Student Exchange Program FAQs

Yes, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all in-person exchanges. Laurier students are unable to travel to our exchange partner institutions to attend courses in person through the exchange agreement. 

This includes all exchange semesters that begin before January 2022. 

Laurier International is now rescinding all fall 2021 exchange program offers of participation. 

The Canadian government continues to recommend that there should be no travel for non-essential purposes, and we have no indication when this will change. When the travel advisory is lowered there may still be uncertainty regarding travel insurance availability to cover COVID-19 related costs while abroad.  We have already had four partner universities cancel their exchange programs for the fall and many Canadian universities have also followed suit. 

Students need adequate time to secure travel documents, arrange accommodation and purchase flights. Threats of recurring border closures, partner closures, insurance limitations, and prolonged travel logistics over the summer result in an intolerable risk, and we are consequently unable to support a fall 2021 outbound exchange program. 

Laurier International is now rescinding all fall 2021 exchange program offers of participation. 

You can consider one of the following options. Once you have decided, email exchange@wlu.ca with your decision.  

Request to go on exchange in the 2022 winter term at the same institution:

• Check the winter term dates and course offerings at the host institution where you were placed to see if the dates and courses will work for you.
• If you are a student in a faculty other than LSBE, you will need a signature from an academic advisor or program coordinator on a new departmental approval form for Winter 2022 exchange. 

If you are a student in LSBE: 

• BBA academic advisors have confirmed that you do not need to have a BBA advisor sign a departmental approval form if you are planning to attend the same institution.  
• If you are interested in switching both your exchange term and your exchange institution, you will need to get a signature on the departmental approval form.  

Request to go on exchange in the 2022 winter term at a different institution:

• This option will only be considered if there is an exceptional reason why you cannot go to the same institution.
• The only acceptable reasons are that there are conflicts in the term dates or that required courses are no longer offered in the winter term.

Defer exchange until the next academic year:

• Laurier will hold a spot for you at the same institution for the 2022/23 academic year.
• You can choose the term in which you would like to go on exchange (fall 2022 or winter 2023) at a later date. 

Take remote courses in the 2021 fall term through an exchange partner institution: 

The availability of remote courses for exchange students will change depending on the institution. Many institutions are still determining if they will offer remote courses to exchange students. 

Please note the following information if you are considering taking remote courses at an exchange partner institution:

• You must take a full course load from the exchange partner institution. It is not possible to take some courses at Laurier and some courses at the partner institution.  
• Some challenges to consider when taking remote courses from another country may include:
  • The cultural experience will be different than an in-person experience.
  • Courses at our exchange partner institutions will be taught in the institution's local time. Time zone differences can make it challenging to complete coursework and group work. You could end up delivering a class presentation in the middle of the night or have group work sessions at odd hours.
  • You may experience technological barriers when trying to access remote learning platforms outside of the host country.

Withdraw from the student exchange program:

There is no deadline to withdraw from the student exchange program. However, if you miss the May 10 deadline to defer to another location, you may lose your option to hold your place in the exchange program and another student may take the spot.   

You can withdraw from exchange at any time by emailing exchange@wlu.ca.

If you withdraw from exchange, you can consider other global engagement opportunities such as:

• Volunteering in our office (remotely or, if it's safe, in person). 
• Completing the Intercultural Certificate offered each term. 
• Participating in a summer semester exchange opportunity offered at one of our partner institutions. This is an exchange opportunity where you pay tuition to Laurier and take the course(s) at the partner institution. Opportunities will be posted in January 2022 for summer 2022 courses. Applications for summer semester exchange will be due in late January 2022 or early February 2022. 

If you are considering applying directly to another institution to take courses, and not applying through Laurier International, you must first get a letter of permission (LOP) from Laurier. A letter of permission to study at another institution will only be considered if no international travel is required to complete the course.

Letter of permission vs. the student exchange program

A letter of permission and the student exchange program are two different ways to study abroad.

With a letter of permission:

• The letter is processed through the Office of the Registrar.
• You apply directly to the institution.
• You pay tuition directly to the institution.
• The institution may not be one of Laurier's designated exchange partners.
• The Office of the Registrar processes all credit transfers.

With the student exchange program:

• You apply to go on exchange through Laurier International.
• You pay tuition to Laurier.
• The institution is one of Laurier's designated exchange partners.
• Laurier International processes all credit transfers.

There is no guarantee that fall spaces can be transferred to the 2022 winter term. Laurier International will communicate with all of our host institutions to determine if the nominations can be transferred from fall 2021 to winter 2022, or help students find another host institution.  

