Frequently Asked Questions

Our recommendation is as early as possible to ensure your degree requirements will be met while abroad. The formal process begins in the Fall Semester of your 2nd Year, when Study Abroad holds information sessions.

Throughout the school year we will be hosting various events for all students to attend, and speak directly to ambassadors. The more involved you are, the better your overall experience will be.

The first step in preparing for an exchange is booking an appointment with an Academic Advisor to plan your degree and determine your degree requirements. This includes completing a degree checklist.

During the year we also host drop-in sessions. Please follow our instagram and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on these events.

Once you get approval from your academic advisor, you can begin to review the information on our website and attend one of our information sessions. Any questions you have during this period can be directed to our email studyabroad@trentu.ca. After you submit your application you will be prompted to sign up for an interview slot with our study abroad advisor.

The Application Form can be found in your myTrent in "Academics" tab under the "Study Abroad" heading inside the "Outbound" folder.

The deadline for the 2025-2026 Study Abroad year was January 10th, 2025. Applications have now closed.

• Must be a Trent student enrolled in a 4-year Honours or 3 year General program
• Have a minimum cumulative average of 70%
• Earned at least 5.0 credits towards your degree

Trent has many partnerships already established - please review our destinations page. If you do not see a particular destination, you may apply for a Letter of Permission which allows you to study abroad at any institution.

Some specific departments at Trent University have unique programs that combine academics and work-placement opportunities abroad to highlight aspects of the discipline. Currently, the only programs that offer Departmental Exchanges are French Studies (Nantes), Modern Languages and Literatures (Bolivia), and International Development Studies (Ghana). 

Please contact the respective department for more information.

If you wish to go to an institution which is not one of Trent’s partners, you can apply for a Letter of Permission. This is a Letter that allows you to establish a contract with Trent University which will give you credit for the courses taken at your host institution. You are responsible for arrangements with the university you are interested in.

By your 3rd year you should have adapted to university life and acquired the academic skills required to study in a foreign environment. Additionally, many students finishing their 1st year often do not have the pre-requisites required for courses at a host institution.

Studying in your 3rd year also allows breathing room to catch up from any complications that occur as a result of your exchange. If you study abroad in your 4th year you have little room for error and therefore studying in your 3rd removes that pressure.

 Yes you can!  However, 2nd year applicants are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Please consult with a study abroad advisor.

On an Exchange, no. Many of our non-English speaking partner institutions offer courses in English, regardless of the official language(s) of the country. You may also be required to take language courses at your host institution if English is not the countries native language.

All of our contractual agreements with partners pertain to the academic term - with the exception of UCO (Catholic University of the West Angers) who offers a summer business course. Therefore if you want to study abroad in the summer it will have to be through a departmental exchange or more commonly an LOP

You have the choice to apply for one semester or a full academic year.

Summer programs usually run from 4-6 weeks.

You are expected to enrol in a normal full-time course load at your host institution regardless of if you are part-time or full-time at Trent

Yes! The courses you take abroad will be assessed using the Learning Agreement you completed for your exchange. It is Study Abroad's responsibility to connect with departments and get your credits assessed. Afterwards, transfer credits will be assigned.

If you are abroad and wish to switch courses, you will need to re-submit your Learning Agreement for re-evaluation.

All grades from host universities will appear as PASS/FAIL on your Trent transcript.

Numeric grades will only be considered for scholarship recipients and will impact GPA, but will still appear as PASS/FAIL on your Trent transcript.

You pay full-time Trent tuition and ancillary fees for a Partner Exchange (regardless of course load taken while abroad).

• You are responsible for the cost of housing and meals. Some partners allow you to simply pay housing to Trent, but most students can expect to pay housing and meal plan to the host institution.
• You are responsible for the cost of transportation, health insurance, medical, and general living expenses. A more detailed explanation can be found at our Costs Page.

There is a placement fee of 250.00$ once you have been approved and you have accepted your offer to Study Abroad (this is non-refundable)

•  OSAP-eligible students can continue receiving OSAP while abroad.
• There are a number of exchange awards, bursaries, loans and scholarships available to eligible students. The application is available on myTrent under the Study Abroad tab.
• If you have an existing scholarship it still applies when you Study Abroad.

Depending on the agreement and host institution, residence accommodations and/or a meal plan may be included in your exchange, however, most of our partners require you pay them directly for housing.

A few institutions do not have residences. If this is the case, you are responsible for finding your own accommodations. The host institution should have information on convenient accommodation locations to assist you.