Gina Cody School (GCS) students who wish to study at a partner institution for a semester may apply through Concordia International’s CSEP program.

CSEP process and Course Approval steps for GCS students

1. Attend one of Concordia International’s information sessions for the Concordia Student Exchange Program (CSEP)
2. If you are eligible, submit your application online through CSEP’s website.
3. Receive a Nomination Letter to a host university from Concordia International
4. Complete the CSEP Course Approval Form, include all course descriptions and a copy of your student record.
   • Submit them to Student Academic Services GCS advisor, Sakib Shahid: sakib.shahid@concordia.ca
   • Please see “Choosing Courses” section below for additional information
5. Receive a Course Agreement letter from Student Academic Services (SAS), which outlines all courses approved by GCS faculty. Please note that students who do not get their courses approved before departing, risk not receiving credit for courses completed abroad.
6. Upon your return, once we receive your official transcripts from your host university, you will be granted transfer credits for the courses successfully completed while abroad

Eligibility

Engineering and Computer Science students must meet the following requirements to be eligible for exchange:

• Be registered as a full-time student at the time of application and must remain a full-time student until you leave on exchange
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70
• Take a full-time course load abroad (a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 15 credits)
• Demonstrate fluency in the language of the hosting university.
• Co-op students: You may go on exchange in your study-term, but bear in mind that term durations differ from one country to another and you might be late for the following work-term. Any deviation in your work-study sequence must have prior approval by the director of the Institute for Co-operative Education in consultation with Student Academic Services.
• Residence requirements: Of the total number of credits required for an undergraduate degree (verify your program/degree requirements):
  • BEng students must take a minimum of 60 credits, normally the last 60, at Concordia University
  • For BCS students, you must take a minimum of 45 credits, normally the last 45, at Concordia University.
  • In general: 50% of your degree’s total credits must be done at Concordia University

Choosing courses

All courses taken abroad must be pre-approved by the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science faculty.

• Fill out the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science Course Approval Form. You must also compile detailed course descriptions/syllabus for each host university course, and include this with the submission of your form.
• You must only take courses needed to meet your program requirements. There are no course overloads on exchange
• Complete prerequisites before requesting to take a course at a host institution
• Successfully complete all 200-level courses before taking a 400-level technical course at a host institution
• General Electives: Refer to the Humanities and Social Sciences list 71.20.2 or the General Education Elective list 71.20.6 in the Undergraduate Calendar
• Credit evaluation: The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science awards the credit value of the Concordia course approved by the Undergraduate Program Director (UGPD). We grant the credit value of the Concordia course.
  • For example, if the exchange course is 4 credits and at Concordia it’s 3 credits – we give 3 credits OR
  • If the exchange course is 3 credits and at Concordia it’s 4 credits – we award 4 credits.

For faculty specific questions regarding the CSEP exchange process, please contact Sakib Shahid: sakib.shahid@concordia.ca

Engineering and Computer Science students interested in studying at an institution that does not have an exchange agreement with Concordia may still be granted permission to do so. In this situation, students would be required to pay tuition directly to their host university.

In order to be considered for this option, students must submit a Student Request Form to Student Academic Services.

Students with cumulative GPAs of 2.70 and above will be considered.

All students interested in being a Visitor or a (VIFP) Visiting International Fee Paying student need to obtain information regarding transfer credits and placement of those credits within their Concordia degree.  

• Must be a full-time student
• Must have minimum GPA of 3.00
• You must have completed at least one term of full time study in the graduate program in which you are enrolled.
• MEng students can take up to 12 credits abroad. 
• MASc students can take up to 8 credits abroad provided they have their supervisor's permission. 

Students from recognized Engineering and/or Computer Science programs at Canadian Universities outside the province of Quebec must apply online. For application instructions click on the section Visiting students from universities outside Quebec.

Please contact Mr. Sakib Shahid at least three months prior to the proposed exchange to determine its feasibility.

All potential visiting students must include the following documents in their application:

• A copy of your most recent student record showing that you are in good standing at your Home institution and that you are currently registered in an Engineering or Computer Science program there
• An official letter from your Home University Program Advisor indicating that you are currently registered in your program and are in good academic standing (minimum B overall average)
• An approved list of the courses you would like to take at Concordia University, verifying that you have completed the required prerequisites for these courses, and confirming that these courses will be credited to your Home institution upon successful completion at Concordia
• English language proficiency is required for International students studying at a Canadian university. Official proof of this must be submitted. TOEFL score of at least 577 (paper based), or 90 for the internet version or 7.0 in IELTS
• A student's letter of intent or purpose, preferably written in the English language, is also taken into consideration

Once external applicants have permission from their Home institutions, their applications to Concordia are first sent to the CIAC here. The CIAC normally sends the Bureau de cooperation interuniversitaire (BCI) exchange applications to the School's Student Academic Services (SAS) team beginning in March. Please consult their website or contact them directly for detailed information on the application process to Concordia, including deadline dates.

