During and after your exchange at McGill
Important things to keep in mind during your exchange, and before you leave.
Paying your student account balance
E-bills are issued on a monthly basis and will list any charges or outstanding balances on your student account. You can verify your account balance at any time in Minerva > Student Menu > Student Accounts Menu > Account Summary by Term.
Be sure to keep payments up to date to avoid any interest charges or financial holds. A financial hold on your student record will prevent you from ordering your official transcript.
Information on McGill’s e-billing process and how to pay your student account is available on the Student Accounts website.
Transcript of your grades
You have access to and can request your official transcript as soon as you are registered for courses.
Once you have completed your exchange, you are responsible for ordering your official transcript to be sent to your home university.
Note: Prior to ordering, log into Minerva to make sure that all your grades have been made available (Student Records Menu > View Your Unofficial Transcript). If you have a hold on your account, you must clear it to be able to order an official transcript. (See more about holds below.)
When ordering the electronic transcript, make sure to verify which email address your transcript should be sent to with your home university. If your home university requires that the transcript be sent directly from McGill, make sure to list your home university’s email address as the recipient and NOT yourself.
McGill transcripts only show letter grades (not numeric grades). View a description of the grading system (this information is also embedded as an attachment with your official transcript).
Proof of enrolment letters
If you require confirmation of your enrolment at McGill, you should use your Proof of Enrolment letter from Minerva.
You can access your Proof of Enrolment letter in Minerva once you have registered for at least one course. The proof of enrolment letter is an official letter which includes the university seal and is signed by the University Registrar.
Information about the letter, including how to access it, can be found on the Student Records website.
Printing on campus - uPrint
Students have access to printers across the campus – uPrint. Exchange students must purchase a pre-paid uPrint card to use the printers.
Holds on your record
Students may find “holds” on their student record throughout their exchange at McGill.
Typically, holds are added to your record if you owe money to the university, have not provided McGill with copies of required documents supporting your immigration status, or other important issues. Holds typically prevent students from making changes to their registration or block students from ordering their official transcript.
You can check for any holds in Minerva > Student Menu > Student Records Menu > View Your Unofficial Transcript. Any holds will be listed at the top of your unofficial transcript, under your name and ID number.
Details about holds and how to resolve them are listed on the Service Point website.
Accessing Minerva after your exchange
All students, including exchange students, retain their access to Minerva. You access the portal by using your McGill ID number and PIN. Note, however, that as an exchange student you will eventually lose access to your McGill email address.
If you are not able to login to Minerva, you can have your PIN reset using the ‘Forgot PIN’ option on the Minerva login page. If you have any further issues accessing the Minerva portal, visit the PIN reset website for further assistance.
