Université Concordia was founded in 1974 from the merger of two institutions, Loyola College and Sir George Williams University. Today these two institutions make up the two campuses of Concordia University with most programs offered at the Sir George Williams campus.  

Known as the ‘next-generation university’, Concordia is among the most innovative universities in its approach to experiential learning, research and online education. Concordia is welcoming, engaged, and committed to innovation and excellence in education, research, creative activity and community partnerships. It dares to be different and draws on its diversity to transform the individual, strengthen society and enrich the world. It ranks first in Canada for universities under 50 (2019 THE Young University’s ranking). 

Concordia offers a wide range of courses with ample learning opportunities inside and outside of class rooms. With almost 20% of its student body being international students representing over 150 countries, you are sure to experience other cultures and meet people from all over the world at Concordia. 

Montreal is a cosmopolitan city with a population of almost 2 million, with over 100 different ethnic communities. It is the second largest university city on the North American continent after Boston. Vibrant, fast-paced and historical, Montreal, with its various impressive festivals and its incredible nightlife, provides exchange students an exciting adventure along with an excellent educational experience. New York, Boston, Toronto, Ottawa and other great North American cities are just a few hours away.

Canada is a country in the north of North America, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area, and shares the world's longest bi-national land border with the USA.

As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated with the majority of its land area dominated by forest and tundra. Over 80% of its 37.6 million people are concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, with 70% residing within 100 kilometres of the US border. Both English and French are commonly spoken. Cities such as Montreal and Quebec located in the historically French part of Canada offer a European city experience in North America, along with the opportunity to develop language skills and explore a different culture. Canadians are renowned for being friendly and helpful, and Canada experiences very low crime and a high standard of living. The exchange rate is generally more favourable for Canada than the US, making it more affordable for students.

Canada’s incredible range of natural wonders are perfect for exploring – it has the most coastline of any country, alongside famous mountain ranges, huge lakes, ancient forests, arctic lands, some desert and unique wildlife. Popular natural attractions include the Canadian Rocky Mountain parks, the Aurora Borealis, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Nahanni National Park Reserve, Cabot Trail, Niagara Falls, and Banff National Park.

Did you know…..?

Canada offers some amazing festivals and parties, including the Celebration of Light - the largest fireworks competition in the world. The Toronto International Film Festival is also a must-see for film, art, and media students. Canada is home to the Rocky Mountaineer, one of the most iconic railway journeys in the world!

All students must meet standard exchange selection criteria and any host institution restrictions. 

Students must have a GPA of at least 5.0 

Course codes are comprised of four letters and three numbers (i.e. COMM 201). Course numbers are:  

• 2XX Introductory and first year courses  
• 3XX Second year courses (often require pre-requisites and are not available to students if only studying one term at Concordia)  
• 4XX Advanced courses may be restricted to Honours and Graduate students  
• 5XX Graduate level courses that are **not ** available for exchange students
• 6XX Graduate level courses that are restricted to students with appropriate academic background

Students taking courses in the Faculty of Fine Arts should note that some courses and/or some programs require the payment of additional lab fee(s) not covered by the tuition waiver.   

Students taking any private study courses in Music must pay tuition and fees for these.  

50% of the courses selected should be selected from a single department.  

Please see here for full list of restricted courses that are not available for exchange at Concordia. 

• UniSA academic transcript 
• Passport 
• Select at least six Concordia courses 

Most courses are valued at 3 credits each with the exception of intensive courses (usually language courses) that are valued at 6 credits. Courses are approximately 39- 40 hours (excluding homework, presentations, projects, mid-term and final exams) over a 13-14 week period. 
 
To assist with calculating credit equivalency, an undergraduate degree is a total of 90 credits over a 3 year period (therefore, maximum full time is 15 credits per semester). Concordia recommend the minimum course load of 12 credits per semester. 
 
Therefore we recommend that:  

• 5 courses (@ 3 credits each) is equivalent to 18 UniSA units 
• 4 courses (@ 3 credits each) is equivalent to 13.5 UniSA units 

Applicants whose primary language is not English must provide proof of English language proficiency, regardless of citizenship.  
 
The requirements are as follows: TOEFL IBT: 90 (some departments such as Communication Studies, Creative Writing, Journalism require 100) IELTS: 7.0 or greater in all sections.  

Find courses at Concordia here.

• 2022/2023 Undergraduate academic calendar
• Fall 2022 (SP5 2022) Postgraduate academic calendar

Université Concordia does not offer airport pick up. You will need to make your own way to the campus from Montreal-Trudeau (Dorval). 

More information on how to get to the campus can be found here. 

Concordia University offers on-campus housing, however this is only available to students attending Concordia on full year exchanges Fall & Spring semesters (SP5 & SP2) or in Spring semesters (SP2) only. Students attending Concordia for the Fall semester (SP5) only are not eligible to apply for on-campus housing.  

On-campus Housing: Sir George Williams Campus is home to students in the John Molson School of Business, Gina Cody School of Engineering and humanities-based programs. Loyola Campus is a hub for science-based programs, plus journalism and communications. Depending on your schedule, you may have courses on one or both campuses. Commuting is easy by shuttle bus. Students are eligible to apply for on-campus housing once they have received their admission notice and have their Concordia NetName. The residence application fee is non-refundable under any circumstance.  

Off-campus housing: The Concordia Student Union (CSU) maintains an off-campus housing bank. In addition, the International Students Office (ISO) offers support service and practical tips on off-campus housing as well as access to classified ads and maps. Concordia runs online housing workshops for new students - see here.

As an exchange partner with the University of South Australia, you do not have to pay tuition fees to Université Concordia, instead you will pay tuition as you would normally at UniSA. Travel and living expenses are at your own cost. The table below gives an indication of costs you will incur: 

More information can be found here.

You may be eligible to receive additional grants or scholarships to fund your experience. For more information please see the funding and scholarships website.

UniSA offers travel insurance as part of your exchange for up to 270 days (can be extended up to 365 days). For more information please see travel insurance website.  

Please click here to read the travel insurance policy. 

A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found here. 

If you have any further questions about travel insurance, please contact the UniSA Insurance Office on 08 8302 1678. 

As an exchange student at Concordia University, you must purchase compulsory additional health insurance. See here for more information.