Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Exchange and Study Abroad to SFU

Exchange and Study Abroad to SFU / Housing / On-Campus

On-Campus

SFU's on-campus residences are located at the Burnaby Campus. They are 5-15 minutes walking distance to most buildings on the Burnaby Campus and under an hour by public transit to the Surrey and Vancouver campuses. For more information on SFU's on-campus housing, please see SFU's Residence and Housing.

You are responsible for making all of your own housing arrangements, whether on or off campus.

Applying for On-Campus Housing

SFU is not able to guarantee on-campus housing for exchange/study abroad students. Places in residence are offered on a first-come-first-serve basis, so we encourage you to apply early as explained below.

Please note that the $50 Residence application fee will not be refunded or deferred to a future term under any circumstance. You may wish to wait to apply for Residence until there is greater certainty about whether your exchange at SFU is able to fully proceed, though this may impact your likelihood of securing a space in Residence. Furthermore, due to the likelihood of higher demand for on-campus housing, exchange students may be placed in different Residence buildings than normal, some of which require students to be on Residence meal plans rather than self-catered. We encourage you to be flexible and to consider different scenarios when planning your budget.

When asked for your SFU student number on your housing application, please write the word "EXCHANGE" instead of a number, unless you already have your SFU student number at that time (which most people will not).

Once your exchange/study abroad application has been processed by International Services for Students, you will be assigned an SFU student ID number, which will be recorded on your SFU Admission Letter sent to you (by email) and your home university.  We will forward your SFU student ID number to the Residence and Housing Office to update your housing application. Please use your SFU student ID number whenever you make inquiries about your housing application (to the Residence and Housing Office).

Please note that you must pay a mandatory application fee in order to complete your application for on-campus housing. More information on this can be found on the Residence and Housing website.

You will be required to pay your residence fees in advance of the start of the term. Residence will send you more information.

Fall term applicants: 

If you wish to live in on-campus Residence, please apply to Residence at the same time that you are applying to SFU for your exchange/study abroad term(s). You must submit both your "Exchange and Study Abroad" application and your "On-Campus Housing" application.

In your application it will only allow you to apply for a full-year. Please select this option for your housing application, if you wished to be offered a placement for the Fall. Please note that you will likely need to pay your on-campus housing confirmation deposit before course enrollment starts. 

Spring term applicants: 

If you wish to live in on-campus Residence, please apply to Residence at the same time that you are applying to SFU for your exchange/study abroad term(s). You must submit both your "Exchange and Study Abroad" application and your "On-Campus Housing" application.

We encourage you to apply as early as possible in order to increase your chances of being offered a place in Residence.

Summer term applicants:

If you wish to live in on-campus Residence, please see the Residence Office website for information on availability and application deadlines. There is normally good availability for on-campus housing in the Summer term.

 

Which building should you apply for?

Please check the SFU Housing Comparison + Eligibility page to ensure that you are eligible for your preferred building:

If you will be admitted as an undergraduate student at SFU (which is the case for nearly all exchange/study abroad students), then you will be applying for one of the following:

Please note that the North Towers and the East/West Towers complexes are intended for first year university students and is not recommended for exchange/study abroad students.


Graduate Students

If you will be admitted as a graduate student at SFU, we recommend that you choose from the above housing options. However, you may also apply for the below two options:

 
 

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