Any coursework completed at another university while you are a McGill student must be pre-approved to be considered for transfer credit. Any transfer credit request without pre-approval will be refused.
Students completing prerequisite courses after being admitted to McGill must take them at a university-level (not CEGEP-level) institution.
Going on exchange
Complete a semester or a year of study at a partner university. You’ll get to explore, learn and grow abroad, all while earning credit toward your McGill degree, and paying your usual McGill tuition.
Inter-University Transfer
The Québec Inter-University Transfer Agreement (IUT) allows McGill students to take one or more courses at another Québec university, while paying their regular McGill tuition.
J'Explore
The Explore Program is a five-week French-language bursary program offered by the Government of Canada. Students who complete the program at a recognized host university may receive transfer credit on their McGill transcript.
Independent study away
An independent study away is when a McGill student applies, registers, takes courses and pays tuition to an accredited degree granting institution and receives an official transcript of these studies from the same undergraduate degree granting school.
Students must be registered at the host school as a visiting, non-degree student and take courses that are part of the host university’s undergraduate curriculum, taught by their faculty members. The study away term will appear on the student's McGill transcript.
Eligibility
To qualify for independent study away, students must:
- Have a minimum CGPA of 2.7 at the time of application (2.5 CGPA for the summer term)
- Have not already received the maximum number of transfer credits
- Register with the McGill Student Travel Registry (unless the course is online).
How to apply
- Research and select a host institution.
- Select the course(s) at the host institution that you intend to register for during the proposed term(s) and check whether the course was previously approved through McGill's Course Equivalency System. If not, submit a course equivalency request.
- Complete the Study Away Application in Minerva (Student Menu > Student Records Menu > Exchange/Study Away Menu). In your statement of purpose, indicate why you wish to study away.
- Complete the Transfer Credit Assessment Form in Minerva, linked at the bottom of your Study Away Application. In order to populate this form, the course must already be approved in the Course Equivalency System.
- Once your application is approved by the Faculty, you will receive an automated e-mail from Minerva indicating that you may log back into your Study Away Application and print a letter of permission (link found at the bottom of application), which will allow you to apply to the host institution as a visiting student.
Pre-approving transfer credit from your exchange institution
All students participating in an exchange, Québec Inter-University Transfer, or the Explore Program must have the courses they plan to take at their host institution pre-approved for equivalency to McGill courses to ensure the credits will transfer to their McGill student record.
Transfer credit approval process for students in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Once you have been admitted to your host university, select the courses you intend to register for and check whether they have been previously approved through McGill's Course Equivalency System. If not, submit a course equivalency request.
- In the student records section of Minerva, complete the Transfer Credit Assessment Form found in the exchange/study away menu. In order to populate this form, the course must already be approved in the Course Equivalency System.
- Provided your academic advisor approves the courses submitted for assessment, you must ensure your host university sends your official transcript directly to McGill once it is available.
