ÉTS

Are you dreaming of adventures and new challenges? Become an Exchange Student in Québec!

Every year, many foreign students make the choice to come study engineering at ÉTS as an exchange student. They come from around the world to take advantage of an exciting university education that’s focused on real-world learning.

Enchanted by the unique charms of Montréal, the student city that reminds them of Europe, they leave with a head full of memories, ready to share their North American experience. Be like them!

Steps to Becoming an Exchange Student at ÉTS

Are you studying at an academic institution partnered with ÉTS? Thanks to our agreement with your university, you can register in exchange with ÉTS within your program of studies and benefit from a tuition fee exemption. Follow the steps below to plan your student exchange in Québec.

Step 1: Make sure your home institution is a partner of ÉTS

To be eligible for the student exchange program, you must be enrolled in an ÉTS partner institution (a bilateral partner or an establishment signatory to the Student Exchange Agreement of the Bureau de la coopération interuniversitaire (BCI) which organizes inter-university collaborations) :

Only students whose home institution is included in these lists may participate in ÉTS student exchange program.

Step 2: Confirm your eligibility

To be eligible for the exchange program, you must:

  • Be enrolled in an ÉTS partner institution or one that is a party to the BCI agreement for student exchanges;
  • Be studying toward an engineering diploma;
  • Have completed a year of engineering (60 ECTS credits or equivalent), at the time of starting your exchange at ÉTS (Level M1 or M2);
  • Have obtained the prior authorization of your home institution.
Step 3: Choose an exchange program

One-Semester Exchange Program

This program covers foreign students who want to study at ÉTS (just taking courses), for one semester (four months), under an agreement for student exchange programs (bilateral or BCI).

This program is subject to quotas (limited number of spaces); check the number of places available for your institution at the international relations department of your university.

You will be able to take 12 to 15 credits of course during your ÉTS exchange semester (1 ÉTS credit = 2 ECTS credits). At the end of the exchange, you will receive a detailed transcript of grades. The course credits that you earn will be transferable to your current program and will be recognized by your home institution, in accordance with your contract of studies, for obtaining your foreign diploma. ÉTS will not issue any diploma for this program.

One-Year Exchange Program, with Courses Only

This program covers foreign students who want to study at ÉTS (taking courses only), for two or three semesters (eight or twelve months), under a student exchange agreement (bilateral or BCI).  This program is subject to quotas (limited number of spaces): check the number of places available for your institution at the international relations department of your university.

You will be able to take 12 to 15 credits of courses during each ÉTS semester (1 ÉTS credit = 2 ECTS credits).  At the end of the exchange, you will receive a detailed transcript of grades. The credits earned will be transferable to your current program and will be recognized by your home institution, in accordance with your contract of studies, for obtaining your foreign diploma. Students who successfully complete a minimum of 30 credits of courses at ÉTS may obtain a certificate in engineering attesting to their success in the program.

One-Year Exchange Program, with Courses and Laboratory Internship

This program covers foreign students who want to take courses and do laboratory research at ÉTS for two or three semesters (eight or twelve months), under a student exchange agreement (bilateral or BCI). This program is subject to quotas (limited number of spaces); check the number of places available for your institution at the international relations department of your university.

This certificate program includes a semester of studies (four months) of 15 course credits (1 ÉTS credit = 2 ECTS credits), approximately five courses, followed by one or two semesters that include at least one course of three credits and a research activity of 12 or more credits. At the end of the exchange, you will receive an ÉTS certificate as well as a detailed transcript of grades. The credits earned will be transferable to your current program and will be recognized by your home institution, in accordance with your contract of studies, for obtaining your foreign diploma.

Step 4: Choose a domain of studies

At the time of filing of an application for admission to an exchange program, you will need to choose a “profile”, referring to one of the undergraduate (engineer education) programs of studies offered at ÉTS, in consultation with your home institution.

Your contract of studies (list of courses) must include a majority of courses in the Department corresponding to your “profile”, that is, half or more of the credits. 

List of Courses in the Undergraduate Engineering Programs by Department (in French):

Step 5: Prepare your Contract of Studies

At the time of filing your application for admission to the exchange program, you will need to include the list of courses that you want to register for during your stay.

That list of courses, officially approved by your establishment of origin (via paper document on letterhead of your institution with the name, function and signature of an authorized person) will constitute your contract of studies (or “learning agreement”). This document must be included with your application to permit your registration at ÉTS.

