Prior to Arrival | Haskayne International Exchange Program

Incoming exchange students are advised to arrive at least one week prior to the start of classes, in order to arrive in time for residence move in and international student orientation events, and have time to collect your Unicard, U-Pass, textbooks, etc. Click here to view the full academic schedule. 

*Nominations for Winter term can be sent as early as during the Fall nomination period, and early nomination is encouraged if possible, as course registration for the full academic year begins annually in March.

Note that many courses have a registrar-scheduled final examination, held during the exam period (noted above). If you register in classes with registrar-scheduled final examinations, you are required to be available for the entire exam period. The exam schedule is typically released one month after classes have started, and exams can be scheduled until 10:00pm on the last day of the exam period. Incoming exchange students should not plan any travel until after the last possible day for final exams.

In order to study at the Haskayne School of Business, an incoming exchange student must first be nominated by their home institution. Partner institutions are invited to email nominations by the deadlines noted above to undergrad.exchange@haskayne.ucalgary.ca.

Once nominations have been processed, incoming exchanges students will receive an email with an invitation to formally apply as well as detailed instructions for completing the application. Applications should include:

• Transcripts (records of courses) with final grades;
• Proof of English Language Proficiency (if required); and
• A list of 6 to 8 courses you are interested in taking during your exchange.
  • If you are joining us for a full year exchange, please list 12 to 14 courses.

Note that applications without transcripts or applications received after the deadline will not be processed.

Prior to registering in courses at the University of Calgary, you will need to obtain permission first from the faculty/department offering the course. We will review your initial list on your application and email you with which courses we have granted permission for you to take; we will also include instructions for how to register and how to request permission for alternate courses. Students can change their course selection and registration up until the start of term, though we strongly recommend registering as soon as possible to avoid classes being full.

You can browse the course catalogue online prior to applying here.

Most undergraduate courses offered by the Haskayne School of Business are permitted for incoming exchange students to register in, provided you have successfully completed courses similar to our prerequisites. The following courses are not permitted for incoming exchange students to take: MGST 217, SGMA 217, ENTI 317, MGST 301, MGST 501, MGST 503, SGMA 591, as well as courses that are offered in block week.  You may be allowed to take courses from other faculties on campus, depending on prerequisites and space availability. Please note that Economics is not part of the business faculty here.

When reviewing pre-requisite information on courses at UCalgary, we suggest that you compare the course title(s) and description(s) between UCalgary courses and home institution courses. We understand you have not completed our pre-requisites courses and will work with you to ensure that you have enough of the pre-requisite information to successfully complete your chosen courses here.

Course levels:

• 200-level: junior level, intended for students in 1st and/or 2nd year
• 300-level: senior level, intended for students in 2nd and/or 3rd year
• 400-level: senior level, intended for students in 3rd and/or 4th year
• 500-level: senior level, intended for students in 4th and/or 5th year
• 600-level & 700-level: graduate level courses, not open to incoming undergraduate exchange students

Incoming exchange students must take a minimum of 2 business courses (6 units) and a minimum of 3 courses (9 units) total per semester. The maximum course load is 5 courses (15 units) per semester. Each course worth 3 units is equal to 3 class hours per week per course, for 13 weeks total and a total of 39 hours; labs and tutorials are extra. In-class assessments can include assignments, quizzes, individual and group projects, tests, and midterm exams. Details will be included in the course outline, distributed on the first day of class. Class participation is normally required.

Time conflicts or overlaps are not permitted for any student at the University of Calgary; please ensure the classes you select do not have any time conflicts between any of the lectures, labs, tutorials, and/or seminars.

The University of Calgary offers on-campus residence to incoming exchange students, though placement is not guaranteed. You can apply for residence prior to completing your incoming exchange application, but please be aware of any non-refundable application fees or other associated costs. Click here  to learn more about our on-campus residence, meal plans, or to apply for your spot today! Applying early will help ensure a space in campus residence for your exchange term.

Please know that you are not obligated to live on campus during your exchange at UCalgary. If you prefer to arrange your accommodations independently, please click here for a comprehensive list of resources that will help you begin your search.

As an exchange student, you are expected to have comprehensive travel and medical insurance. It's best to buy insurance from your home country and bring it with you. UCalgary does not sell insurance plans for exchange students, but International Student Services can give some advice if you choose to buy insurance in Canada. 

Depending on what country you are coming from and how long you are staying for, you may require different documents in order to study in Canada. International Student Services is an office at UCalgary that provides all information about immigration documents to students. If you have any questions about your specific circumstances, please contact an immigration advisor.