At the SAO for the Gina Cody School, applications are categorized first by department quotas, then sorted by academic rank and class average, GPA, etc. Highest ranking and overall Grade Point Averages, including top class averages are considered first.

Confirmation of receipt letters are sent to students beginning in early April, and lists of the accepted students are then sent to the CIAC from the SAS of the Gina Cody School. Final acceptances and refusals are usually complete by May. Official letters of admission are then generated by the CIAC and sent to all accepted students with further instructions for registration. Please contact the CIAC for dates.

Pre-registration is done by the SAS of the Gina Cody School and begins in May. Most students have included course selections in their original application. Once students are pre-registered, email pre-registration confirmations and further instructions required to finalize their registration are sent to students throughout June and July.

Changes to the students' registrations are ongoing throughout the summer and on into the first two weeks of classes either in September and/or January.

All Exchange students to the Gina Cody School who are planning a term or two terms at Concordia, are advised that they must be present at the Host University until the last of their official final exams are completed. The official examination period normally runs from the second day after the end of classes through to the end of the third week after the last day of classes. Please consult the web pages of the Office of the Registrar on Concordia University's website for official examination dates each semester.

Exchange students at Concordia wishing to extend their stay from one to two terms, must produce, within a reasonable time frame, an official approval letter from their Home University authorizing their extension. This letter is required by the CIAC In order to meet arrange for Visa requirements for an extended term.

Students may study at Gina Cody School for one or two semesters as part of an exchange agreement with Concordia University (i.e. Bilateral or BCI).

Learn more and see how to apply

All visitors whose home institutions are not part of an exchange program may attend Concordia for one semester or one academic year by obtaining a letter of permission from their school.

International students currently studying at a University outside of Quebec in an Engineering or Computer Science Program and who would like to take courses at Concordia University must get prior approval from the Student Academic Services Office of the Gina Cody School  of Engineering and Computer Science.

To evaluate your request, please send us the following information:

1. Transcript from your school indicating clearly that you are in an Engineering or Computer Science program and in good academic standing
2. A letter from the Program Advisor at your home institution indicating the courses that you are approved to take
3. A complete Visiting Request Form
4. A copy of the first two pages of your passport
5. Scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or University of Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are to be sent directly by the examination board. Concordia University's institution code is 0956.The minimum acceptable score for IELTS is 7 and the minimum acceptable score for TOEFL is (577 for paper-based, 213 for computer based, and 90 for internet-based test)

Course Registration

When selecting your courses, please consult our class schedule to see the course offerings that are available by term and view our course descriptions.  

Please note that space in engineering courses is limited and priority for enrollment will be given to Concordia students. The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science will not allow visiting students to register in any engineering courses without written permission from the student's home university.

Please note that the following courses are NOT open to visiting students:
BLDG 490, and CIVI 490;
COMP 490, COMP 492, COMP 495, and SOEN 490;
ELEC 430, ELEC 431, ELEC 432, ELEC 434, ELEC 435, ELEC 438, ELEC 490, and COEN 490;
ENCS 282;
ENGR 107, ENGR 108, ENGR 207, ENGR 208, ENGR 307, and ENGR 308;
INDU 490, MECH 490A, MECH 490B, and MECH 490C

Also note that undergraduate visiting students are not eligible to take graduate level courses.

Visiting students wishing to take courses offered in faculties or departments other than Engineering and Computer Science should contact the faculty or department offering the course directly.

Approval as to whether or not the courses can be taken will depend on receipt of the above items and whether or not there is sufficient space in the courses in question. Priority is to Concordia Students requiring the courses for their current program of study. For this reason it is important that all requests be submitted at least 4-6 weeks prior to the beginning of term.

Please note that submission of a Visiting Student form directly to the Office of the Registrar without prior approval from the Gina Cody School does not guarantee that you will be allowed to take courses in the School.

The above documents should be emailed to:

Sakib Shahid
Advisor, Student Academic Services
sakib.shahid@concordia.ca