GENERAL INFORMATION | |
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Location | Maggie Benston Centre (MBC), Room 1200, Burnaby Campus |
Mailing Address | International Services for Students MBC 1200 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 CANADA |
Phone | Ph: +1 778.782.4232 |
Website |
International office contacts | |
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Manager, International Mobility | KRIS TORNO |
Study Abroad Officer (Asia, South Pacific, Americas) | NINA INAOKA LEE |
Program Assistant - Inbound Exchange | ESHANI FERNANDO |
Program Assistant - Field Schools | JASMINE LEHAL |
ACADEMIC INFO : | Faculties, Departments and | Schools at SFU | |
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Faculty of Applied Sciences |
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Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences |
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Beedie School of Business* (most courses only open to students from Business Exchange Partners) |
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Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology |
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Faculty of Education |
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Faculty of Environment |
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Faculty of Health Sciences |
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Faculty of Science |
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Please note that some subjects and courses have restrictions for inbound exchange/study abroad students. Please see these restrictions here; they are updated each Summer:
Course Load, Selection and Enrollment | |
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Course Load for Undergraduate Study (most courses are 3-4 units each) | Minimum enrollment for full-time status: 9 units (normally 3 courses) “Full course load”: 15 units (normally 4 or 5 courses) Maximum enrollment possible: 18 units (normally 5 or 6 courses) – NOT RECOMMENDED Recommended enrollment for exchange and study abroad students: 9 – 12 units (normally 3 or 4 courses) |
Course Load for Graduate Study (most graduate courses are 3 units each) | Minimum enrollment for full-time status: 6 units (normally 2 courses) or full-time research. Recommended enrollment for exchange and study abroad students: 6 units (normally 2 courses) or full-time research |
Course Selection | At the time of application, students will list their preferred courses or research proposal (for graduate students planning to pursue research at SFU) on their online application. Undergraduate students must submit a minimum of 8 courses (they will take 3-5 courses). |
Course Selection (continued) | Undergraduate courses are numbered 100-400. Undergraduate students may take courses from multiple subject areas (Students coming to SFU from a Business partner are required to take a minimum of 3 courses from within the Beedie School of Business.). Graduate students must submit a minimum of 3 courses from within the same department (unless they will be doing full-time research). Graduate courses are numbered 500-900. Graduate students can take courses from within a single subject area. SFU does its best to accommodate course requests, but cannot guarantee access to specific courses. For more information on course selection please see: http://www.sfu.ca/students/exchange/academic-information.html |
Course Enrollment | ISS (or the Beedie School of Business for students from Business partners) will manually enroll students in courses for their first term at SFU approximately 2 months in advance of the term. Students will receive more information about this over email. If students stay for subsequent terms, they will be responsible for enrolling themselves (ISS will provide instructions after their arrival). |
English Language Resources | SFU’s “Student Learning Commons” operates a variety of programs and resources for students who speak English as an additional language: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/branches-depts/slc/eal Full information on English language resources can be found through SFU’s Centre for English Language Learning, Teaching and Research: http://www.sfu.ca/celltr/about.html |
SFU Grading System |
Term Dates | |
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Fall Term | Orientation: Early September Classes: Early September – Early December (13 weeks) Exams: Early December – Mid December (2 weeks) |
Spring Term | Orientation: Early January Classes: Early January – Early April (13 weeks) Exams: Early April – Mid April (2 weeks) |
Summer term | Orientation: Early May Classes: Early May – Early August (13 weeks) Exams: Early August – Mid August (2 weeks) |
SFU operates on a unique trimester system, comprised of 3 equal full-time terms per year. Exchange and study abroad students are welcome in any of the three terms (normally for either 1 or 2 terms). The Fall and Spring terms are the busiest on campus, and Summer term has approximately 80% of regular courses offerings. For actual term dates visit: <www.sfu.ca/students/calendar/>
Transcripts
At the end of each student’s exchange period, and once any outstanding fees to SFU have been paid, ISS will send one pdf copy of their official transcript directly to the partner’s international office electronically. ISS will instruct students on how to order additional hard copy transcripts for personal use (students will need to pay a fee for ordering additional transcripts).
