Student Exchange Program FAQs

Yes, all in-person outbound exchanges have been cancelled for the winter 2021 term. Laurier students can’t travel to our exchange partner institutions to attend courses in person through the exchange agreement.

This includes all exchange semesters scheduled to begin before May 2021.

The decision to cancel exchanges for the winter 2021 term was a difficult one to make, but was made with the health and safety of our students in mind. The travel advisory from the Canadian government continues to recommend that there should be no travel for non-essential purposes and we have no indication of when this will change.

We also don’t know what the safety of airline travel will be when the travel advisory does change. Travel insurance to cover medical costs related to COVID-19 cases is uncertain and we are also wary of a second wave. To date, five of our exchange partners have cancelled their exchange programs for the winter term and many Canadian universities are doing the same.

We have made the decision now to cancel the winter exchange term because of the extensive preparations that need to happen to prepare to study abroad, and these preparations can’t be postponed any longer. Students need adequate time to secure travel documents, arrange accommodations and book their flights.

The possibility of recurring border closures, partner institution closures, insurance limitations and prolonged travel logistics have resulted in an increased risk, making us unable to support a winter 2021 outbound student exchange program.

Laurier International is in the process of rescinding all winter 2021 exchange program offers of participation.

You will need to let us know if you would like to withdraw from the student exchange program or defer your exchange term to the 2021/22 academic year.

Even if you haven't made a final decision, please let us know what you are thinking of doing. You can tell us your decision by emailing us at exchange@wlu.ca.

More information on these options, as well as other student mobility and global engagement programming, is available in these FAQs. 

As well, please enrol in courses at Laurier for the winter 2021 term if you haven't done so already.

You can withdraw from the student exchange program at any time by emailing us at exchange@wlu.ca. There is no deadline to withdraw and no fees associated with withdrawing.

If you do withdraw but choose to apply for exchange again in the future, you will need to resubmit your application, with the exception of your references. We will keep your academic and non-academic references on file, so you don't need to resubmit these.

No, you don’t have to contact the host institution. Laurier International will be in touch with all host institutions to let them know Laurier won’t have students going on exchange in winter 2021.

If you choose to withdraw completely from the student exchange program you can request a refund of your $100 placement fee. 

To request your refund, please complete the online form , and email exchange@wlu.ca to inform Laurier International that you are withdrawing.

Refund requests will be processed in batches. When the refund goes through, the funds will be posted to the credit card you used to make the original payment.

If you wish to defer your exchange placement to the 2021/22 academic year, Laurier International can hold your placement fee so you don’t need to pay this fee again. Please communicate this to exchange@wlu.ca .

Unfortunately, there are no refunds available for the $25 exchange program application fee.

We know how exciting it is to participate in the student exchange program. Even though the winter 2021 outbound exchanges are cancelled, you still have some options for student exchange, student mobility and remote learning.

Please let us know your decision regarding exchange by emailing us at exchange@wlu.ca, including if your decision is to withdraw from exchange. Even if you haven't made a final decision, please let us know what you are thinking of doing.

Go on Exchange in the 2021/22 Academic Year

You can choose to defer your exchange spot, placed at the same host institution, to the 2021/22 academic year. You don't have to specify which term.

There are no fees associated with deferring. If you choose to defer, some parts of your exchange application will need to be resubmitted, but you will not need to resubmit your references.

It is possible to go on exchange in the last term of your studies. If the 2021/22 academic year is your final year at Laurier and you choose to go on exchange during that year:

• If you go on exchange in fall 2021, the soonest you would be able to convocate is June 2022.
• If you go on exchange in winter 2022, the soonest you would be able to convocate is October 2022.

You also have the option of taking an additional term, after you have met your graduation requirements, to go on exchange.

You can request to change institutions if you defer your exchange, but this will only be considered if there is an exceptional reason why you cannot go to the same institution, which include:

• Conflicts with term dates.
• Required courses are no longer offered during the semester you'll be on exchange.

Take Remote Courses Through an Exchange Partner Institution

You could still take remote courses from an exchange partner institution even though you're not able to travel there in person. If you are interested in taking a remote course, along with your Laurier courses, please contact us at exchange@wlu.ca and we'll contact our partner institutions to see if this is possible. 

The option to take remote courses is not currently available for students in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.

If you are interesting in taking remote courses through our partner institutions, some challenges to consider include:

• Different time zones, which may mean you're writing tests or doing presentations in the middle of the night or at incovenient times. Institutions in Europe, for example, are six hours ahead of our time, so a 10 a.m. class presentation there would mean a 4 a.m. class presentation for you.
• Potential technology difficulties when trying to access a remote learning system outside of the host country.
• Managing group work expectations.

Participate in Summer Abroad Opportunities

We are continuing to plan for student mobility opportunities in summer 2021. Through Summer Abroad opportunities, you can take short-term courses (often between one and three weeks long) and earn 0.5 Laurier credits. 

Summer Abroad opportunities will be posted in December 2020 and January 2021, with applications due in late January or early February 2021. You will need to complete a new application for Summer Abroad opportunities but you won't need to resubmit your references.

The application for Summer Abroad opportunities will be availabler later in the fall term.

Participate in Other Summer Mobility Opportunities

We are also continuing to plan for other summer mobility opportunities, including the Student Leadership Experience in China (SLEC) and the Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QE Scholars) internship opportunities in Ghana.

These programs are outside of the student exchange program and will require separate applications. We will have more information on these programs available soon.

You can expand your intercultural learning and be globally engaged without travelling through our International at Home programs, including:

• Intercultural Certificate
• Tandem Language Program
• Hawk 2 Hawk English Conversation Program

We will also be hosting International Education Week (IEW) virtually this year in November, where you can find out more about all global engagement programming, including mobility options and International at Home programs.

Laurier is continuing to offer most courses online and virtually in the winter semester. You will receive an email with instructions on how to submit your application to study on exchange at Laurier on October 1, 2020.

If you wish to study at Laurier remotely in the winter semester, submit your application by October 15, 2020 to indicate that, even though most courses will be offered remotely and you will not travel to Canada, you would still like to study on exchange at Laurier for the winter semester.

Please note that Laurier's winter semester runs from January to April.

The majority of the winter 2021 term will continue to be offered in a remote and online format. You can study virtually only as an exchange student at Laurier this winter by enroling in courses, without travelling to Canada. 

Laurier is inviting you to participate in remote exchange only. Please note, Laurier will not be supporting exchange students to come to Canada to study remotely. This is in effort to control the spread of COVID-19 and the global pandemic.

For more information on Canada’s regulations related to entry please see Information from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Laurier International will do its best to help you to register in online and remote courses.

We anticipate that there may be some challenges with some courses, such as time zone differences and the times courses are offered. Other unanticipated challenges may arise as the semester proceeds. If you are willing to overcome these challenges, you can still have a very rewarding experience!

You will have the opportunity to network with Laurier students, broaden your course offerings and engage in our virtual extra-curricular activities.