International Exchange

GBDA students will apply for international exchange during their 3A Fall Work Term and, if matched, will go on Exchange during their 4A Fall Study Term.

Before you apply, make sure to:

• Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements for GBDA students
• Complete a mandatory Go Abroad Information Session hosted by the Study Abroad team on LEARN. This is required to get access to UW Passport (the Exchange Application Portal)
• Review the application process on the Study Abroad website

The Fall Exchange Application Window typically runs from the beginning of October to the end of October each year.

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

You must have the following academic record to qualify:

• Minimum Level of Study:
  • By Time of Application Period: Minimum 3A Level of Study
  • By time of Exchange: Minimum 4A Level of Study
  • All GBDA required courses earned for the Level of Study
• Academic Averages:
  • Minimum cumulative average (CAV) of 70% at the time of application.
  • Minimum faculty average (FAV) of 70%.
• Academic Standing
  • Must be in 'GOOD' or 'EXCL' academic standing

• GBDA students are only eligible to go on exchange during their Fall 4A Term (see GBDA 465 Course Description).
• You must have reached the 4A Level of Study at the time of your term abroad.
• Please keep in mind to remain on track with GBDA sequencing and degree requirements. Students should have completed both their GBDA 3A & 3B courses to participate in Study Abroad.
• Students with missing core GBDA courses should connect directly with the GBDA advising team to determine eligibility.
• We will also look at your general progress across your entire academic record.
• The Global Business & Digital Arts Department has the final decision on whether to endorse a student for exchange.
• The endorsement can be revoked at any time prior to your exchange term if academic performance suggests a student is unlikely to be successful on exchange.

As a participant in the exchange program, you will be trusted to act as a representative of the University. Accordingly, the Faculty of Arts has the final decision on whether to endorse a student for exchange, taking a student's academic and non-academic record into account.

• The application may not be endorsed or your nomination to the Host University may be revoked prior to the exchange term if academic performance suggests a student is unlikely to be successful on exchange.
• Unprofessional conduct or behaviour, including any history of academic or non-academic misconduct, may result in your application not being endorsed or your nomination to the Host University may be revoked prior to the exchange term.

For any questions, please contact the Arts Academic Integrity Co-ordinator at e4hudson@uwaterloo.ca

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 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.

GBDA students are responsible for ensuring they take the UW equivalent of a 2.5 Unit course load (i.e. 5 courses) abroad and receive course approval prior to going on exchange.

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.

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.

As the student, you will need to ensure that you meet both the minimum Host School Credit Requirements and the GBDA Program Credit Requirements. 

You must first determine the minimum number of credits your International Host School will require.

Each host school has a required minimum amount of credits that exchange students must take to both participate in their exchange program.  

Please ensure you are taking the minimum number of courses / credits required by the host school for a given term as listed on UW Passport.

Students are also responsible for ensuring they are taking the minimum number of courses required to remain on track with GBDA degree requirements.

At your host school you will need to take the UW equivalent of 2.5 credits.

60% of those credit equivalents must be related to the GBDA Program in order to earn 1.5 UW Equivalent units. GBDA’s program is interdisciplinary and as such, 60% of the courses can be any combination of the following areas:

• Business
• Digital Design
• User Experience / Interface (UX/UI)
• Technology

40% of your remaining credit equivalents can be elective courses from any field of study, in order to earn 1.0 UW Equivalent units provided the course has strong academic components.

Students are not permitted to take courses that they have already taken in a past term or will need to take in a future term during their GBDA studies.  

Important Notes:

• Course Load Tuition: 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).
• Maximum Number of Transferrable Credits: 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.
• Academic Accommodations Abroad
  • Required Reduced Course Load:
    • Students registered with AccessAbility Services that require an accommodated reduced course load should connect with GBDA advisors as a first step.
    • You will need to pay special attention to the minimum number of courses your potential host school requires. You may wish to contact the host school directly to receive confirmation on how many courses you would need to take and academic accommodations available.
• Avoiding Graduation Delays: To avoid finding yourself at risk of delaying graduation, please be mindful that:
  • GBDA students taking less than the recommended equivalent course load may need to compensate for missed credits upon return to UW
  • GBDA students that failed to earn the credit abroad may need to compensate for missed credits upon return to UW 
  • GBDA students that earned credits abroad where 60% of their enroled credits were not pre-approved GBDA related (as required) may need to compensate for missed GBDA fourth year credits upon return to UW
• In each of the above scenarios, students might be required to push back their course sequencing and/or their graduation timeline. Students should always confer with an advisor first if taking less than the recommended number of courses listed in the UW Passport system for the host institution, as international exchange transfer credits are not always a 1:1 equivalent.  Students should contact their GBDA advisor as soon as you become aware, that you may be at risk of not earning your credits while abroad. 

GBDA Students must obtain approval of courses PRIOR to going on exchange.

Once you have received and accepted a Match Offer, our GBDA Advising team will invite you to a Mandatory GBDA Course Selection Abroad Information Session in the first two months of Winter Term.

During the Information Session, our team will go over the course selection process, how to identify how many credits are needed from your matched host institution, as well as how to submit for approval the courses you wish to take. This will also be a great opportunity to connect with fellow GBDA exchange students.

