Canada

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

Canada is a popular exchange destination known for its high-quality education, diverse cultural experiences, and stunning natural landscapes. Canadian universities are recognized globally for their academic excellence and research opportunities. As an exchange student, you'll have the chance to experience Canada's wide range of outdoor activities and explore vibrant cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.

University of Helsinki offers the following exchange destinations in Canada:

  • University-wide bilateral exchange agreement (students from all faculties; any restrictions are explained in the destination details below): Memorial University of Newfoundland, Queen's University at Kingston, Université de Montréal, Université d’Ottawa / University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, York University.
  • You can also apply for an exchange period through the North2North programme, if you are interested in the Arctic region.

Semesters: September - December and January - April. Please note that on this page, "spring semester" refers to University of Helsinki's spring semester. In Canada, that usually corresponds to what they call the "winter semester", January to April. If a Canadian university has a "spring semester" from May to August, you cannot apply for that. 

Language proficiency: many universities require a TOEFL or IELTS test result, and if you need to take the test, it will cost you. However, in many cases native speakers of English or students studying in a completely English-taught degree programme are exempt from the test, so please check the exchange university's instructions.

You must pay accommodation and living expenses as well as travel, insurance and visa costs. You must also pay various administrative costs which when combined can amount to a large sum. Read the university-specific information below and the exchange universities' web sites for information on the various costs.

Exchange students to provinces other than Quebec must purchase insurance (usually UHIP, but e.g. at British Columbia iMED - check each university's requirement) at the price of ca. CA$ 300 per semester (changes are possible).

Finnish exchange students to Quebec do not need to purchase RAMQ insurance because Finland and Quebec have an agreement on medical care. If you are not a Finnish national, please check your situation.

This is a link back to Exchange destinations around the world.

You can find comprehensive instructions for going on exchange under the Study Abroad theme.

Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)

Student testimonials

"Teaching more versatile than in Helsinki"
"Good student housing"
"Sometimes difficult to get timely responses or information from MUN, but they did help"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Students with English skills at least on level C1. A certificate from a teacher at the Language Centre can be recognized instead of a fee-paying test (usually TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo), if you receive a grade of C1. Please note C1 is an above-average grade, a standard B2 certificate is not sufficient.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,2

What can you study here?

  • Faculties at MUN
  • Courses
  • Undergraduate students can only choose undergraduate courses.
  • Graduate students can also choose undergraduate courses.
  • MUN requires that by the start of the exchange you have completed at least a year's studies in the field you would study at MUN.

The following are not available:

  • the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Social Work or the Marine Institute.

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 4 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 Memorial credits (each course is 3 credits) = about 30 UH credits (ECTS)
4 graduate courses = 12 Memorial credits (each course usually 3 credits) = about 30 UH credits (ECTS)
1 Memorial University of Newfoundland undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits
1 Memorial University of Newfoundland graduate credit = 2,5 UH credits

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

Costs for exchange students aren't announced but you can check indicative information from the MUN fees page for degree students (tuition fees don't apply to exchange students)

Exchange opportunities available 

4 students for one semester

Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

Student testimonials

"The professors were highly motivated and caring toward students"
"Accommodation situation difficult"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Students with English skills at least on level B2. A certificate from a teacher at the Language Centre can be recognized instead of a paid TOEFL or IELTS test.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,0. For Law, minimum GPA 3,75.

What can you study here?

  • You can only apply for studies at the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Law, or the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University.
    • For Law, the studies are on JD level, so exchange students should be in their upper-years of the legal studies.
    • For Education, you need to be a Master-level student.
  • Note! For exchanges to Queen's Faculty of Arts and Science: Queen's can as a rule only accept students whose field of study at University of Helsinki is taught at Queen's Faculty of Arts and Science. Students in Helsinki's faculties of Law, Educational Sciences or Medicine can only be accepted to Arts and Science if they have previous studies in the field they would study at the Faculty of Arts and Science.
  • Courses
  • Most of the courses available are at the undergraduate (Bachelor’s) level.
  • Undergraduate students can only choose undergraduate courses.
  • Master’s students can be selected for an exchange if they intend to study a minor subject at the undergraduate (Bachelor’s) level.
  • In exceptional cases, exchange students may be allowed to complete graduate (Master’s level) courses, as decided by Queen’s University on a case-by-case basis. (Such students must have completed their Bachelor’s degree by the time of application.)
  • Courses numbered 100 to 199 are introductory courses, normally taken in first year. 
    200 to 299: normally taken in the second year and usually require a previous course in the subject. 
    300 to 399: normally taken in the third year and have prerequisites determined by the Departments. 
    400 to 499: normally taken in fourth year and are primarily intended as senior courses in the four-year programs. However, they are open to all students who meet the prerequisites.
    500 to 590: reading or undergraduate thesis courses.

