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International programs & student supports

Incoming Exchange

International students who attend a university that has a partnership agreement with UVic may be eligible to study as an exchange student.

An exchange is available in either the Fall term (September - December) or the Spring term (January - April), or both.

The ICS exchange program typically supports students who are interested in taking courses from the following UVic faculties:

  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Fine Arts
view of uvic campus quad

Are you a Law or Business student? At UVic, the Gustavson School of Business and Faculty of Law operate separate exchange programs. Please contact these departments directly for application instructions.

International Centre for Students

group shot of ics team

The exchange program is facilitated by the International Centre for Students (ICS), which provides a range of supports for exchange students, from immigration advising to insurance information. 

The ICS consists of several teams:

  • Exchange Team 
    • Supports exchange students with questions about courses, learning agreements, and the certificate of arrival 
  • Immigration Specialists 
    • Experts in immigration, including documentation, processes, and advice
  • Settlement Team 
    • Can assist with questions related to healthcare, housing, family resources, etc. 
  • Global Community Team 
    • Hosts programs and events that connect international and domestic students

Courses & credits

  • Course registration for the Fall and Spring term happens in June every year.
  • Each exchange student will receive a set day and time when they can register for courses (called a time ticket) via the UVic Online Tools platform. 

  • Most UVic courses are worth 1.5 units each.
  • A typical full-time courseload at UVic is 4 or 5 courses (6.0 - 7.5 UVic units) per term.
  • Exchange students should connect with their home university exchange adviser to confirm how many courses they should take. 
    • Note: the ICS Exchange Program does not have a minimum courseload requirement, however, students that are here on a study permit (longer than 6 months) need to 

      meet a number of study permit conditions. If you don’t meet these conditions, you may lose your student status and study permit.

      One of these conditions is demonstrating that you are actively pursing your studies. You can demonstrate this by enrolling full- or part-time during regular academic sessions. UVic's Academic calendar includes definitions of full-time studies for undergraduate students and graduate students.

  • Incoming exchange students are encouraged to consider courses at UVic that have no pre-requisites, as these allow for easy registration.
  • For courses that have pre-requisites, students will not be able to register. They will first need to submit a course request in order to receive approval and override granted from the department.
  • Course request instructions will be sent out to all exchange students upon acceptance in May. 

  • Incoming exchange students are restricted from enrolling in any courses in the following departments:
    • Civil Engineering (CIVE)
    • Law (LAW)
  • Limited courses are available to incoming exchange students in the following departments: 
    • Business 
    • Education 
    • Health
    • Visual Arts 
    • Engineering (Software, Mechanical, Computer, Biomedical, Electrical)

Accommodation

On-campus housing
shot of new residence building uvic
  • Accommodation offerings at one of UVic dormitory residences is limited.
  • Students can apply by the deadline (mid-May for Fall term or mid-October for Spring term) to be entered into the housing lottery and/or waitlisted.
  • The UVic housing application fee is $50 CAD. 
  • After the deadline, successful students will be notified via email with a limited-time offer for a room. This can happen anytime before the start of the term! 
  • Check out more details about on-campus housing via UVic Residence Services
Off-campus housing
shot of downtown victoria
  • The UVic campus is surrounded by diverse residential neighbourhoods, which offer various types of private housing for students via landlords.
  • Monthly rent pricing varies based on accommodation style and duration. 
  • Most neighbourhoods are easily accessible to campus via BC Transit bus service.
  • Read more about off-campus housing at UVic

Immigration

Advice & Assistance
IS assists students with immigration questions

Incoming exchange students may need to obtain immigration documentation before beginning their studies in Canada. 

At the ICS, Immigration Specialists can advise students on immigration matters such as:

It is recommended all incoming exchange students carefully review the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website, which contains vital information from the Government of Canada. 

Comprehensive information can also be found on the immigration advising page on the ICS website. 

If students have questions, need assistance navigating these processes, or are unsure which immigration documents they may need, please visit the ICS contact page to connect with an Immigration Specialist.

Orientation

All incoming exchange students are invited and encouraged to attend orientation events that happen at the beginning of each term. 

Orientation includes various activities, such as a campus tours, university sporting events, and group hiking, and culminates in the International Student Welcome (ISW) event. On this full day event, exchange students can meet other students and learn about UVic programs and supports! 

Fall Orientation
group of student at isw 2025
Main exchange orientation event of the year
  • Features: orientation programming and ISW event
  • Event page: Fall Orientation
  • Timeline: last week of August
Spring Orientation
students posing in front of artwork
Smaller exchange cohort but same warm welcome! 
  • Features: orientation programming and ISW event
  • Event page: Spring Orientation
  • Timeline: first week of January

Fees

Incoming exchange students pay tuition to their home university. At UVic, there are some additional fees that students should budget for:

Type Fee Service Duration
Mandatory Temporary Medical Insurance (MTMI) $265 CAD 4 months long

BC Medical Services Plan (BC MSP)

  • After four months in Canada, exchange students will need to opt into the BC MSP
 $75 CAD Monthly (after 4 months in Canada)

U-Pass

  • Includes bus pass, athletics fee, and University of Victoria Student's Society fee
 $267 CAD 4 months long
Learn more about financial planning for an exchange at UVic.

How to apply

Students first need to apply and be accepted to the exchange program at their home university. The home university will then nominate the student to UVic. The ICS Exchange Team will reach out to each student directly and provide a link to apply to the exchange program.

Each partner university has an office that is responsible for coordinating their outgoing exchange programs. Students should connect with their home exchange team to learn about the processes and deadlines they need to follow in order to be officially nominated to UVic. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Incoming exchange students do not need to apply through UVic general admissions and pay the application fee for degree-seeking students. All processes related to exchange are handled by the ICS Exchange Team. 

If a student is selected by their home university for an exchange to UVic, they will be officially nominated to the ICS Exchange Program.

Each year, the nomination deadline is April 1 for both the Fall and Spring terms. Nominations are handled exclusively by the home university. 

After being officially nominated, students will receive an invitation to apply to the ICS Exchange Program from the exchange team. 

Students must submit their application by April 15.

**Applications to the ICS Exchange Program will not be processed unless a student has been officially nominated by the home university.

The ICS Exchange Team will review all application packages and determine if a student is accepted into the program.

Students will begin to receive email confirmations regarding acceptances on May 1.

Events

The ICS Global Community team puts on a number of events throughout the year for students, including exchange. Some examples of activities include ice skating in the winter, mountain hiking in the fall, and a baking extravaganza! 

Check out all upcoming events below: 

Stay in touch

Email the ICS Exchange team at goglobal@uvic.ca  

Follow the International Centre for Students on social media for more information, events, and stories: @uvicinternational