Step 2: Apply to the McGill exchange program

For the 2024-2025 academic year, there will be two separate application periods depending on when you want to start your exchange:

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Full year application requires further steps, please see at the bottom of this page for more information. Please note that full year exchanges are subject to faculty approval and space availability. Acceptance into a full year exchange is not guaranteed.   

Before getting started on your application

Be sure you have:

• Reviewed the following eligibility criteria. To participate you must:
  • have a minimum CGPA 3.0 (If your CGPA is under 3.0 due to extenuating circumstances, please contact your faculty advisor to determine your eligibility)
  • meet your Faculty’s participation criteria—consult with your Faculty Advisor for exchange program processes and degree requirements specific to your Faculty
  • have completed at least 24 graded McGill credits by the start of your term abroad
• Browsed potential host universities with our “Where Can I Go on Exchange?” tool.
• Verified your personal information in the Personal Menu in Minerva. This information, including your address, phone number, and program information will be provided to the host institution.

If you are deemed ineligible to go on exchange, get in touch with a Faculty Advisor to learn about other student mobility opportunities available to you.

Completing your application requires reflection and research—make sure not to rush through the process!

Explore available funding

When going abroad you can expect to incur costs such as airline tickets, accommodations and other living expenses – but don’t let this stop you from gaining an international experience. Explore funding opportunities to learn more about available funding. 

Mobility Need-Based Bursary for Exchanges

The University encourages students to study abroad as part of their McGill degree program by defraying part of the cost of eligible study abroad activities. We recognize that the additional costs of going on an exchange may be difficult for some students to assume on their own. Thanks to the Quebec government’s Programme de mobilité international et de courts séjours à l’extérieur du Québec (PMICSE), McGill is able to help defray these costs for students who otherwise could not afford to participate. To be considered, students must apply using the Mobility for Exchanges Financial Aid application in Minerva by the prescribed deadlines found here.

NEW! Minimum guaranteed financial aid for Exchanges 2022-2023! The Scholarships and Student Aid office guarantees that any student who is receiving (North American) government student financial assistance and/or McGill bursaries/loans for their normal costs of attendance will receive a minimum of $3000/term if they apply for the Mobility Bursary for Exchanges.

Preparing to submit your application

The Exchange Request Form is comprised of separate sections, which are broken down for your review in the form's Help Menu. For more information on the Minerva application, please consult the application screen shots. Some of the sections should be prepared in advance. Taking the time to draft these answers in a Word document and being ready to copy-paste your answers into the form when submitting will make your application a breeze!

• Choose up to 4 of the universities you located using our “Where Can I Go on Exchange?” tool, and rank them by order of preference. Exchange places at each destination are limited, and there is no guarantee that you will receive a nomination for your first choice, so keep your options open by considering several potential destinations.
• Identify 8 specific courses at each preferred host university during your intended exchange term that fit into your McGill degree program.  This is for planning purposes only, and does not equate to obtaining course approval or equivalency for these courses. McGill students are not permitted to take online courses while on exchange. Be sure to review the host's institution course delivery mode. While on exchange students are expected to take the equivalent of 15 McGill credits per semester at their host institution. It is important to discuss your Faculty’s participation criteria directly with your Faculty Advisor. McGill students are required to pay for 15 credits for each semester on exchange.
• Draft one short statement of purpose for each host university you’ve selected. Before writing your statements for each university, consult this guide to the aspects you should be highlighting in your statement, making sure to describe the defining reasons you chose each university as one of your destinations.  

Make sure that you've carefully read, and are aware of, the exchanges Conditions of Participation, which you will be agreeing to when submitting your application!

*Note: Students going on exchange must consent to a release of personal information as stated in the Conditions of Participation document above. Whereas you are within your rights to decline to provide this consent - either at all or in a timely fashion - please note that this will likely result in you no longer being eligible to participate in an exchange, whether to the host institution to which you have been nominated, or at all.

Submitting your application

You will submit your application to go on an exchange using the Minerva Exchange Request form. You can access the request form by logging in to Minerva, navigating to the “Student Menu,” selecting the “Student Records Menu,” then the “Exchange/Study Away Menu”, and finally the “Exchange Request” form.

If you have questions regarding the fields in the form, refer to the form's Help Menu, which you reviewed in preparing to submit your application.  It contains helpful breakdowns of the form's fields and guides you through them.

Once your application has been submitted, a $154.50 non-refundable application fee will be charged to your student account.

Important note: In the event of a cancellation by either McGill University and/or its partners, the application fee will not be refunded and related awards and bursaries will be rescinded. Recipients of the Mobility Bursary for Exchanges may still receive support to defray non-refundable, out-of-pocket costs. Prior to your travel or while you are away, McGill may terminate your participation in the exchange activity for any reasons McGill deems fit including pandemic-related circumstances.

Applications cannot be modified after they've been submitted, so make sure that you take the time to double-check all the fields before pressing Submit! If you need to make changes to your application, you will have to cancel your first application and submit a new form. The deadlines listed above still apply!

To cancel your submitted application, contact Student Exchanges - Service Point as soon as possible.

Application timeline

* Students who wish to go on Exchange for a FULL YEAR will have to follow two steps to make this request:

1. Apply on Minerva for the FALL term, during the Fall application period (Dec. to Jan.15^th)
2. Complete this webform to make the request for the FULL YEAR.

Note: Approval is not guaranteed and subject to Faculty review and space availability at the selected host(s).