The following are not available:

  • 800-level courses offered by the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SUR)
  • 900-level courses in all fields
  • History (at the 300-level and above)
    Kinesiology and Health Studies (all levels)
    Political Studies (at the 300-level and above)
    Sociology (all levels)

The following subjects are currently in high demand in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s and courses have limited spaces:  

  • Computing 
  • Drama and Music 
  • Economics 
  • Film and Media 
  • Life Sciences 
  • Psychology  

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 4 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 Queen's credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS)
1 Queen's undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits
1 Queen's graduate credit = 2,5 UH credits

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

E.g. on-campus housing ca. CA$ 3 940/semester, off-campus ca. $2 400 - $3 800/semester
Food with meal plan ca. $860 - $3 662/semester
UHIP insurance ca. $208
Books $600 - $800 (not necessarily in all cases or all study fields)

Exchange opportunities available 

  • 3 students for one semester to Queen's Faculty of Arts & Science
  • 2 students for one semester to Queen's Faculty of Law. Only for Faculty of Law students in the upper years of their studies.
  • 2 students for one semester to Queen's Faculty of Education. Only for Educational Sciences Master's students.

Université de Montréal

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Students with French skills at least on level B2. A certificate from a teacher at the Language Centre can be recognized instead of a paid TOEFL or IELTS test.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,0.

What can you study here?

  • Faculties at Montreal
  • Courses
  • You have to choose courses from only one study program. If you're accepted to Montreal, Arts & Sciences students may be able to take one course from another study program.

Restrictions:

  • You cannot apply for the following fields: teacher education in French as a second language, art history and film studies.
  • In addition, access is limited to courses in medicine (no clinical courses, only courses included in the preparatory year), pharmacy, law (only a limited range of graduate courses) and geography. Only a limited number of students are selected to study these fields.  

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 3 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 UdeM credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS)
1 UdeM undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits
3 Université de Montréal graduate credits = 8-10 ECTS

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

UdeM page on expenses

E.g.
Housing and bills 550$ / month
Food 350$ /  month
Transportation 80$ /  month
Telephone 40$ /  month
Miscellaneous 200$ /  month
Books and school supplies 350$ / year

Exchange opportunities available 

4 students for one semester

Université d’Ottawa / University of Ottawa

Student testimonials

"A lot of reading and assignments, good teachers"
"No proper orientation or exchange student services at UOttawa, hard to get information from them"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Students with English skills OR French skills at least on level B2. The University of Ottawa is a bilingual university. A Finnish student does not need an English language certificate, but if you intend to study in French, you will receive separate instructions.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,5.

University of Ottawa's requirement on completed studies

  • Bachelor level students must have completed at least 60 study points (ECTS) at the University of Helsinki when applying to the University of Ottawa (their application period ends in March)
  • Applicants for Master level studies at the University of Ottawa must be a first-year Master level student at the University of Helsinki when making University of Ottawa's own application (their application period usually ends in March) and a second-year student at the beginning of the exchange.
    • It is not possible for incoming Master level exchange students to do thesis/research components during exchange, just credit-bearing courses.

What can you study here?

Restrictions:

  • You cannot apply for studies at the following units or in the following fields: the Faculty of Medicine (Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences is allowed), the Faculty of Education, the Telfer School of Management, or ADM and MBA courses.  
  • Undergraduate students can only choose undergraduate courses (1000-4000 level).
  • Graduate students can choose graduate or undergraduate courses but not both. Graduate courses start at 5000 level.