You can freely choose courses “à la carte” in various ÉTS departments, taking into account the following conditions:

  • You must register for a minimum of 12 credits (full time registration) and a maximum of 16 credits per session;
     
  • You must choose a majority of your courses from your ÉTS home department (half the credits or more);
     
  • You must avoid choosing courses with codes not related to the engineering domains or those related to complementary studies, language courses or general studies;
     
  • You must choose courses in series 100 through 700; these are engineer-level courses (the first digit indicates the level of the course in the student’s progression);
     
  • Series 800 courses are advanced post-engineer level (Masters or PHD) and are available only to students who are in the last year of an engineer program (level M2) at the time of their exchange, subject to approval by ÉTS upon analysis of their grades. You may choose up to three courses from this series (9 credits). Keep in mind that the workload required for 800 courses is greater and nine credits of these courses corresponds to a full-time semester (compared to 12 credits If you take only engineer-level courses). You should therefore balance your choice of 800 courses with engineer-level courses;
     
  • Some courses are not available (PDF, in French) to exchange students;
     
  • Not all courses are offered in every semester. Make sure that the courses you select will be offered during your stay. To do so, see the Courses Schedules and Planning which is published five semesters in advance. Note that final detailed schedules are published two to three months before the start of courses; scheduling conflicts may lead you to revise your registration after your admission.
     

If You Submit an Application for an Exchange Program with an Internship:

  • Your contract of studies should include a laboratory research activity (internship) of four to eight months duration, minimum 12 credits (indicate “LAB112” in your contract of studies for a full-time internship of four months);
     
  • Your internship will be supervised by an ÉTS professor connected with the research activities of the 60 Chairs or research units of the school;
     
  • The determination of a research topic may be carried out once arrived. To help you in your search for a supervisor, see the section Find a Thesis Supervisor that will allow you to identify the professors working in your field of expertise. Contact the professor to discuss your aspirations and objectives;
     
  • If you want to undertake a laboratory research internship (outside the exchange program), please consult Do a laboratory research internship in Quebec page.
     
Step 6: Submit Your Application

You can begin your exchange at the start of the months of September or January.

Make sure first of all to abide by the specific terms and conditions and deadlines established by your institution of origin.

Whatever the dates of your stay, your home establishment should confirm your participation in the exchange program to ÉTS before March 20, 2020.  After this date, ÉTS may exceptionally accept late applications, subject to available spaces.

When your institution confirms your participation in the ÉTS exchange program (designates you), you will receive an email with instructions for registering online.  Do not start the process before having received the instructions by email.

Deadlines for Filing an Application

  • For a stay beginning with the 2020 Fall semester (period from August 31 to December 17, 2020, exams included)
    The deadline for filing your application is May 1, 2020
  • For a stay beginning with the 2021 Winter semester (period from January 4 to April 22, 2021, exams included)
    The deadline for filing your application is October 1, 2020

Dossiers submitted by candidates or completed after the deadline date will be processed without guarantee of admission (subject to available places) and without warranty of registration for the desired period.

Completed applications are processed continuously by order of arrival. Do not wait to the last minute to submit your application; the sooner you apply, the quicker you will receive an answer, the better your priority for course registrations and the more time you will have to complete other administrative steps serenely.

Applications for admission are usually processed within a period of one to two months, between February and June for fall admissions and between June and November for winter admissions.

Exchange students are exempted from processing fees.

Items to Attach to Your Application

All attachments must be scanned and uploaded to the bilingual on-line admissions portal (no paper document or document sent by email is required, except upon the explicit request of the ÉTS Admissions Office). Original documents or authentication by your establishment of origin could be required.

  • Your university transcripts for ongoing studies only (engineer level and included preparatory classes, if you took them at the same establishment);
  • A birth certificate;
  • Your contract of studies signed by an authorized representative of your home institution;
  • Your application form for participation in the BCI student exchange program, if you are making your application under this program;
  • The application for registration form for graduate courses, for students whose choice of courses includes graduate courses (800 series courses).  
International Students in Montréal and at ETS
Greater Montréal is home to more than 30,000 foreign students at the
post-secondary level, nearly 80% of the
Québec total
At ÉTS, 25% of graduate students are women
More than 60% of ÉTS graduate students come from outside Canada