How To Apply

You should submit your CIE application in the year prior to the exchange term. For example, if you are planning to go on exchange in 2026 winter session, you should submit the application in 2025 winter session.   

There are two rounds of applications each year. Due to the popularity of CIE exchange, you are recommended to submit your application in the first round to avoid disappointment. 

First Round Application: Opens October and closes mid-December. This is the deadline for all exchange partners (Term 1, Term 2, and Full-Year or Split-year exchanges); 

Second Round Application: Opens March and closes early-May. This is the deadline for term 2 exchanges only. Only the remaining spots at select partner universities will be available, which is why we encourage all our students to apply in the first application round.  

You can find the specific application deadlines on Go Global website.

Your statement of interest (approx. 450 words) should describe what you would like to gain and contribute through an international exchange semester, and why you chose to apply. There is no particular format required for the statement. 

You may want to consider the following: 

• why you chose to study abroad, and why you specifically chose your three universities
• what you seek to benefit from this experience
• your motivation to study engineering or architecture
• how this experience ties in to your personal, academic and career goals
• previous academic projects you were a part of
• your key attributes 

Deadlines are posted on Go Global website. As CIE is a competitive program, you should adhere to the posted deadlines and priority will be given to applicants who apply on time. We may consider late applications under some extenuating circumstances, please email your enquiry to your campus CIE advisor.

CIE students are required to have full-time status under the standards of the partner institution. This typically means you will have to take 4-6 courses. Please visit the partner institution website to find out how many credits you need to take to receive full-time status. We recommend taking the minimum course load that fulfills your requirements to get the most out of the cultural exchange.

For Applied Science courses, you can check the pre-mapped courses at CIE partner institutions on the CIE course mapping database. But you will need get an approval from your  Program Advisor if you are allowed to apply the courses towards your degree or not. 

For courses offered by other faculties, you can check out pre-mapped courses by using the Go Global Course Search Tool.

It depends on your program requirements, and you will need to get an approval from your Program Advisor to apply these general transfer credits for technical electives. You can find the course outlines on our partner institution website and share these with your Program Advisor for an approval. 

The academic calendar at each CIE partner institution differs from UBC’s calendar, and CIE students are expected to follow the partner institution’s semester dates. You should plan your exchange to ensure that you will be present for the duration of the official teaching and examination dates at your chosen partner institution.     
     
If you are on a CIE term in UBC term 2 and your CIE term extends into a summer co-op work term, or if you would like to remove the summer co-op work term from your schedule, you will need consult your Co-op Coordinator to see if you need submit a Co-op Sequence Change Form to assist in meeting co-op standing at graduation.  

NOTE: You must always speak with your Program Advisor and Co-op Coordinator if you are considering modifying your academic and work term schedule.