Exchange for BSc students


Interested in studying abroad or locally at one of our partner universities? Read on more to find out what you need to know before you apply to Go Global as a Science student.

To be eligible for exchange, you must meet all of the Go Global requirements as well as the Science-specific requirements outlined below. 

Science Go Global Eligibility Requirements

  • You must have your Foundational Requirement completed
  • You must have at least 3 credits of the Communication Requirement completed
  • You cannot have attempted more than 100 credits by the end of the Winter Term 2 prior to the exchange term start
  • You must have no pending Standing Deferred examinations from terms preceding the term in which you are applying for exchange
  • You must complete all pending Standing Deferred examinations from the session in which you are applying for exchange, prior to departure on exchange 

If you are in 4th year class standing at the time of application

  • You will only be eligible for Summer Exchange, and 
  • If you went on summer exchange, you will not be eligible to apply for November Graduation, and
  • If you are intending to complete your degree requirements in Term 1 of the Winter Session, please be aware that transfer credit will not be assigned until after the add/drop deadline, and that likely Term 2 courses will be required. Courses should be planned accordingly.

Transfer students: You must spend a full year at UBC before going abroad.

Prior degree holders and students in the Bachelor of Computer Science program are not eligible to apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility for Exchange

  • Can the Faculty of Science permit me to go on exchange, even if I don't meet the Go Global eligibility requirements? Can exceptions be made?

    The Go Global requirements must be met; the Faculty of Science does not consider exceptions. 

  • Will I be permitted to go on exchange if I don't meet the Faculty of Science Go Global requirements? Can exceptions be made?

    The Science faculty requirements for Go Global are firm. If you are not eligible for exchange, review if there are other options/programs at Go Global for studying overseas and discuss with a Go Global advisor if you have questions.

  • Can I go on exchange in my second year?

    No. You need to complete a year in your Science specialization before you can go on exchange. Additionally, you need to complete foundation courses and at least half of your communication requirement. For the full list of eligibility requirements in Science, please refer to the top of this page.

  • Can I go on exchange in my last year in UBC?

    You cannot go on exchange if you have attempted 100 credits at the time of application to Go Global. If you are in Class Standing 4 at the time of application, you can apply for a summer exchange, but you will not be permitted to graduate in November of the same year. 

  • Can I go on exchange in the summer between Year 2 and Year 3?

    This is subject to approval by Science Advising.

Course Planning

  • Which courses should I take on exchange?

    Review your degree requirements to understand which requirements you still have left to complete for graduation. Courses required for your specialization may or may not be available to complete on exchange, this therefore requires more planning. If you need to complete your Arts or Breadth requirements, consider taking upper-level Arts or Science courses outside the field of your major - this provides more flexibility.

  • How will my courses from exchange transfer to UBC?

    If you are looking for a specific course, you need to check if it is offered by the exchange institution. Review their website to look for information. You can search for courses from the partner universities you are interested in by using by the Course Search Tool. You can search by institution to see how courses from that institution transferred to UBC in the recent past (courses evaluated more than five years ago require re-evaluation and will not appear on the course search tool).
    If you cannot find a course recently evaluated by UBC, determine to the best of your ability what this course could be equivalent to in UBC. search the UBC course list, search the current UBC course schedule, identify the professor teaching the course and reach out for informal evaluation. You can also reach out to the departmental advisor. 

    Please note: formal evaluation of courses occurs once you are already participating in exchange and have submitted your course package through the Transfer Credit Portal. Science Advising is not able to pre-evaluate courses prior to the package submission. Unless you do research beforehand, you may be facing a risk of courses not transferring as you planned, resulting in having to delay your graduation.

  • Will I receive credit for everything I take on exchange?

    Academic coursework will receive UBC credit. Activity-based courses (examples include pottery, volleyball, sailing, tea ceremonies) and design courses (such as graphic or web design) will not receive UBC credit.

  • Should I always take upper-level courses on exchange?

    Students generally prefer to take 300- and 400-level courses on exchange; however, you can take 100- and 200-level courses if you are interested in them or if you don't meet prerequisites for upper-level courses. Graduate-level courses taken on exchange will transfer to UBC as upper-level undergraduate courses.

Transfer Credit

  • How should I expect my exchange credits to transfer?

    Course evaluators first determine which department in UBC the course should be evaluated as (e.g. Biology, CAPS, Mathematics). Then it's determined what level the credit should be (100-, 200-, 300-, 400-). The following are the possible outcomes of course evaluation:

    • Specific course (e.g., MATH 320)
    • General subject-specific credit (e.g., MATH 3rd)
    • General faculty credit (e.g., SCIE 3rd)
    • General elective credit (e.g., ELEV 3rd)

  • What is the process for transferring exchange credit?

    After you submit your exchange course package on the Transfer Credit Portal, Science Advising will assign courses for evaluation to departments. Once departments evaluate the courses and you submit your final transcript from exchange to Go Global, credits are assigned on your UBC student record. Please note: the credit transfer process takes 16 weeks or more.

  • Can I choose how credits will transfer?

    If you see how the course you want to take on exchange will be articulated at UBC, you cannot request or choose for it to transfer differently. For example, it is not possible to request a course which transferred to UBC as ENVR 2nd to transfer as ENVR 200 instead.

Restrictions and Regulations

  • Can I take courses outside of Faculty of Science?

    Science students can take courses in any area on exchange, if permitted by the partner university. Please keep in mind that courses evaluated as outside of UBC Faculty of Science cannot be considered as Science credits toward your UBC degree. It's not about which department or faculty offers these courses at the partner institution, but instead if UBC Science teaches them. This is important to remember when planning to take courses on exchange that will count toward your UBC BSc degree requirements, such as Science, Upper-level Science, and Science Breadth.

    Courses that transfer as Medical or Pharmacy courses will not be granted Science credit. Anatomy and Physiology are taught in UBC by the Faculty of Medicine, but depending on your specialization, may fulfill requirements for your degree. Please check with your department advisor.

    Applied Science (Engineering) courses will not be granted Science credit. Coursework such as "Biological Engineering" or "Chemical Engineering" are considered Applied Science courses. Architectural and Environmental Design courses are also under this faculty.

  • Can I take courses for Credit/D/Fail or Pass/Fail on exchange?

    You can, but the UBC and Science faculty policy applies to exchange credits the same way as it does for courses taken in UBC. You cannot take courses toward your specialization, Communication and Science Breadth Requirements for Credit/D/Fail or Pass/Fail. 

  • Will I be promoted to the next class standing when I am either on exchange or return to UBC?

    If you meet sufficient progress requirements with the courses you completed, once listed on your UBC record, yes. If the courses you need for promotion were taken on exchange and are still being evaluated, they will not be included in the assessment of your promotion eligibility.

Useful links and contact information

Go Global Science Faculty Designate and Academic Advisor: Yana Yablonovskaya

 

International Opportunities for UBC students

 

UBC Go Global - all programs

 

Exchange Program Information

 

UBC Go Global - Exchange

 

Transfer Credit Portal

 

For students who have been on exchange

 

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

We honour xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) on whose ancestral, unceded territory UBC Vancouver is situated. UBC Science is committed to building meaningful relationships with Indigenous peoples so we can advance Reconciliation and ensure traditional ways of knowing enrich our teaching and research.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

Faculty of Science

Office of the Dean, Earth Sciences Building
2178–2207 Main Mall
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