Application Process

PRE-NOMINATION

Students interested in studying at the Alberta School of Business on a visiting exchange should first contact the International Program Coordinator at their home university to obtain further information and begin the internal application process as determined by your institution. We will only accept students from partner institutions with which we have a formal exchange agreement in place. Please see a list of our current partners.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites
Undergraduate candidates are expected to have a core understanding of the basic business/econ principles through completion of foundational business courses prior to exchange. All regular first year students at the Alberta School of Business are required to successfully complete the following courses prior to taking more advanced/specialized business courses:
  • Introduction to Applied Statistics (STAT 151)
  • Calculus for Business and Economics I (MATH 154)
  • Introduction to Microeconomics (ECON 101)
  • Introduction to Macroeconomics (ECON 102)
Incoming exchange students will be required to fulfill the same standards, including equivalents of the above, prior to study at the Alberta School of Business. Students will not be able to follow many of the regular business courses if they do not have this academic background already.

English Language Proficiency
All candidates must meet the language proficiency requirements and provide proof of such as specified by the exchange agreement. Please refer to the full details for the Alberta School of Business Proof of English language proficiency standards and ways to satisfy the requirement.

Academic Standards
All candidates are expected to have an above-average academic performance record at their home institution. MBA level exchange applicants must meet the minimum graduate academic standards set by our central graduate admissions office.

NOMINATION

After selecting students according to the agreed upon numbers between our institutions, partner universities should formally nominate their students to the Alberta School of Business by the appropriate deadline by sending the following information of their nominees:
  • student's full name (as it appears on their passport)
  • student's email address
  • academic level of study (BCom or MBA program)
  • exchange term(s)/duration of stay
Nominations may be submitted using the online Nomination Form (each student must be done individually) or by email to the Alberta School of Business Exchange Coordinator, either with a list of your nominated students and all the above details or by emailing a completed Nomination Spreadsheet.

APPLICATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Students selected and formally nominated by their home institution will be contacted directly and must prepare and submit the appropriate application package to the Alberta School of Business before the appropriate deadline:

Incoming Undergraduate Exchange Students nominated to our Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Program will apply for admission to the University of Alberta through the online undergraduate admissions portal. Detailed instructions and an application guide will be provided directly to incoming students upon nomination. The following supporting items will need to be uploaded to the online application system and should be prepared in advance:

  1. Up-to-date OFFICIAL transcript of record of all post-secondary work completed at your current institution (and any other higher education institution you have attended). If an official transcript is not available in English, please provide the official transcript in the original language AND an English translation.
  2. List of in-progress courses currently being taken and/or which will be completed prior to exchange (if not shown on official record)
  3. Proof of English language proficiency as specified by exchange agreement

Incoming Exchange Students nominated to our MBA Program will apply for admission to the University of Alberta through the online graduate admissions portal. Detailed instructions and an application guide will be provided directly to incoming students upon nomination. Please note: This process is new as of 2026/2027 and will replace the application documents/methods previously used. The following supporting items will need to be uploaded to the online application system and should be prepared in advance:

  1. Up-to-date OFFICIAL transcript of record of all post-secondary work completed, including all undergraduate and graduate studies, degree certificate(s), etc. at your current institution (and any other higher education institution you have attended). If an official transcript is not available in English, please provide the official transcript in the original language AND an English translation.
  2. List of in-progress courses currently being taken and/or which will be completed prior to exchange (if not shown on official record)
  3. Proof of English language proficiency as specified by exchange agreement.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to changes in the curriculum of the Alberta MBA Program, the future of MBA Dual Degree/Double Degree opportunities is currently being reassessed. This section will be updated with additional information once ongoing feasibility has been determined and current partnership programs have been notified. For inquiries, please contact the Alberta School of Business International Programs Office.

 

Important information about exchange applications:

  • Please note that all application packages must be completed in full before review by the admissions office. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
  • Completed application packages must be received prior to application deadlines. Please note that application deadlines are under review and subject to change.
  • Early submission is strongly recommended. Processing of the application packages usually takes approximately 6-8 weeks before an admission decision is released.
  • Nomination from the home institution does NOT guarantee admission, entrance to campus accommodation or registration in preferred courses.
  • Please do not make any travel arrangements until you have received an official Letter of Admission from the University of Alberta and a student visa to enter Canada.

Course Registration
Applicants are asked to list course preferences as part of the online application, but this is only a proposed program of study used to assess suitability for exchange. These initial preferences are not guaranteed. Actual course registration will be completed by the individual students online using the University of Alberta registration system (Bear Tracks) and/or in collaboration with the BCom/MBA Program Office AFTER admission. For further details, please see the Academic Information section.

Mandatory Fees
According to our bilateral partnership agreements, incoming exchange students are waived all regular tuition and instructional fees at the University of Alberta and instead pay tuition at their home institution. However, there are some mandatory fees which cannot be waived. All incoming students must participate in the University of Alberta Health Insurance Plan (UAHIP) and pay all UAHIP fees to the UofA. Exchange students must also participate in the University of Alberta Transit Pass program (U-Pass) and will be responsible for associated fees for this service as well. The Course Materials Access fee is also now mandatory* for all undergraduate exchange students. More information on these programs can be found on the Mandatory Fees page and specific costs are outlined on the Estimated Expenses page of our website.

Housing Application
For on-campus housing, students will apply directly to University of Alberta Residence Services. In order to submit an application, students will need their UofA ID number, CCID (Campus Computing ID) and password. The CCID and password are automatically created when the student is issued an ID number. Incoming students will be notified of this by e-mail when their applications are approved by the Admissions Office. Please see the Housing & Services page for more information.