Frequent questions

• UVic tuition for 7.5 units for each term you are on exchange. As an exchange student, you will pay for 7.5 units of coursework per term while you are on exchange regardless of the number of courses you take at the host institution. Part-time registration options may be available on a case by case basis. Tuition fees are due by the usual UVic deadline each term.
• The cost of travel and housing varies between countries, cities and universities. Planning your budget will depend on the added features such as support services, airfare, accommodation, extended medical insurance, medical exams or vaccinations, visa applications, passport renewal, living expenses, textbooks, food, clothing, field trips, fees for textbooks, and meal plans. Use the budget worksheet to help guide your research.

• If you have student loans or scholarships, Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA) has specific requirements for students going on exchange. Be sure to provide them with the information they require to ensure your funding is not interrupted.
• There are many funding opportunities for students going abroad! Check with Global Engagement for current funding information and application deadlines.

1. Review the Exchange Credit Histories posted on our partner universities index. This a great place to start for a general idea of UVic equivalencies for courses previously taken at our partner universities.
   

   Note: This is a guide only; it is not a complete list of courses that are eligible for credit and it does not guarantee that you will receive the credit listed.

2. Submit requests to the Outgoing Exchange Course Evaluation Portal, an online tool that the UVic Undergraduate Records office and academic units use to pre-determine the potential credit value for the courses you will take while on exchange. You will receive access to the portal after you have been accepted to the ICS Exchange Program.
   

   Note: This is the only way to have your credit evaluated for your exchange.

3. When you return – Submit course outlines and course materials (assignments, tests, etc) to the Outgoing Exchange Course Evaluation Portal and you will receive final credit values for the courses you completed on exchange once your final transcript from your host university has been received.

• In order to receive credit, you must pass your courses as determined by the host university’s guidelines.
• One course on exchange does not necessarily equal one course at UVic (1.5 units). If you are registered in 5 courses on exchange, you cannot assume that you will receive 7.5 units of exchange credit upon return.

• Once students are accepted into the outbound ICS Exchange Program, we give them the opportunity to have courses pre-evaluated for UVic credit prior to leaving for their exchange. This way they have a good idea of what UVic credit they may receive for their chosen exchange courses. The pre-evaluation process will be explained in greater detail once students have been accepted.
• It’s also good to be aware that many partner universities have courses that are not an exact equivalent to any UVic courses. Because of this, your exchange credits can vary from:
  1. a direct UVic credit (e.g., PSYC 251),
  2. UVic department level credit (e.g., 1.5 units of 300-Level BIOL), or
  3. UVic faculty level credit (e.g., 1.5 units of 100-Level Humanities).
We generally recommend that students save some program electives for their exchange, as it can be difficult to fulfill specific course requirements.

• Before we will accept an exchange application from a student outside of UVic’s tri-Faculties (Faculties of Science, Social Sciences, and Humanities), we will ask that the student get departmental persmission from their departmental academic adviser. If the student receives permission, they will then be welcome to apply.

A student will be welcome to enrol in a UVic course in addition to their exchange, as long as they understand each of the considerations:

1. Have permission from the professor/supervisor of the UVic course(s), and ensure the course can be completed from abroad:

   • We ask that students consider the time zone difference if the UVic course has synchronous components.

2. Are aware of the differences between a full-time and part-time exchange (this is just for the exchange component, and does not include the potential additional UVic courses):

   • Full-time exchanges require that student pays for 7.5 units of UVic tuition, and can only receive up to 7.5 units of UVic credits.
   • Part-time exchanges require that student pays for 4.5 units of UVic tuition, and can only receive up to 4.5 units of UVic credits.

3. Understand the tuition considerations:

   • For a full-time exchange – students pay for 7.5 units of UVic tuition for their exchange + 1.5 units of tuition for the additional UVic course.
   • For a part-time exchange – students pay for 4.5 units of UVic tuition for their exchange + 1.5 units of tuition for each additional UVic course.

4. Are aware that as a full-time exchange student, they would only be allowed to enrol in an additional 1.5 units of UVic courses per term:

   • The maximum course enrolment (without letter of permission from the Dean) is 9.0 units per term.

1. Part-time enrolment: Part-time exchanges require that student pays for 4.5 units of UVic tuition, and can only receive up to 4.5 units of UVic credits.
2. Full-time exchanges require that student pays for 7.5 units of UVic tuition, and can only receive up to 7.5 units of UVic credits.

• If you are an international student or a student with renewable UVic scholarships, you may not be eligible for a part-time exchange.
• All students should consult with the ICS Exchange Team before deciding to do a part-time exchange.

No. Exchange credits are assigned with a COM (completed/passed), or F (failed), but not a percentage/letter grade.

• If you plan to apply for any graduate, or professional programs after your undergraduate degree, you will likely be asked to submit your exchange transcript, so that the exchange grades can be considered.

• It is possible that you will need to delay your graduation. Once a student completes an exchange term, their exchange credits can only be added to their official UVic record once we have received their official exchange transcript, and have had the exchange courses (from the official transcript) evaluated by the applicable UVic department(s). This means that if there are delays or issues with either of those steps, your graduation may be delayed as a result.