After the Information Session, students will be provided a link to submit their courses for approval.

The GBDA Advising Team will send you a link to Course Mate in early January so that you can review courses prior GBDA students have been approved to take for credit and submit additional courses for approval.

Remember: Your course choices may change throughout the application process – as we cannot guarantee course availability at your abroad institution.

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. 

Remember the 60/40 split:

• 60% of GBDA Program Specific Courses (e.g. GBDA 4XX)
• 40% of Elective Courses (e.g. FINE 2XX)

Once your Courses have been reviewed, they will appear on the Approved Course List.

You will see that course equivalencies will appear as:

• An unspecified GBDA equivalent (i.e. GBDA 4xx).
  • This course has been approved and will count towards the 60% GBDA Program Specific Course Requirement.
• An unspecified Elective equivalent (i.e. FINE 2xx).
  • This course has been approved and will count towards the 40% elective course requirement.
• Too Much Overlap with GBDA Courses
  • This course is not approved. Please submit another course for consideration.
• Please forward the Syllabus and Weekly Outline to gbda.advising@uwaterloo.ca when available
  • This course has been approved, but we will require the syllabi to ensure accurate transfer credits for your transcript. 

The Course Equivalencies that end in XX mean does not mean that it is an exact match for a course at UW. 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, GBDA 3XX could count as a 300-level GBDA course for a GBDA major, but it could not replace the GBDA 302-degree requirement. 

If you require an exact equivalent, with the name of an existing UW course for another degree requirement (e.g. For FINE 1XX to count towards a Fine Arts Minor, please let us know the reason for the request.

Typically, an exact equivalent is required to complete a minor certificate, specialization, or if required for post-degree programs. An exact equivalent means that it has been determined that course content is close enough to the UW course content to earn the UW credit.

Due to the admin time required to determine & administer exact equivalencies, they will not be provided unless specifically requested. These requests come with significant delays since other departments need to be consulted to provide equivalencies and exact course equivalencies are not guaranteed.

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.

A transcript from the host institution must be submitted upon completion of courses for UW processing and to receive credits on your UW transcript. Standard processing times for transfer credits once the official transcript is received is 3-4 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. 

• 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 GBDA Advisor if they do not meet these standards.
• Can I go on exchange during a different term?
  • No, to keep on track with study/work term sequencing, GBDA students are only permitted to go abroad during their Fall 4A term of Study. GBDA Advisors will not endorse alternate terms.
• My desired host university fall term falls outside the UW Fall Term Dates and will interfere with my work term(s). Should I still Apply?
  • We strongly discourage students from applying to schools that significantly interfere (more than 2 weeks) with their designated work terms.
  • Some schools may offer an option to complete final examinations or assessments remotely.
  • GBDA students are scheduled for work terms before and after their eligible study abroad term.  Students are responsible and expected to meet the requirements of the employer and co-op department.
  • Students should not expect that their work term will be re-sequenced. In an effort to avoid having a forfeited, or failed work term, please connect with your Co-op Advisor in Waterloo Works to determine expectations and student responsibility.
  • Additionally, if students are re-sequenced, this could delay your graduation timeline, due to the course availability and program sequencing of GBDA.
  • If you are an international student, please contact an immigration consultant to understand how this might affect your immigration status.
  • The choice would ultimately be that of the student, but please be aware of any potential repercussions to co-op or academics before making your decision.
• I'm scheduled to go on exchange during the 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.
  • Furthermore, students should contact their co-op advisor if there is interference with their work term.
• I’m scheduled to go on exchange next term. Do I need to participate in course selection?
  • No, a placeholder course (GBDA 465 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 the exchange, you should participate in course selection as if you were having a regular study term at Waterloo.
• What if I want to go to a country that is not listed for exchange, can I choose another university that is not on the list?
  • No, students must select from the partner host institutions that have been pre-screened and recognized as viable options for UW students.
• Are there any options for financing my exchange term?
  • Yes. Visit the International Experience Webpage for Tuition, Payment and Financial Aid for more information on awards, scholarships, OSAP etc. 
    Note: GBDA students participating in the International Exchange program are registered as full-time students at the University of Waterloo.
• Can I go on international exchange in another term? (e.g. Winter or Spring)
  • No. To remain on track with both academic and co-op sequencing, GBDA students are only permitted to go abroad in 4A and in a fall term.
  • GBDA Applications for any other term than 4A will not be endorsed and will be cancelled.
  • GBDA Applications for Winter and Spring Exchange terms will not be endorsed and will be cancelled.
• I am an international student. Can I still go on international exchange?
  • It is the responsibility of the individual student to confirm whether a study term on exchange is permitted within the requirements/constraints of their individual study or work permit/ visa.
  • International Students who wish to go on International Exchange are encouraged to proactively connect with Immigration Consultants at UW Immigration Consulting Services for a free consultation.
• Can GBDA students participate in work abroad?
  • Yes. GBDA students can also explore options to work abroad during a co-op work term.
  • Important Note for GBDA International Students:
    • International Students who wish to WORK ABROAD are encouraged to proactively connect with UW Immigration Consulting Services.
  • It is the responsibility of the individual student to confirm whether a work term on exchange is permitted within the requirements and constraints of their individual study or work permit/visa.