Application Process
In order to attend SFU as an exchange/study abroad student, you must be studying at one of SFU's formal exchange/study abroad partner institutions, and they must nominate you for an exchange/study abroad at SFU. Contact your university’s International or Exchange Office to find out more about the application procedure, application deadlines, and selection process. If you are considering studying at SFU as a graduate student, please see the Graduate Exchange and Study Abroad Student page.
Once your home university's international office has submitted a nomination for you, you will receive an email from SFU with a link to our online application.
You will be asked to upload the following supporting documents to your online application (no hard copy documents are required):
Most recent official transcript
Please make sure your transcript follows these points to be considered acceptable:
- Official transcript issued by your home institution on the institution's letterhead and stamp (if applicable).
- Must be written in English. You may need to request an English translation from your home institution.
- Must include transcript grading key / legend.
- Must scan and upload all sides, including transcript grading key / legend, and merged into 1 file.
- Recommended: include any other higher education transcripts, if applicable (e.g. Bachelor's, transfer institutions).
Colour passport-style photo
Head shot from the shoulders up; white- or light-coloured background with full face view; no hats, sunglasses, etc.
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 proficiency
English Language Requirements
Students applying as an undergraduate or graduate student to SFU 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. |
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| 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 statement 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. |
Document accepted: Official IELTS - Academic or IELTS Online (for Undergraduate only) test score. IELTS One Skill Retake scores are not accepted. |
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. |
Document accepted: Official TOEFL iBT test score. (TOEFL Home Edition, Essentials, and MyBest scores are not accepted.) |
e) Completion of Cambridge English Qualifications with the minimum following scores: Undergraduates: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency with a minimum overall score of 176, with no part less than 169. |
Document accepted: Official Cambridge English Qualifications test score. Test results are valid for 2 years from the date the certfiicate was issued. |
| f) Undergraduates and Graduates: 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 |
| g) Undergraduates and Graduates: 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 |
| h) 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.) | Document accepted: Official Transcript (course outline may also be needed) *3 SFU units are equivalent to 6 ECTS credit points. |
| i) 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 which states the language of instruction was English, or letter from institution stating that the degree was English-taught. |
If you wish to be registered as a Graduate student at SFU you must submit additional supporting documents including:
- 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 for those students planning to pursue research while at SFU)
As part of the online application, you will be asked to submit a minimum of 8 course access requests.
- Read through the Restricted Subjects and Courses section on our Academic Information page.
- Browse the Course Catalog to search for courses that are typically offered in the term you are nominated for your exchange/study abroad.
Nomination and Application Deadlines
Fall term (or full-year) admission:
- Nomination deadline: March 15 (partner institutions must nominate students by this date)
- Application deadline: March 31
Spring term admission:
- Nomination deadline: September 01 (partner institutions must nominate students by this date)
- Application deadline: September 15
Length of Exchange/Study Abroad term
Formal exchange/study abroad students can be enrolled at SFU for either one term or full academic year (up to 12 months), but normally stay for either 1 or 2 term(s) (up to 8 months). Your home university will initially confirm the length of your exchange/study abroad program to SFU.
Housing Application
Please see our Housing website for information on applying for SFU's on-campus residences.
Notification of Acceptance
We will send you your SFU admission letter by email approximately 6 weeks after we receive your complete application (graduate applications may take longer). SFU no longer issues or couriers hard copy admission letters for exchange/study abroad students.
Pre-Arrival Information
Once you've decided to come to SFU and have been formally nominated by your home university, our information for new students will provide information essential for your travel preparations.
If you have any questions, you can contact us directly.