To apply for an exchange at Memorial, we are looking at this basic criteria:

1. Your eligibility to travel will depend on your program of study:
   1. For HSS & Science students: Completion of at least one year (30 credit hours) of academic study at Memorial.
   2. B.Comm Co-op students: Terms 5, 6 (most common), or 7. Graduation may be delayed for those students who choose to participate during Term 7. The Academic Programs Officer (APO) can provide additional information.
   3. BBA and B.Comm. students: At least 72 credit hours (24 courses) must be completed.
2. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 (out of 4). Please note that our partners may require a higher GPA for admission and this should be considered in selecting an institution.
3. A completed application for outbound exchange submitted by the required deadline, including an exchange justification letter, budget, letter of reference, transcript, and resume. More on this in Step 2.

Each faculty, school, and department may have additional criteria. It is best to speak with the Mobility Coordinator for your individual faculty to ensure you are meeting the requirements of your department for exchange participation.

The next question on your mind likely is "Where will I go?". While the options are numerous, the precise destination that you choose will be based on a number of factors. As you do your research, make note of the following:

• Does the country or institution have the academic program I seek?
• Does the institution offer courses accessible to me?
• Do I have the linguistic / language ability to perform at an academic level in that country or institution? 
• Do I plan to travel with an additional person?
• What is the cost of living like at the destination? 
• Do the semester dates align with my study plans at Memorial?
• What is the partner's minimun GPA for admission as an exchange student?

These are just some of the questions you may wish to ask yourself as your zero in on the destination that might be the best fit for you. To explore our partnership list, please visit Partnerships. In preparation for your application, create a shortlist of three partner institutions.

An ideal exchange would involve you getting credit for all the courses that you take abroad and that they transfer back seamlessly to Memorial University. However, semester dates at the partner schools don't always align, course credits are not always exact, and availability may change once you arrive in country. 

This is why preparation is key. Prior to going on exchange, it is recommended to:

• Consult with an Academic Advisor or your Faculty (Departmental) Coordinator to see when a good time (semester) would be to go on exchange.
• Request a program audit to see exactly where you are in your program progression - how many core courses you have left and how many electives.
• Confirm your letter of permission well in advance of your planned travel once you have identified the courses that you may wish to take at the partner school. It is often helpful to have more courses pre-approved just in case you have to shuffle, shift, or drop courses while abroad.

We do not recommend exchange participation in your last semester of study. This is because the semesters at our partner schools do not overlap with Memorial's semesters precisely. Also, there are usually delays in issuing the official transcript from the partner school. This will result in delays in your anticipated graduation date.  

Ensure you meet the below deadlines for application:

Semester (Memorial)	Start Date (Partner)	Deadline
Fall	July. August, September	February 1st
Winter	January, February, March, April ("Spring")	September 1st
Spring	May, June, July, August	February 1st

*Applications recieved after these dates will be considered depending on partner institution flexibility.

For Memorial's purposes, we want to understand your motivation for participating in an exchange, what your academic background is, and what you hope to gain from the experience.

To apply, we ask you to submit Memorial's Internal Application for International Exchange. This consists of: 

