How to Apply

Preparing for Your Exchange

There are many things to do to prepare for your exchange.

While waiting for a final decision regarding your exchange application please do the following:

Start Monitoring your ualberta.ca Email Account

Once you've been assigned a ualberta.ca email account please be sure to check it at least once a day, every day, until you have returned home after the end of your exchange.
You should check its inbox, spam folder, and trash folder daily.
This will be important since personnel from UAlberta, for example, might need to get in touch with you to have you act quickly to complete or fix something related to your exchange application or might need to contact you in the event of any emergency.
In some instances important emails might only be sent to your ualberta.ca email account and not to any other email account you may possess.

Apply for On-campus Housing

Please visit our Housing page to find out how to apply for on-campus housing.

After you know that you've been admitted please do the following:

Continue Monitoring your ualberta.ca Email Account

Once you've been assigned a ualberta.ca email account please be sure to check it at least once a day, every day, until you have returned home after the end of your exchange.
You should check its inbox, spam folder, and trash folder daily.
This will be important since personnel from UAlberta, for example, might need to get in touch with you to have you act quickly to complete or fix something related to your exchange application or might need to contact you in the event of any emergency.
In some instances important emails might only be sent to your ualberta.ca email account and not to any other email account you may possess.

Satisfy any Government of Canada Immigration Requirements

Do not attempt to satisfy any Government of Canada immigration requirements (e.g., applying for study permits, visas, etc.) until you have received your official letter of admission from UAlberta.
UAlberta will provide you with information to help you interpret and satisfy Government of Canada immigration requirements once the decision has been made to accept your application. It will be provided to you by your UAlberta Exchange Programs Coordinator (if you are an undergraduate student) or the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (if you are a graduate student).

Please visit our Programs and Courses page to find out how to register for courses.

Complete Online Orientation Modules

You’ll have access to a series of online orientation modules to help you prepare for your journey to and time at UAlberta.
The online orientation modules are only accessible once you've been assigned a Campus Computing ID ("CCID"), and you'll find an entry point to the modules in your Bear Tracks account.
Not all of the online orientation modules will be relevant for exchange students.
Module completion is voluntary.

Take Virtual Tours of the UAlberta Campus

We invite you to view our “Virtual Campus Experiences” that can help you get a sense of what to expect from our Student Life and Events, Research and Learning, Study Spaces, Sports and Recreation, and Residences.

You’re welcome to participate in any relevant welcome services and in-person orientation events that are scheduled before the start of classes each term.
Welcome services and orientation events can change in nature, timing, and length from year to year so make sure that any information you find on the ualberta.ca website is correct and up-to-date for the time that you wish to participate.
When registering for welcome services and orientation events please identify yourself as an undergraduate student or graduate student if no option is provided to identify yourself as an exchange student.
If you wish to participate in any welcome services and/or orientation events offered before the start of classes and you will be living in on-campus housing then you should check with UAlberta Residence Services at housing@ualberta.ca to ensure that you will be permitted to move into your on-campus housing early enough to facilitate your participation.

Avoid Scams

Don’t fall prey to scams while preparing for your time in Canada, travelling to and from Canada, and during your time on exchange!
We provide advice regarding how to recognize and avoid scams that might target you.

Return to the sitemap of the Incoming Exchange Student Application Guide.

Updated for 2025/26 applications