McGill.CA / Arts OASIS / Study Away

McGill Exchange

Applications for Winter 2026 opened on April 15 and will close on June 10. Late applications are not accepted. 

Interested in doing a Winter 2026 Exchange? 

Register for an online Exchange Information Session. The sessions will cover: the application process, eligibility requirements, course assessments, the Minerva transfer credit assessment form and there will be a Q & A period at the end.

Please refer to the Arts OASIS Online Education Policy. 

An Exchange is an incredible opportunity to live abroad, immerse yourself in a new culture, and gain international perspectives in your field of study. You will be studying at one of McGill’s bilateral partner universities, paying tuition for 15 McGill credits, and earning credits that can transfer back to your McGill degree. Studying on Exchange in a country in which you are yourself a citizen is highly discouraged.

For more information about the McGill Exchange Program, please visit the McGill Abroad website and review the Arts OASIS Exchange Fact Sheet. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Health and safety vary widely across the world, from country to country. As such, study abroad terms may be cancelled by McGill and/or its partners at any time. It is therefore recommended to plan serious financial commitments accordingly and carefully review all cancellation policies (e.g., travel, accommodation, insurance, etc.)

To contact the Study Away Team, submit a request through Arts OASIS Service Portal.

Application Periods:

TERM DATE
Fall Term ONLY December 2, 2024 to January 15, 2025
Fall & Winter Term December 2, 2024 to January 15, 2025
Winter Term ONLY April 15, 2025 to June 10, 2025 

Eligibility:

At the time of application you must:

  1. Have a McGill CGPA of 3.00 or greater in the McGill BA, BSW or B.Th. degree. Your latest CGPA in Winter 2025 will be used to determine your eligibility for Faculty approval and for ranking in the Exchange nomination process. You must also maintain a McGill CGPA of 3.00 or greater to begin your exchange term.
  2. Make sure that your Minerva record is up-to-date:
    • Any transfer credits earned during an approved study away in a previous term of study must be articulated on your Minerva record.
  3. Be currently registered as a full-time resident student in the McGill Faculty of Arts - BA, BSW or B.Th. degree - in Winter 2025 and Fall 2025 at McGill. Specifically:
    • You must be enrolled in 12 or more credits in each of the terms Winter 2025 and Fall 2025.
      • Note: You will not meet this requirement if your Minerva record in Winter 2025 and/or Fall 2025 indicates "Non Resident" as your status (eg. on Exchange or an Independent Study Away; on Leave of Absence; etc)
    • You must have completed at least 24 McGill credits by the start of your term abroad.
    • For Fall and full year Exchange application ONLY: If you were admitted to McGill this academic year, are currently enrolled in 12 credits and have either a deferred grade, K grade or are taking a D1/D2 course, you must contact your professor and have them send us the midterm grade of that course. Please have them send the information directly to the Arts OASIS Service Portal with the subject line: LAST NAME/FIRST NAME; STUDENT NUMBER, Midterm Grade for Exchange.

           Important notes:

  1. Course withdrawals (eg. W grades) are not considered completed credits, and are hence excluded from the above.

  2. Courses taken under the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option count as completed credits. However, if it is your first term at McGill, a minimum of 12 credits must be graded in order to evaluate your GPA for a full course load.

  3. If you are approved by McGill to participate on an Exchange, should the host institution cancel or refuse your application due to failure to meet their own conditions, your overall exchange will also be considered cancelled and will not be reopened. It is your responsibility to adhere to the following:
    • You must resolve any and all delayed/missing grades on your McGill record (eg. Ls for deferred exams, Ks for course extensions, etc).
    • You must meet the requirements of the host institution. Individual partner schools may have different posted requirements than McGill’s, including such things as the following: language competency; different CGPA requirements; differing consideration of full-time status or graded credits; or a particular year/level standing.
  1. Have a minimum of 15 credits remaining to complete for your McGill degree. Students are charged for 15 McGill credits of tuition per Exchange semester.
  2. Make sure that the Faculty of Arts minimum credit and program and degree residency requirements are met. Students will NOT be permitted to exceed their BA credit limit to study away.
  3. Students returning to their McGill studies immediately after a Faculty approved Leave of Absence in Winter 2025, must submit a request via the Arts OASIS Service Portal to have their Exchange eligibility assessed well in advance of the Exchange application deadline and to complete any required additional steps.
  4. If you have been approved for exchange / study away in the coming term (eg. W26), and if you have also been approved to defer a final exam in the term prior (eg. F25):
    1. Scheduling of Deferred Exam: Your deferred final exam will be scheduled during the normal deferred exam period (March for Fall courses, or August for Winter term courses). There are no alternate dates/times permissible; the mode of delivery will be the same as the original final exam (ie. if the final exam was held in-person, the deferred exam will also take place in-person). Should your deferred exam coincide with your term away:
      • You will have to cancel your term away; or
      • You will have to make travel arrangements to return to Montreal to write the deferred exam.
    2. Missed Deferred Exam: If you fail to attend your scheduled deferred exam, you will receive a J grade (unexcused absence - failed).
    3. Late Course Withdrawal: As an alternative to a deferred exam, you may opt to request a late course withdrawal. Note however that approval is not guaranteed.