• A general application section:
  • General information identifying you, your program of study, targeted semester for study abroad, & host school rankings. This is collected directly on the online form.
• An exchange justification essay:
  • A 1000-1500 word essay explaining your interest in pursuing this learning abroad experience and how it may potentially impact your academic, professional and/or personal life. This should be saved in PDF format and uploaded to the online form when prompted. Please address the following in your essay:
    • An indication of your reasons for wanting to study abroad. Illustrate how you feel your academic, career/professional and personal development will benefit from studying abroad. How do you think your preferred exchange program/location will assist you in becoming more successful as a professional?
    • An indication of the reasons for selecting your top three partner institutions. Include a summary of your research, making reference to specific information such as courses offered, semester dates, accommodation options, costs, etc.
    • What are the steps you need to follow in order to obtain the proper visa/study permit to allow you to enter and study in your destination country? Explain.
    • Include an expense table in anticipation of the financial commitment required for your exchange. Please provide a brief statement about the financial supports will you be using to fund your experience abroad (i.e. student loans, family, scholarships/bursaries, employment income, etc.).
• Answers to three scenario questions:
  • Please compile your responses to these questions in a stand-alone PDF document for uploading on the online application:
    • You have arranged to meet with some of your fellow exchange students in Scotland. It is late at night, and after a long day of traveling, you finally arrive at Aberdeen airport. The agreed-upon meeting time comes and goes, but there is no one to meet you. After three hours, you decide to give them a call, but you discover that you have lost your contact information, what would you do?
    • You wake up one morning feeling depressed and tired and you do not want to get out of bed. You are also feeling very frustrated by how people do things in your host country and are even questioning why you are there. What would you do?
    • You are traveling on an overnight train through a country in which English is not spoken. When you wake up in the morning, you find all of your belongings strewn all over your cabin. To your dismay, your phone, money and passport have been stolen. What would you do?
• An up-to-date resume:
  • This should highlight your academic, volunteer, extra-curricular, and employment-based experience. Please upload this as a PDF on the online form.
• A copy of your unofficial transcript:
  • This should be the "draft" transcript downloaded for free from your Self-Service account. Upload this document to the online form. Please note that you may be asked by the partner insitution to provide an official transcript at a later time.
• One letter of reference (preferrably academic):
  • Submitted directly to the coordinator from a person who is capable of assessing your ability to pursue an international experience, and who can attest to your academic abilities in learning in a new environment. Please provide the following prompt to your referee:
    • To assist mobility staff in making a decision on the appropriateness of each student's participation in an exchange, we ask that you provide one reference letter for the student that speaks to their motivation, adaptability, academic skills, and those personal qualities that will give them the ability to benefit fully from an exchange experience. While we appreciate any observations that will assist us in evaluating an applicant, of special interest are qualities such as competence, independence, assertiveness, resourcefulness, quality of academic performance, confidence, social skills, open-mindedness, and integrity. 

All documents, with the exception of reference letters, should be submitted via the online application form by the appropriate deadline. Reference letters should be submitted by your referee directly to your Mobility Coordinator or goabroad@mun.ca.

Once your application is submitted, our team of Mobility Coordinators will review your application. They will be looking for:

• Completeness of application.
• Demonstration that you have thoroughly reviewed your destinations.
• Confirmation that you meet the basic eligiblity & academic requirements for participation.
• Clarity on your intent to participate in a learning abroad experience.
• Confidence that you will represent Memorial University well while on exchange.

Once the review is complete, you will recieve a letter communicating the decision about your application to your Memorial email. If accept an offer of excahnge, your nomination information will be supplied to the partner school and you will officially be approved for participation in an exchange. 

Please note that nominations to partner schools work on a reciprocal basis. There is competition for a limited number of spots each year. You may be accepted for exchange but offered your second or third choice of partner school, based on application numbers or factors related to suitability.

Once nominated, the partner school will follow-up with application information specific to your exchange. This will usually require:

• A formal application for exchange.
• Submission of official transcripts (for grading and registration purposes).
• Submission of passport information (where required for visa/study permit purposes).
• Demonstration of language ability (if instruction is primarily in another language or otherwise required by institution/country).
• Other documentation as requested (i.e. reference letter).

It is essential to complete the partner's application efficiently and quickly, as there is limited time to then prepare for the visa/study permit process. Each partner will have their own deadline for submission, so ensure you follow the instructions provided to you by the partner. Your Mobility Coordinator will be in touch with you throuhgout this process and can assist where you need it.

Before you leave, you must seek approval for the courses that you wish to take abroad with your faculty and the Office of the Registrar. To do so, follow these steps:

• Review the course offerings at the partner school and identify the courses you wish to take.
  • The number of credits / courses you will take will be determined by the host university (in compliance with their academic regulations and the visa regulations of the host country). 
• Collect the detailed descriptions or course syllabus for each course you are seeking. Contact your Mobility Coordinator if you have difficulty easily obtaining these from the partner school website.
• Complete the Office of the Registrar's Letter of Permission with the courses that you hope to take. 
• Send the Letter of Permission and course syllabi to transfer.credit@mun.ca, copying your Mobility Coordinator.

The office of the registrar will link with your department to ensure course module transferrability. 

