International Peer Community

Meet new people, build your support network and learn about Canadian culture

The International Peer Community is a peer-support program aimed at helping new international students settle in and feel at home at the University of Waterloo. Through community based activities, the program helps students to build a support network, develop a sense of community and intercultural competencies, enhance interactional skills, and learn about Canada and other cultures.

Students talking.

How does the program work?

When you join the International Peer Community you will be connected to other international students and have upper-year group facilitators supporting you. At the start of the term, you will be invited to a meet and greet event on campus where you will get to know everyone in the program! After that, your group facilitators will maintain frequent contact with you and arrange meet-ups at least twice a month. Group facilitators can help you understand more about the campus community and the various services available. They can help you navigate questions like:

how to register for courses,
how to make an appointment with Health Services,
how to learn more about athletics,
how to get involved on campus,
where to buy winter clothing or shop for groceries,
where to open a bank account, and
how to use public transit.

Once a month the International Peer Community hosts seasonal activities and fun events that are open to all international students.

Who is it for?

All international students including undergraduate, graduate, and exchange students are welcome to apply.

International students may identify as:

study permit holders,
having attended high school internationally,
being new to Canadian culture, or
developing their English language skills.

How do I apply?

Applications for volunteering and participating are currently closed. Please check back at the end of spring term for a chance to get involved in fall 2020.

Why participants recommend it

Muhammad Saad. “Being a student is difficult and being an international student has its own challenges. These challenges mainly involve language and culture differences, but IPC is a perfect opportunity - an invisible hand of guidance that helped me transition to this new culture. It also provided me the avenue to make amazing and long lasting friends during the initial period. All in all, if you are an international student, IPC is the place to start off.” - Muhammad, winter 2019 participant, Engineering student from Pakistan

Rafael with his peer group. "You'll find some of your very first friends in Canada in this community. Moreover, the Community Leaders and Group Facilitators will be more than happy to help your transition by arranging some fun activities, providing tips about the university, student life, etc. This community was very significant during my transition period (i.e. first campus term) and I'm grateful to be the part of it!" - Rafael, fall 2018 participant, Engineering student from Indonesia