please complete this form.

The next step – course approval process

The advisor will email you back if you have been approved for one of the following:

• an exact equivalent, with the name of an existing UW course (i.e. ACTSC 446). This means that it has been determined that course content is close enough to the UW course content to earn the UW credit
• an unspecified equivalent (i.e. ACTSC 3xx/STAT 4xx/CS 2xx). In this case, the advisor has determined that the host school’s course is a course in that subject at the equivalent level, but it does not have an exact equivalent match at UW. This can replace a general requirement but cannot replace a specifically required course. For example, STAT 3xx could count as a 300-level math course for a STAT major but it could not replace the STAT 330 degree requirement

If this response email does not copy Math Exchange, please forward your approval(s) to Math Exchange.

After you have arrived at your host school     

If you need to make changes/additions to your courses after your arrival, please do so by submitting course requests as per the process above.

Advisors will work as quickly as possible to review your requests. We must, however, strongly encourage you to reach out as soon as possible; do not wait until the last minute. Please also be mindful of the time difference between your host school's location and Waterloo, using tools such as a smartphone's world clock.

Once you've finalized your courses at your host school

Please consult with Math Exchange to confirm your expected transfer credit totals. Depending on your course load and the number of courses you complete you may not receive one-to-one transfer credit. 

Additionally, complete this transfer credit form. Please only complete the form once you're certain that these are your final courses after you arrive at your host institution. Your transfer credits cannot be processed until your official transcript is received from the host school. Standard processing times for transfer credits once the official transcript is received is 2 - 4 weeks.  

Students who do not provide their transfer credit approvals or official transcripts within one year of completing their exchange will be assigned 2.5 units of transfer fails for their exchange term. 

Confirmation of courses taken on exchange

Please complete this form only if you are a Math student who will be on exchange at one of our partner schools. This form MUST be submitted so your transfer credits can be processed once the official transcript is received. Please note that transfer credits cannot begin to be processed until the official transcript arrives from the host school. The processing time once the transcript is received is 2-4 weeks.

If you have any questions about this form or if you have problems submitting this form, please contact mathex@uwaterloo.ca.

1. Course XYZ offered at the host university has been approved as Waterloo’s NXX. However, I have not completed the prerequisite of NXX at Waterloo. Can I still receive the transfer credits?
   • Yes, it’s possible to receive NXX transfer credits if you have successfully completed the course XYZ during exchange.
2. My cumulative and (or) faculty averages are slightly lower than the minimum requirements, can I still apply?
   • Minimum grade requirements are strictly enforced. Students will not receive endorsement from the Faculty of Math if they do not meet these standards.
3. Can I go on exchange during my last study term?
   • Yes, you can choose to go on exchange during your final term of study, but this will delay your graduation. For example, if you go on exchange during the winter term, you won't be able to attend the June convocation.
4. I'm scheduled to go on exchange during fall term, but my host university’s fall term will not end until February. Will this count as a two-term exchange?
   • No, you will be coded only for fall term exchange. If you are an international student, please contact an immigration consultant to understand how this might affect your immigration status.
5. I’m scheduled to go on exchange next term. Do I need to participate in course selection?
   • No, a placeholder course (MATH 97 worth 2.5 units) for your exchange will be automatically added for you. If your exchange plan is finalized, you don’t need to select any courses. However, if you are considering withdrawing from exchange, you should participate in course selection as if you were having a regular study term at Waterloo.

Math Outbound Exchange Advisor 

mathex@uwaterloo.ca