Each country is unique in its visa requirements. Allow at least 2-4 months to prepare for your study permit or visa applications for your host country. This may involve sending your passport to the appropriate embassy or consulate within Canada. It also may involve you having to fly to Halifax, Montreal, Toronto or Ottawa for permit processing. The more time you have, the less expensive this process will be.

• To begin, the IATA Travel Centre may give you some broad strokes in terms of what permit or visa might be required.
• Global Affairs Canada has a list of consular missions in Canada, so you can research the particular country to which you are going for more information. 

At this stage, you'll want to create a firm budget plan for your trip. You can also use your acceptance letter for exchange to apply for a variety of scholarships and bursaries at the univesity to help fund or recoup travel costs. We have compiled a selection of scholarships that are available and a budgeting resource to support your journey and give you some realistic perspectives on what it might cost to engage in a learning abroad experience.

Scholarships & Bursaries

Through Memorial University, the following scholarship lists may be relevant to you:

• Scholarships for students going on exchange
• Scholarships for students going to Harlow Campus
• The Killam Fellowship (study abroad in the United States)
• General scholarships for current students at Memorial
• The Global Skills Opportunity Fund (GSO)

From time to time, institutions, partners, and external agencies advertise scholarship opportunities through our office. For more information, please visit Partner Institution Offerings.

Budgeting

In general, the cost of learning abroad will usually be more than a semester at Memorial University. However, it might not be as much as you think. Here is a single semester example (approximations only), based on domestic tuition fees for students who started their studies in Fall 2022:

• Tuition: 
  • $3120 for domestic student; 5 courses. Tuition is paid to Memorial (CAN tuition).
• MUN Fees:
  • $431 ancillary fees paid to Memorial.
• Partner Fees: 
  • $200-500. Some schools have minimal additional fees such as these.
• Health Insurance:
  • $200-$300 for one semester undergraduate, domestic health and dental. Additional International Health Insurance may be required if not sufficiently covered or you may be required to pay for insurance offered by host institution.
• Flights:
  • $1500-$3000 depending on destination or flight tier chosen.
• Accommodations:
  • $500 - $1000/month
• Food: 
  • $500/month
• Transportation:
  • $100 - $300/month
• Living Expenses & Recreational Activities:
  • $300 - upwards. Think about adding more to this line should you want to include recreational travel to neighbouring locations/countries.

These budget items are estimates, many of which are within your ability to control. Within reason, you can elect for more budget-friendly accommodations, follow google flights for discount flight fares, choose public transit over taxi to facilitate more involvement in activities (or travel) during your exchange.

In preparation you should create a comprehensive, personalized budget based on your needs and desired destination. You may wish to consider these additional items:

• Travel visa/study permit fees;
• Temporary accommodation upon arrival (if long-term accommodation is not available immediately);
• Clothing and personal items;
• Internet and phone service;
• Unforeseen expenses (medical care, emergencies, legal or diplomatic costs, lost items etc.).

Prior to travel on Memorial University study or business, you must complete the travel registry.

All students engaging in an exchange semester must also participate in a pre-departure consultation with their Mobility Coordinator. At this session, topics covered will include:

• Health insurance coverage;
• Risk management while travelling abroad;
• Personal health, safety, and well-being while abroad;
• Memorial's requirements for students travelling abroad (Travel Outside Canada Policy);
• Resources for you to use to support you on your travel.

Your Mobility Coordinator will reach out to after acceptance for exchange to arrange your mandatory, group pre-departure. 

Undergraduate students travelling abroad will be registered for a "course" while abroad: INTE 3999-XXX.

Your mobility coordinator will assist with the registration process. They will "create" the INTE course for you and see that you are registered in the course. The INTE course initiates the tuition charge for your semester abroad.

Remember, your tuition and ancillary fees will be paid to Memorial and not to the partner institution. Tuition & fees to Memorial must be paid according to Memorial's deadlines. Your tuition will be waived at the partner school, though there may be additional fees required by the partner school. Please follow the instructions for payment of host fees according to their instructions.

If you change either the number of courses or the nature of courses while abroad, a new letter of permission will be required AND a new INTE 3999 course change form will be required.