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: Ottawa requires that you choose exactly 3 graduate courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 Queen's credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS)
3 graduate courses = 9 Ottawa credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits.
1 Ottawa undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits
1 Ottawa graduate credit = 3,33 UH credits

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

Estimated costs for a single exchange student (per 4-month term)

  • Housing (from $650 to $1,200 per month)    $2,600 - $4,800
  • Food (approximately $85 per week)    $1,300
  • Mandatory University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP)    $240
  • Books and other supplies    $600
  • Clothing, entertainment, and other items    $1,000
  • Communications (telephone, Internet)    $600

Exchange opportunities available 

4 students for one semester 

University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver

Student testimonials

"Teaching is mostly high quality, but courses require a lot of time and effort"
"No orientation at UBC"
"UBC were really helpful and fast dealing with possible issues"
"Course registration tedious, basically all courses are full so you just have to push to get to the courses you want; many exams and assignments for every course"
"Almost all the courses were taught by outside lecturers and PhD students and in my case none by a professor so it is all very youthful"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Proof of English skills: You need to pay for a language test (usually IELTS or TOEFL) after being selected for the exchange by University of Helsinki.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,75.

What can you study here?

  • You can only apply for studies at the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Forestry.

Courses

Generally, courses at UBC are numbered as follows

  • 100: First-year
  • 200: Second-year
  • 300: Third-year
  • 400: Fourth-year (final year of undergraduate degree)
  • 500+: Graduate-level courses

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 4 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 UBC credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS).
4 graduate courses = 12 UBC credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS).
1 UBC undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits
1 UBC graduate credit = 2,5 UH credits

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

UBC page on expenses (section 'Financial planning')

Estimate of total expenses for one semester: CA$ 6,700 - 11,000 (housing, food, transport, insurance, books)

The housing situation in Vancouver is challenging. UBC can only offer a room to about 50% of students.

Exchange opportunities available 

1 student for the fall semester and 1 student for the spring semester

University of Calgary

Student testimonials

"The Texas of Canada"
"Really good courses, I learned a lot; courses had a lot of work, good conversations"
"Quality of teaching was great, small groups with intimate teaching methods"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Proof of English skills:
    • Law: You need to pay for a language test (usually IELTS or TOEFL) after being selected for the exchange by University of Helsinki.
    • Other fields: The test can be replaced by a certificate of language proficiency from UH.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,0.

What can you study here?

Faculties at Calgary

Courses, click on Courses on Instruction by Faculty, Course descriptions.

Undergraduate students can only choose undergraduate courses.

If you wish to take graduate courses, you need to be a Master-level student by the time you apply to Calgary.

Master students must mainly take graduate courses.

NB! Calgary's Faculty of Law requires a higher proficiency in English than other faculties: IELTS 7.0 with reading & writing of 7.0 or TOEFL ibT 100 with reading, listening & writing of 75 (2024 information, check from U. Calgary's website). 

Exchange students admitted to Calgary's Faculty of Law can only study Law courses.

The number of the course indicates the level of the course:

  • Supplementary study: 100s
  • Junior level: 200s
  • Senior level: 300s and 400s
  • Upper level: 500s
  • Graduate level: 600s and 700s

Restrictions:

  • You cannot apply for studies in the following fields or at the following units: education, the Haskayne School of Business MBA programme, medicine, nursing or veterinary medicine.
  • Units and fields with limitations, i.e., exchange students can only complete individual courses: the Haskayne School of Business, kinesiology and the Schulich School of Engineering.
  • Remember to check whether your planned courses have prerequisites and that you meet them

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 4 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 Calgary credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS).
4 graduate courses = 12 Calgary credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS).
1 Calgary undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits
1 Calgary graduate credit = 2,5 UH credits

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

  • Accommodation: $3000 – $4000 per semester
  • Books & Supplies: $100 – $175 per course
  • Food: $275 – $375 per month
  • Phone: $30 – $70 per month
  • Student Transit Pass: $140 per semester (mandatory fee)
  • Campus Recreation Pass: $35 per semester (mandatory fee)
  • Personal Expenses: $350 per month, depending on spending habits

Exchange opportunities available 

4 students for one semester 

University of Saskatchewan

Student testimonials

"Compared to the University of Helsinki, the courses had a very small number of students, and the learning was much more interactive, which was really nice and especially good for language skills, because you had to participate in the classes"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Proof of English skills: A fee-paying test can be replaced by a certificate you can receive from the International Exchange Services.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,0.