  5. If you are applying for an exchange in your graduating term, please note the following:

    1. Students who are on exchange during their term of graduation WILL NOT be eligible to graduate at the end of that final term. The Study Away team will add the NEXT available term of graduation to your Minerva record (e.g. If you are on a exchange in the Winter term, a graduation flag will be added to the Summer term).

    2. If you are unable to graduate in the term after your exchange, it is your responsibility to notify us to postpone your graduation date to a later term.

    3. For exchanges with Japanese and German institutions, your graduation term will be deferred by two terms (e.g. If you are on a exchange in Winter, your graduation will be pushed to the Fall term). However, if we receive your transcript in time, you can still potentially graduate in the subsequent term of your exchange.

NOTE 1- Social Work and Theology students: You must first discuss your plans to take courses at another university with your program advisor. (See Social Work program advisor or Theology program advisor). Your program advisor must send an email from their McGill email account confirming that you have departmental approval. Please have them submit a ticket via the ARTS Oasis Service Desk Portal BEFORE the Exchange application deadline. They can select "Other", then in the "Summary" indicate: SWRK/Theology approval for LAST NAME/FIRST NAME; STUDENT NUMBER and EXCHANGE TERM.

NOTE 2 - Inter-Faculty Transfers:

  • Students who transfer from another McGill Faculty to the Bachelor of Arts are not eligible to apply for a McGill Exchange until they have completed a minimum of 12 McGill credits in the McGill BA, BSW or B.Th. degree with McGill CGPA of 3.0 or greater.
  • If you have accepted a nomination to participate in a Fall or full year Fall/Winter McGill Exchange for an upcoming academic term of study under your current faculty, please note that the approval will not automatically transfer to the BA degree. You must indicate that you have been nominated for a McGill Exchange in the “Comments” section of the Minerva Inter-Faculty transfer application at the time that you apply. The Exchange nomination will be evaluated according to Faculty of Arts eligibility requirements.

NOT meeting the eligibility requirements or not submitting the information requested will result in an application REFUSAL.

    Application procedure

    Step 1 - Degree Planning

    Review the Plan & Prepare section of this website. A well researched degree plan is an important part of the study abroad process. Carefully read the Arts OASIS Degree Planning website for important information about planning your degree.

    You are advised to complete an Arts OASIS Degree Planning Worksheet following the instructions in the Degree Planning Guide before submitting an application to study away to ensure that your plan meets your academic requirements. If you need help with this process, book a Degree Planning appointment with an Arts OASIS Advisor and make sure you meet with each of your departmental program advisors to carefully plan the courses needed for each program of study.

    Keep in mind the degree requirements for the B.A degree when planning your study away:

    1. You must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 credits at McGill University.
    2. A minimum of two-thirds of all program requirements (Multi-track, Honours, Faculty program) must be satisfactorily completed at McGill.

     

    Step 2 - Research and Review Universities

    It is important to ensure that you have researched and reviewed all requirements BEFORE submitting a Minerva Exchange application. The McGill Exchange Office, located in Service Point, oversees all aspects of the Exchange nomination process and conducts the lottery that selects nominations to McGill’s bilateral exchange partners. Arts OASIS will assess whether BA students meet the academic eligibility requirements to receive “Faculty Approval” for a McGill Exchange. Exchange nominations for the Faculty of Arts are ranked by CGPA and the nominations are selected by a university wide lottery.

    1. Carefully read all the information on the Arts OASIS Study Away website including the Plan & Prepare and Transferring Credit sections
    2. Review the Information on the McGill Abroad website, especially the “7 Steps to Going on Exchange”
    3. Research the partner universities on the McGill Abroad website. Please ensure that you are only choosing partners that are indicated as “Open to all faculties” or “Arts”

    The Minerva Exchange application allows you to rank a maximum of four (4) different host universities. Selecting two different campuses at the same university will count as two separate choices. Use your 4 choices wisely!

    The host university choices that are open to students in the Faculty of Arts are listed here. Note that Minerva is not set up to restrict you from selecting schools that are not open to students in the Faculty of Arts so make sure that you select a host university that is open to Arts students!