When considering a new exchange institution, check if the term dates and course offerings will work for you. 

The host institution may determine how many students can be hosted based on various factors, such as classroom capacity, administrative capacity, how many students have been exchanged with Laurier, etc.

You can withdraw from the student exchange program at any time by emailing us at exchange@wlu.ca.  

There is no deadline to withdraw but if you miss the deadline to defer to another location (May 10) you may lose your opportunity to hold your place and another student may take the spot.   

There is no deadline to withdraw and no fees associated with withdrawing. 
 
If you do withdraw and choose to apply for exchange again in the future, you will need to re-submit 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 re-submit these. 

Please email exchange@wlu.ca with your decision about your next steps, which may be:

• Requesting to defer your exchange to the 2022 winter term.
• Requesting to defer your exchange to the 2022/23 academic year.
• Withdrawing from exchange.

We will contact you to confirm we have received your decision.

Laurier International will contact your host institution to confirm that Laurier will not be sending students on exchange for the 2021 fall term. Please do not contact the host institution.   

If you have started your exchange application for the 2021 fall term, there is no need to continue it. It will be cancelled with your nomination. 

If Laurier International has confirmed that you have been able to move your exchange to the 2022 winter term, Laurier will communicate this to your host institution. You will then be informed if you need to resubmit your application to the host institution for the 2022 winter term, and by the deadline they specify, or if the application you submitted for the 2021 fall term can be transferred to the 2022 winter term.

If you applied for exchange in 2021 then you have not yet paid the $110 placement fee. Laurier International will ask for this payment in late May 2021, unless you have withdrawn from the program. In late May, Laurier International will share how to make payment by credit card. 

If you paid a $100 placement fee in March 2020 and are now withdrawing from exchange, you are able to get a refund. If you are withdrawing from exchange completely, you can request a refund for your $100 placement fee by completing the refund request form by June 1, 2021. All refunds submitted by June 1 will be processed together. You can still submit the form after June 1, but your refund request will be processed with the next group of requests later. 

The $30 application fee is non-refundable. 

Each student will decide individually what they would like to do. Laurier International will support each student’s decision. Contact us at exchange@wlu.ca or meet with us over Zoom during drop-in hours. When making your decision about participating in the student exchange program, some things to consider include:

• What are your academic needs? What courses do you need to take? You can contact your Academic Advisor or Program Coordinator to help with this.
• Why did you originally choose to go on exchange? Review your Letter of Motivation from your exchange application. 
• What are personal factors to consider, such as work, co-op, family, financial situation, housing, etc.? 
• What are the risks and benefits of going on exchange, or not going?  
• When do you intend to graduate? Are you willing to delay graduation? Students who go abroad for the 2022 winter term can't graduate in spring (June) 2022 as it takes a few months to transfer credits. The soonest 2022 winter exchange students could graduate would be October 2022.  
  • Confirmation of graduation letters can be requested through Enrolment Services before September 2022 to provide to employers or graduate schools. 
  • Send questions about graduation or graduation letters to servicelaurier@wlu.ca.

Our International at Home programs allow you to expand your intercultural learning and be globally engaged, even if you can't travel. Our programs include:

• Intercultural Certificate 
• Tandem Language Program 
• Hawk 2 Hawk English Conversation Program 
• Volunteering as a GESA 

Applications to go on exchange for the 2022 winter term are due on May 31, 2021.

Laurier will announce by mid-September if 2022 winter term exchanges can proceed.

Laurier International will review all of the requests from students who wish to go on exchange in the 2022 winter term, and distribute available spaces in the following order: 

1. Students who are currently placed with an exchange partner institution for the 2022 winter term. These students will retain their exchange spot. 
2. Students who deferred their exchange from the 2020/21 academic year and wish to go on exchange in the 2021/22 academic year. 
3. Students who are currently placed with an exchange partner institution for the fall 2021 term. 
4. Students who applied late for a 2022 winter term exchange (submitted their application after February 2, 2021). 

This is a risk that could happen. We encourage students not to make exchange-related payments (such as for housing) until the required payment deadline. We recommend that students do not book flights or apply for visas until you receive an acceptance letter from your partner institution.  

Students are able to stay enrolled in 2022 winter term courses at Laurier until Laurier International communicates to the registrar’s office that you will be going on exchange, which would happen just before your departure. 

If you are not enrolled in Laurier courses and your exchange is cancelled, you can try to enrol in Laurier courses. 

Laurier is unable to reimburse any costs associated with exchange, so please consider the financial risk before making any payment for exchange, such as payments for flights, visas, housing, etc.   

