Study Abroad as Part of Your Bishop's Degree

WHY?
A semester or a year at a university in another country allows you to add travel and the experience of another culture to your Bishop’s degree. Different horizons, different approaches, different encounters can only enrich you both personally and educationally.

WHO?
Any full-time student with a 70% cumulative GPA is eligible to apply to participate in the exchange program.

WHERE?
Bishop’s University has exchange agreements with universities in several different countries, and new possibilities are being added every year.

WHEN?
Most students who participate in an exchange usually go in either the second year of a three-year Bishop’s degree, or the third year of a four-year degree. However, other arrangements are possible. The most important thing is to begin planning early, so that the exchange period can be fitted properly into the requirements of your Bishop’s degree.

If students receive permission to go on exchange in their last Winter semester of study at Bishop’s, there is a risk that they will not be participating in Convocation that May/June. This is due to the duration of the semester at the host university which may not correspond with Bishop’s, also the time (sometimes several months) it will take to receive the official transcript once the semester abroad is completed. We need to receive the official transcript from the host university for the credit transfer to Bishop’s, which permits the final assessment of the academic requirements to graduate.

If students cannot participate in Convocation and receive their Bishop’s diploma that year, they can participate in Convocation and graduate the following year. In the interim, students can request a letter from the Registrar’s Office which attests to the fact they have completed the academic requirements to graduate.

HOW MUCH?
A period of study abroad need not cost any more than your study at Bishop’s. Tuition fees are paid to Bishop’s in the normal way. Quebec loans and bursaries and University scholarships are tenable during an exchange, and various bursaries specific for international mobility are available! Accommodation and food arrangements will vary from country to country. Travel and health insurance are likely to be the largest additional costs.

HOW? Plan ahead
You cannot start too early in your planning. Starting early means you can fit your study abroad in more easily and comfortably to both your Bishop’s degree program and your financial arrangements. Credits earned on an exchange program are counted towards your Bishop’s degree, but are not included in calculations of cumulative average. At the very latest you should be discussing your plans with Bishop’s International the Fall Semester in the year preceding the academic year in which you wish to be away.