    McGill Exchanges take place in either the Fall, full year or Winter term. Due to high demand, the majority of Exchanges are one semester in duration. Before submitting the Request for a Full Year Exchange, consider the popularity of the host school since these will have limited spaces and students may not be permitted to complete a full year there.

    The number of Exchange spaces available at each host institution is limited, and varies from year to year. Making a selection on the Minerva Exchange application is not a guarantee that you will be nominated to the school of your choice or for the term of study you selected. Due to limited Exchange places, you may be nominated to a host institution that was not one of your choices or one term of study even if you applied for a full year.

    At the time of application for a McGill Exchange, you need to submit a minimum of eight (8) courses per host institution for each term you plan to participate in an Exchange. This list of courses serves only as a preliminary study plan to demonstrate that the course offerings at the host institution are compatible with the requirements of your McGill degree. Your completed Arts OASIS Degree Planning Worksheet will assist you with this process. The courses you list on the Minerva Exchange application do not need to be approved on the McGill Course Equivalency System or by your departmental program advisor at this time. The courses you list on the exchange application are not binding.

    Step 3 - Submit your application

    Important Notes: 

    • If you do not submit the information we request by the deadline you have been given, found in the "SAO comments" of your Minerva Exchange application, your application will be FACULTY REFUSED.
    • It is the student's responsibility to check their McGill email account and the Minerva Exchange module regularly for important notices as this is our official means of communication during the application process and during your term away.

    If you have a "HOLD" on your Minerva record, please consult this website for information on the impact this will have on your study away application. If the hold is not cleared by the deadline you have been given in the "SAO comments" in your Minerva Exchange application, your application will be FACULTY REFUSED.

    You are limited to one Minerva exchange application per academic year.

     A non-refundable application fee is charged to your student account once you submit the application on Minerva.

    - Minerva Application

    1. Review the Minerva Exchange Application Screenshots.
      • Submit this application by the deadline. No late applications will be accepted.
      • To access the application: On Minerva, navigate to: Student Menu > Student Records Menu > Exchange/Study Away Menu > Request for Exchange

    - Degree Planning Worksheet (optional):

    - Tips & Tools for your Application:

    • Don’t rush through your application!
    • Click on the Question Marks or Help tabs in the Minerva Application for explanations.
    • The application will time-out after 90 minutes of inactivity.
      • Have your text/course lists ready to paste into the application so as not to lose your work or miss the deadline.
    • Once you submit your application it cannot be modified. You will not be able to change your choices of partner universities. If you want to make change, you will have to cancel your application and complete a new one before the deadline.

    Step 4 - Approval

    Check your McGill email regularly to avoid missing important notices about your McGill Exchange application. As your application is being assessed by Arts OASIS, your application status will be updated on Minerva.

    Once Arts OASIS has completed the review of your application, a Faculty decision of “Faculty Approved” or “Faculty Refused” will be indicated in the “Faculty Application Status” field.

    Nomination Level:

    If your application is "Faculty Approved", your name will be added to a list of students that will be sent to the McGill Exchange Office for the nomination process. For more information about nominations, please see the information on the McGill Abroad website. Once you have accepted the McGill nomination, you will receive an email from the McGill Exchange Office with instructions on how to submit your application to the host school

    What happens after you accept the Exchange Office’s nomination?

    Your record will be updated to non-resident status for term(s) you will be on Exchange. You will be billed McGill tuition for 15 credits that term, irrespective of how many courses or credits you take at the exchange university. As well, if you are already enrolled for courses at McGill during your Exchange term(s):

    • These McGill courses will be dropped;
    • Your transcript will indicate "Term Away/Exchange" (for a winter term Exchange, your record will be updated to non-resident status after September);
    • You will not be able to register for McGill courses in that term(s); and
    • Your McGill courses will not be re-instated if your plans change.

    Step 5 - Next Steps

    Pre-departure Orientation

    • You are required to register for a Pre-departure Orientation via the webform available on the McGill Abroad website in order to be granted access/enrolled into the course.
    • To register or acquire more information about registering for Pre-departure Orientation, consult McGill Abroad.

    Travel registry

    • You are required to register your Exchange activity using the McGill Student Travel Registry app, as soon as possible and at least 4 weeks prior to departure.
    • Information about how to download and register using the app can be found on the McGill Student Travel Registry website.
    • Failure to register your trip in the McGill Student Travel Registry and not completing the Pre-Departure Orientation will result in:
      • Your Exchange being cancelled; and
      • No credits earned during your activity will be recognized or transferred.
    • Questions regarding the Travel Registry and Pre-Departure Orientation should be sent to safetyabroad [at] mcgill.ca.

       

       

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