What can you study here?

Faculties at Saskatchewan

You can mainly apply for undergraduate (Bachelor’s level) courses.

Access to graduate (Master’s level) courses is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Courses

The following are not available: Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Medicine, Pharmacy and Nutrition, Education, and Veterinary Medicine.

Note: University of Saskatchewan has a requirement on previous studies: Undergraduate students must have completed at least three (3) semesters of a three-year Bachelor’s degree or five (5) semesters of a four-year Bachelor’s degree prior to their participation in the exchange.

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 USask credits (each course is 3 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS).
1 USask undergraduate credit = 2 UH credits

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

Student fees (has included insurance)

  • Fall Term: Undergraduate $610.90, graduate $741.84
  • Winter Term: Undergraduate $336.30, graduate $282.81
    *Prices are from an earlier year and have likely risen.

Housing: ca. $ 3000-5000 / semester

Other living expenses ca. $ 1000-1500 / semester

Exchange opportunities available 

No places in the October 2025 application round

University of Toronto

Student testimonials

"The quality of teaching was excellent; courses are demanding with a lot of assignments"

"Follow the instructions from Toronto right away and get their ID so you can register for housing etc"

Housing: "I certainly do not recommend renting before arriving from private individuals for a long lease without seeing the apartment. Toronto's rapidly growing population has led to a shortage of rental housing and rising prices, so I recommend signing up immediately for any waiting lists for on-campus accommodation"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Proof of English skills: You need to pay for a language test (usually IELTS or TOEFL) after being selected for the exchange by University of Helsinki.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,75.

What can you study here?

Faculties at Toronto

Courses:

Only choose courses from one campus (Scarborough and Mississauga are in different cities than Toronto's main St George campus)

Mainly undergraduate courses available. The University of Toronto decides on a case-by-case basis whether to allow an exchange student to complete graduate (Master’s level) studies.

Master’s students can be selected for an exchange if they intend to study their electives at the undergraduate (Bachelor’s) level.

Undergraduate students can only choose undergraduate courses.

List of restrictions

Restrictions:

  • Limitations in the field of law: Law students can only complete undergraduate (Bachelor’s level) studies in criminology at the Faculty of Arts and Science.
  • Computer ScienceSociology, and Statistics have very competitive enrollment and/or small class sizes and are therefore difficult for exchange students to get into at the St. George campus. However, many of these programs/courses are also available at our Mississauga (UTM) and Scarborough (UTSC) campuses. We strongly recommend you consider those two campuses.
  • You cannot apply for studies in the following fields: Dentistry, Medicine, Rehabilitation Science/Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Pharmacy, Management (MBA), Master of Financial Economics (MFE), Master of Laws (LLM) and Bachelor of Education (BEd), the Academic Bridging Program, the Concurrent Teacher Education Program (CTEP), as well as the co-op (work placement) programme at UTSC, and any Joint Program courses taught at Centennial College (paramedicine, journalism, new media studies).
  • Fields of study with limitations (only a limited number of exchange students can be admitted): programmes such as biochemistry and business/commerce have only a limited capacity to host exchange students. Other programmes — e.g., undergraduate laboratory classes in management and health studies — may have limited capacity for hosting exchange students. Some programmes in visual arts and CCIT offer courses at Sheridan College with limited capacity for hosting exchange students.

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 4 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 2,5 Toronto credits (each course 0,5 credits) = 30 UH credits
4 graduate courses = 2,0 Toronto credits (each course 0,5 credits) = 30 UH credits
0,5 University of Toronto undergraduate credit = 6 ECTS
0,5 University of Toronto graduate credit = 7,5 ECTS

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

Estimated cost of living per month, St. George, Toronto campus (Mississauga and Scarborough campuses slightly more inexpensive) 

  • Housing costs: $900 - $2,451. Finding housing is difficult in Toronto
  • Food/groceries/meal plan: $200 - $462
  • Public transportation costs: Metro pass: $116
  • Health insurance (required) UHIP: $52
  • Books, supplies & utensils: $125 - $250 +
  • Miscellaneous: $125 - $250

    = Total approximate cost/month: $1,770

Exchange opportunities available 

2 students for the autumn semester and 2 students for the spring semester

University of Waterloo, Ontario

Student testimonials

"Waterloo is a nice, small and especially safe student town with great connections"
"Courses were very demanding, more hierarchy than in Finland"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Proof of English skills: You need to pay for a language test (usually IELTS or TOEFL; a more affordable Duolingo has also been possible) after being selected for the exchange by University of Helsinki.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,75.

