Come to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ - graduate applications

Graduate exchange eligibility

Start by checking with your home institution to see if it has an exchange agreement with the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ. If an agreement exists, your exchange coordinator will help determine whether you’re eligible to participate in the exchange program.  

Once your eligibility is confirmed, your home university will submit an online  to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ on your behalf. After your nomination is received, you’ll be invited to complete À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s online exchange application as an incoming non-degree exchange student. To meet the eligibility requirements, students applying for the exchange program must: 

  • have completed an Honours Bachelors’ degree (or equivalent) and be actively enroled in a graduate-level program,
  • have a minimum cumulative average of 75% (or equivalent) in the past two years of study,
  • be currently enrolled at one of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s exchange partner institutions,
  • be nominated by their home institution as an exchange applicant, and
  • meet À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s graduate English language proficiency (or equivalent).

Application procedure

1. Submit your online application

Submit your À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ application online. There is no application fee for incoming exchange students. To have the fee waived, go to the application and under 'Select Programs,' choose the 'department', choose 'non-degree' and select the applicable exchange agreement.  

  • If the relevant admission term is not available, pick a term that is available and we will update the application admit term manually. 

  • If references are requested, list "gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca" as references are typically not needed for exchange applications. 

  • Ensure you declare that you are enrolled in a master's degree at your home institution on your application.  

2. Notify the Global Learning Team that you have applied

Email studyabroad@uwaterloo.ca to confirm that you have applied. Include the following information in your email:

  • Name:  
  • UW Student ID: Leave Blank if unknown 
  • Email:
  • Admission Term(s):  
  • Level: Graduate
  • Program:

3. Upload your supporting documents through your Applicant Portal

The following supporting documents are required to determine eligibility for your exchange to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ:

  • Master’s and bachelor’s transcripts (with English translations, if applicable). If you cannot provide a master’s transcript by the application deadline, include proof of enrollment in a graduate level program as part of your supporting documents. 
  • English language proficiency certification (official test score or English language equivalency letter from your home school)
  • Resume/CV (if required by the department)
  • Reference(s) (if required by the department)
  • Supplementary information form listing the graduate courses you wish to take as a part of your exchange (See the course selection guide for assistance)
    • When deciding on courses:
      • Only list courses that are within the department you are applying to. 
      • Picking courses outside of the department could influence the admission decision. If interested in courses outside the admitting department, you could seek permission after you've been admitted.

Please note that non-degree exchange students may not be approved for some graduate/professional programs/courses. For example, the following programs are restricted: Accounting, Clinical Psychology, Social Work and some Master of Engineering courses.

Fields of Study:

  • Actuarial Science, Non-degree
  • Applied Math, Non-degree
  • Architecture, Non-degree
  • Biology, Non-degree
  • Chemical Engineering, Non-degree
  • Chemistry, Non-degree
  • Civil Engineering, Non-degree
  • Combinatorics and Optimization, Non-degree
  • Computer Science, Non-degree
  • Earth Sciences, Non-degree
  • Economics, Non-degree
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Non-degree
  • English, Non-degree
  • French Studies, Non-degree
  • Geography, Non-degree
  • German, Non-degree
  • Global Governance, Non-degree
  • History, Non-degree
  • Mechanical Eng, Non-degree
  • Management Sciences, Non-degree
  • Pharmacy, Non-degree
  • Philosophy, Non-degree
  • Physics, Non-degree
  • Planning, Non-degree
  • Political Science, Non-degree
  • Psychology, Non-degree
  • Public Health Sciences, Non-degree
  • Pure Math, Non-degree
  • Recreation and Leisure, Non-degree
  • Social and Ecological Sustainability, Non-degree
  • Sociology, Non-degree
  • Statistics, Non-degree
  • Sustainability Management, Non-Degree
  • Systems Design Engineering, Non-degree
  • Vision Science, Non-degree

Note: Courses are subject to restrictions and availability.

Deadlines

Graduate applications must be received by the exchange program deadline below.

Admission term Nomination deadline Application deadline
Fall: September - December March 15 April 1
Winter: January - April August 15 September 1
Spring: May - August November 15 December 1

Admission results

The application processing time is up to eight weeks or longer from the date that all required documents are received by the departmental graduate coordinator to the completion of the application, according to the departmental review application process. If admissible, once your complete application has been reviewed by the department of choice, an Offer of Admission and a Letter of Acceptance from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs will be uploaded to your Quest account. You will be notified via email.

Contact information

Email your questions to the Global Learning Coordinator at studyabroad@uwaterloo.ca.