Deadlines for pre-departure requirements will be not be enforced as we navigate this new information.  Pre-departure requirements and deadlines will be re-assessed and determined soon. This includes: 

• The Online pre-departure course material in MLS (was due April 12, now due June 28 for late applicants) 
• Form 4 (due when you are accepting your placement offer) 
• Form 6 (was due June 10 for Fall 2021 exchanges - do not complete now. Winter 2022 students will complete in the Fall term) 
• Health insurance purchase (was due June 10 for Fall 2021 exchanges - do not complete now. Winter 2022 students will complete in the Fall term) 
• For students planning exchanges in Winter 2022, we will provide further pre-departure sessions again closer to the time of your exchange in the fall term. 

Yes. These topics will help prepare you for your exchange. 

There is one exception: the presentation on Form 6, scheduled for May 21, has been cancelled. This presentation will be rescheduled in fall 2021. All students going on exchange for the 2022 winter term will need to submit their completed Form 6 in October 2021. 

We will also be offering a pre-departure refresher session in the fall. Past Laurier students who went on exchange in winter terms have found the refresher session helpful in reminding them about upcoming deadlines, the course selection process, and more. We will share the date of the refresher session as soon as it has been finalized.

Nominations for exchange for the fall 2021 term and fall-winter 2021/22 are now closed, but nominations for the winter 2022 term are still open.

Laurier is currently approaching the fall 2021 term as a transitionary term. Our overall objective is to increase our on-campus presence in support of in-person teaching, learning, research and student experience in fall 2021. We will keep you updated on how this may impact students coming to Laurier on exchange.

At Laurier, the 2021 fall term is meant to be transitionary, with the overall objective to increase our on-campus presence in support of in-person teaching, learning, research and student experience in fall 2021. You can also read Laurier's full statement on its approach to the fall 2021 term. 

This means that some courses will be offered in person, while some will still be offered remotely. Laurier has compiled a list of frequently asked questions specifically on fall 2021 and winter 2022 course delivery to provide you with more information.

The timetable for the fall 2021 term is now available on LORIS and ScheduleMe, and each course will indicate if it will be offered in person or remotely.

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

Remote courses at Laurier may be delivered synchronoulsy or asynchronously.

Synchronous courses are delivered remotely on a specific day and time, and students are expected to be online during this time for the class.

Asynchronous courses are delivered online and students work through them independently. You don't need to be online for the class on a specific day and time.

For more information, you can watch our video on course delivery for fall 2021 or read more about in-person, remote and onine courses.

If you wish to travel to Canada, and receive a study permit to do so, you will be subject to the quarantine requirements of the Canadian government when they arrive.

Students travelling to Canada this fall may have to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test, quarantine at a government-authorized hotel for three days (at their own expense) and complete the remaining 11 days of their quarantine through Laurier's STAQ program (at their own expense). At the present time, total costs for quarantine are up to $3,000 CAD. All of these details are subject to change. 

Laurier International is currently accepting nominations for students to study at Laurier on exchange for the 2022 winter term. 

Laurier's goal is to return to regular in-person operations, with minimal restrictions, by the 2022 winter term. This goal is dependent on any public health restrictions in place at the time, and we are planning for different scenarios that would allow us to scale back activities, if required. The announcement regarding our plans for the 2021 fall term also includes information about the 2022 winter term.

Travel restrictions implemented by the Government of Canada require that all foreign students entering Canada now require a study permit. This is a change from the previous requirement (before COVID-19) when only students studying for six months or more were required to obtain a study permit.

The requirements are subject to change, but right now all foreign students wishing to enter Canada, including students participating in academic exchange, must have a valid study permit. 

Read more information from the Government of Canada on short-term studies. 

Our FAQ page for international students answers many questions related to study permits and how the process has been impacted by COVID-19. You can also review the Government of Canada information on applying for your study permit, as well as the study permit application guide.

When you apply and are approved for a study permit you will also be approved for a visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA) at the same time. You don't need to apply separately for a visa or eTA.

If you have further questions related to study permits, please email laurierinternational@wlu.ca.

For your study permit application, you will be asked to submit a Letter of Acceptance. If you have already submitted your online application to study at Laurier, you can find this letter in your acceptance email from us, which will have the subject line: Congratulations! You have been accepted to study at Wilfrid Laurier University!

The letter you will upload is page 2 of the attachment. 

Letters of Acceptance are sent out to all accepted exchange students within two weeks of the application deadline. Review our deadlines for incoming exchange students for more information.