What can you study here?

Exchange students can study only at the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Environment and the Faculty of Science. This means that Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics, which also houses computer science, is not available!

Courses (undergraduate), click on a faculty (Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Environment, Faculty of Science) and then Courses Undergraduate

Courses (graduate)

Bachelor's level students can only take undergraduate courses (and possibly one graduate course).

Master's level students can only take graduate courses (and possibly one undergraduate course).

100-level courses are usually taken by first-year students. 200-level courses are introductory-level courses. 300-400 level courses are taught at an advanced level. The majority of 300-400 level courses have a pre-requisite. Exchange students can request a variety of levels so long as they meet the prerequisites for the course.

Courses with codes 600 and over are graduate courses.

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
Graduate: 2 graduate courses / semester. One graduate course + one undergraduate course is not enough!
5 undergraduate courses = 2,5 Waterloo credits (each course is 0,5 credits) = 30 UH credits (ECTS)
2 graduate courses = 1,0 Waterloo credits (each course is 0,5 credits) = 20 UH credits (ECTS)

The graduate workload is extensive.

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

Waterloo page on living costs

Exchange opportunities available 

4 students for one semester 

York University, Toronto

Student testimonials

Course quality: "Depends on the professor and course, but I found that the teachers really wanted students to learn their topics which made the courses feel easier as I understood everything. In most courses the grade is composed of different aspects like midterms, assignments, participation etc. This system makes the students more interactive with the course and work with the topic throughout the semester"; "Quality of teaching not as good as in Finland"

"York's guidance was insufficient; they only made Q&A sessions where we could ask questions. The problem was, nobody knew what to ask as we did not know anything. We were not provided info on where to find our timetable, how to log into course pages etc. There was also no information provided by York university that there exists a free store to obtain necessary kitchen stuff for example"

Who can apply?

  • Students of all faculties
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s students
  • Proof of English skills: A paid TOEFL/IELTS test can be replaced by a certificate you can receive from the International Exchange Services.
  • Students with minimum GPA of 3,2.

What can you study here?

Faculties at York

Courses

The courses offered are mainly at the undergraduate (Bachelor’s) level; graduate (Master’s level) courses are available only in exceptional cases. Course codes beginning with 5, 6 or 7 are graduate courses.

Master’s students can be selected for an exchange if they intend to study a minor subject at the undergraduate (Bachelor’s) level.

Restrictions:

  • You cannot apply for the following fields: Law (Osgoode Hall Law School), Computer Science, Business (Schulich School of Business), graduate level Political Science, Biology, the School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design, graduate level Lassonde School of Engineering, electrical engineering, graduate level Human Resource Management, graduate level Political Science, Master of Conference Interpreting, Criminology, School of Information and Technology, and the Social Work programme.
  • Not recommended to Psychology students (graduate level Psychology unavailable, and for undergraduate Psychology, upper level (3/4000) courses are only possible with special permission)
  • Limited availability: ECON and ADMS courses.

How many credits do you need to complete?

Undergraduate: minimum 4 courses / semester, recommended 5 courses / semester.
5 undergraduate courses = 15 York credits (each course is 3 credits) = ca. 30 UH credits (ECTS)
1 York University undergraduate credit = 2 ECTS
1 York University graduate credit = 3 ECTS

Terms

September - December / January - April

Housing, costs and fees

  • On Campus Accommodations: Undegraduate: $5,000 CAD per term (includes meal plan, $2,900-$5,750 CAD)
  • Graduate: Bachelor Apartment starting at $1,100 - 2,000 CAD per month (no meal plan)
  • Textbooks and supplies: $1,200-1,500 CAD (varies by program)
  • University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP): $252 CAD per term
  • Food: $250-400 CAD per month
  • Local Public Transportation: $130 CAD per month

Exchange opportunities available 

2 students for one semester