Application Process and Deadlines | |
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Nomination and Application Deadlines | Fall term admission (Call for Nominations issued in late January): Nomination deadline: March 15 Application deadline: March 31 Spring term admission (Call for Nominations issued in mid July): Nomination deadline: September 1 Application deadline: September 15 Summer term admission: Nomination deadline: January 31 Application deadline: February 15 |
Nomination and Application Process | In advance of each intake you will receive a “Nomination form” from SFU by email. Add your students’ details to this form and return to exchange@sfu.ca. |
Required Supporting Documents | - Most recent official transcript (in English). Include any other higher education transcripts (in English), if applicable (e.g. Bachelor’s, transfer institutions). These transcripts should be merged into one file with your current official transcript. - One photo (head shot, white or light coloured background with full-face view, no hats or sunglasses) - Statement of interest (250-500 word statement about your interest in SFU, your study plan, and any relevant academic and international experience) - Proof of English language, if required (various documents accepted; see requirements on previous page) NOTE: If any students wish to access “writing-intensive” (courses with “W” after the course number, eg CMNS 323W) or “quantitative courses” (courses listed as “Q”), they must submit proof of English literacy (including native English speakers) or quantitative background, respectively. For more information please see: http://www.sfu.ca/students/exchange/academic-information/restricted- Students who wish to be registered as graduate students must also submit: - Two academic references (a letter of support from your program supervisor is preferred, and one letter of support from a recent instructor) - Curriculum vitae - Research proposal (only required if students wish to pursue research while at SFU) |
Acceptance | When students submit a complete application by the stated deadline, they will receive their SFU Admission Letter as follows:
Students will receive a pdf copy of their admission letter from ISS which can be printed. Partners will be copied on this email. We no longer issue hard copy acceptance letters except in unique circumstances. Graduate applications may take additional time to process.Graduate admission for exchange students is based on student eligibility and also on departmental/faculty capacity. Applicants will be reviewed on an individual basis by their prospective host department/faculty. Graduate admission cannot be guaranteed. A student who cannot be offered graduate admission may be admitted as undergraduate if desired, provided they meet the admission requirements. |
APPLICATION INFORMATION (Eligibility Requirements) | |
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GPA | SFU does not have a minimum GPA requirement for inbound exchange/study abroad students. We trust that our partners perform a rigorous internal selection process. |
English Language Requirement | Students must meet one of the following criteria. “Undergraduate” and “Graduate” refer to students’ desired level of study at SFU, not their level study of study at their home institution. a) Currently studying at an institution where the principal language of instruction is English. No documentation required. b) Currently studying in a degree program in which the principal language of instruction is English (in an institution where the principal language of instruction is not English). Documents accepted: Official Transcript which states the language of instruction is English, or a letter from Exchange Coordinator stating that degree is English-taught. c) Completion of the IELTS - Academic with the minimum following scores: Undergraduates: overall band score of 6.5 with no part less than 6.0. Graduates: overall band score of 7.0 with no part less than 6.5. Document accepted: Official IELTS - Academic test score d) Completion of TOEFL iBT with the minimum following scores (we can accept TOEFL PBT as well; please contact us for minimum scores): Undergraduates: overall score of 88 or better with a minimum score of 20 in each of the four components. Graduates: overall score of 93 or better with a minimum score of 20 in each of the four components. Document accepted: Official TOEFL iBT test score (MyBest Scores are accepted) e) Undergraduates only: Completion of the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) with an overall minimum score of 70, with no part less than 60. Document accepted: Official CAEL test score f) Undergraduates only: Completion of the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) with an overall minimum score of 65, with no part less than 60. Document accepted: Official PTE Academic test score g) Undergraduates only: Completion of a three unit* post-secondary level academic English course with a minimum grade of C-. (Course must be determined to be equivalent or sufficiently similar to the academic English courses offered at SFU. See list of SFU's English courses for examples.) *3 SFU units are equivalent to 6 ECTS credit points. Document accepted: Official Transcript (course outline may also be needed) h) Graduates only: Have completed a degree at an institution where the principal language of instruction was English, or a degree program in which the principal language of instruction was English (in an institution where the principal language of instruction was not English). Documents accepted: Previous degree official transcript stating the language of instruction was English, or letter from institution stating that degree was English-taught. |
Degree Level | SFU welcomes both undergraduate and graduate (Masters or PhD) exchange students, though graduate options may not be possible in all academic areas in all terms. Please reference our exchange agreement to determine which levels are open for your students. Most exchange/study abroad students are registered as undergraduate students, even when they are graduate students at their home institution. See the additional note about graduate acceptance in the “Acceptance” section below. |
Degree Progress | SFU does not require exchange and study abroad students to have completed a minimum number of credits, courses or years prior to their exchange. |
ACCOMMODATION INFO | |
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On-Campus | SFU’s on-campus residence is located at the Burnaby Campus. It is 5-15 minutes walking distance to most buildings on the Burnaby Campus and approximately 45-60 minutes by public transportation to the Surrey and Vancouver campuses. Places in residence are offered on a first-come-first-serve basis, so students are encouraged to apply early. For information on SFU’s on-campus housing please see: |
Off-Campus | Students who wish to live off-campus or are not offered a place in on-campus residence, should see the following website for information on off-campus housing: |
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION | |
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Medical Insurance | SFU has a mandatory primary medical insurance plan for inbound international exchange/study abroad students, called guard.me@SFU. Only students whose home institutions are within Canada, or who are covered by specific plans can be exempted from guard.me@SFU. “Study abroad” students (who pay tuition and fees to SFU) will also be automatically enrolled into a mandatory secondary insurance plan. |
Immigration | Students should read the following webpages for the most current information on immigration: http://www.sfu.ca/students/exchange/new/immigration-documents.html http://www.sfu.ca/students/isap/international-faq-covid19.html Students are welcome to seek advice from SFU’s International Student Advisors: intl_advising@sfu.ca |
Academic Accommodation | Students seeking academic accommodations should contact SFU’s Centre for Accessible Learning (previously named Centre for Students with Disabilities) well in advance of their exchange term. |
Global Connections Program | ISS operates a social and transition program to support new inbound exchange/study abroad students. Students request to be matched with an SFU mentor, and social events run throughout the term. |
Orientation | All exchange / study abroad students are enrolled in a mandatory online pre-arrival program, SFU 101: Exchange to SFU, followed by orientation activities at the start of each term. |
Transportation Pass (U-Pass BC) | All exchange / study abroad students must purchase a U-Pass, which provides students in Metro Vancouver with universal and affordable access to public transit. For more information see: |
Other Information | For all other pre-arrival information, please see the following: Exchanges to SFU: http://www.sfu.ca/students/exchange.html Pre-Arrival Information:http://www.sfu.ca/students/exchange/new.html |