As an exchange student, you receive a $1,000 student international mobility scholarship per term that you are abroad. If your exchange starts in fall, this amount will be added to your student account in late September. For winter, it will be added in late February.

If you are completing a full academic year abroad (fall and winter), the scholarship will be added to your student account each term. You do not need to apply for this scholarship, you will automatically receive it if you make part of the exchange program.

Note that the students in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, are not eligible for the mobility scholarship.

This scholarship fund will provide uOttawa students with invaluable international study and work experiences, strengthening their global skills and competencies. This program is designed to encourage low-income students, students with disabilities and Indigenous students to participate in study and work abroad programming.

The value of this award will be between $2,000 to $10,000. This project is funded by Global Skills Opportunity, the Government of Canada’s outbound mobility pilot program.

Want to know if you are eligible?

1. Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
2. Be at least 18 years old;
3. Be enrolled full- or part-time as an undergraduate student at uOttawa and paying tuition fees to the University of Ottawa at the time of application;
4. Be in good academic standing as established by your faculty and program;
5. Be participating in an international experience through a program or project at the University of Ottawa (such as an exchange, CO-OP placement, or field research);
6. Provide evidence of either financial hardship (as decided by the University of Ottawa's Financial Aid and Awards Service), Indigenous status (through a Certificate of Indian Status), or a disability (as determined by the University of Ottawa's Disability Services) (as determined by the Academic Accommodations).

Note that choosing non-traditional places increases your chances of being selected as a scholarship recipient (countries other than the U.S, U.K, France, and Australia).

Are you ready to apply?

All applications for scholarships and bursaries must be submitted through Online Scholarships and Bursaries, found in the uoZone portal.

This scholarship is provided by a host institution that makes part of the European union following a request from uOInternational. The funding amount and destination change every term, and it is granted at different times of the year. 

For the Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 terms, the following funding is available:

Middle East Technical University (METU) - Turkey

Scholarship details:

• Individual support (per month): 800 euros
• Travel support: maximum 1.500 euros depending on the kilometre distance of the initial travel. 
• Number of scholarships available: 1

Freie Universitat Berlin - Germany

• Individual support (per month): 850 euros
• Travel support: 820 euros
• Number of scholarships available: 1

To be considered for these scholarship, the institution and destination need to be your first choice in your regular exchange application via uoZone.

At this time, no additional documents, than those required in the regular application are need to be considered for these scholarships.

The applications will be considered by a committee and the recipient will be informed in late March.

Each year, starting in November, this form is available in uoZone via the National and International Exchange Program app. Prepare your application and upload all required documents before submitting it.

Complete the “Confirmation of Eligibility and Preliminary Course Selection” form, upload it, and email it to your faculty’s academic development and student retention specialist for approval.  

For programs administered by consortiums, submit your three choices of institutions for approval.  

For regular programs, submit your first choice only. Mention your second and third choices in your final application.  

Important: We can’t guarantee that you’ll get your first choice.  

Include the following in your course selection form:  

• Course titles and descriptions in French or in English, and in the language of the institution if applicable  

• Course codes  

• Number of credits per course  

• Total number of course hours  

• Total number of labs or discussion groups per course  

• Term start and end dates  

Make sure to enrol in four or five courses per term (if you’re an undergraduate student) or two or three courses (if you’re a graduate student). Be sure to learn about course equivalencies.  

For courses offered in English or in French:  

If you wish to study in English or in French at your host institution and this language is not your current language of instruction, you can prove your language proficiency with one of the following:  

• uOttawa Second Language Certificate  

• Transcript showing that you completed your last year of high school or CEGEP in the language you wish to study in  

• uOttawa transcript including one of the following:  

• ESL2111 or FLS2511 or a higher-level course (minimum final grade of B)  

• A content course given in this language (minimum final grade of B), for example, POL2101 to study in English  

• uOttawa transcript indicating you’re in the French Immersion Stream  

If you don’t have any of the above, you’ll need to complete an Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute language test.  

For courses offered in any other language:  

• If the language of instruction of the host institution is neither English nor French, you must have passed the intermediate II course in that language (e.g., ESP2992, with a C+ grade, ALG2902, ITA2912) before your departure.  

• If you haven’t taken the required language courses at the University of Ottawa, contact the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. You’ll meet with a professor of the language in question who’ll assess your language proficiency.  

Please note: Your host institution may require further proof of language proficiency. You’re responsible for obtaining the necessary documents to meet the institution’s eligibility criteria.  

Your letter should clearly explain your academic learning goals for the stay at the host institution. Discuss how you think this institution will meet your expectations; the program and the courses offered; the host institution and host country; improving your language skills; and the personal, academic and, potentially, professional experiences you hope to gain from the exchange.  

The letter must be written in English or in French, as well as in the language of instruction of the host institution if applicable. 

It must be addressed to the members of the selection committee.

Example of letter of motivation (PDF, 21.3KB)    

Your resumé must be in English or in French, as well as in the language of instruction of the host institution if applicable. Please note that we don’t accept CO-OP or Work-Study Program resumés.  

If you’re enrolled in the CO-OP program, your CO-OP adviser must approve your participation in the exchange program. Submit the mobility application form in the COOP Navigator. Then, upload your adviser’s email response (as a PDF) as part of your application.  

Available through uoZone. Select Applications and then Unofficial transcript.  

Administrative fees are $100. This is a one-time charge, even if you make more than one application. You must pay your administrative fees by the deadline.

Fees are not refundable.

To be completed as part of your application.