Queen's University

Founded in 1841, Queen's University is one of Canada's leading universities. Based in Kingston, Ontario, Queen's is a member of the prestigious U15 group of research-intensive universities and holds an international reputation for the outstanding academic quality of its faculty and students. In 2023 Queen's placed #1 in North America and #3 in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

Situated on the shore of Lake Ontario, Kingston provides the perfect place to call home, while still being within easy reach of Toronto and Montreal - two of Canada's largest cities. The campus-based university and large number of student clubs contribute to a warm and welcoming atmosphere, making it easy to get involved, make friends and become part of the Queen's community.

Available exchanges

Queen's University hosts the University-wide exchange and Subject-specific Business exchange.

Restricted subject areas

Arts and Science courses are open to exchange students provided that they have the appropriate prerequisite courses. Please note that availability may be limited in some departments, particularly in Psychology, Anthropology, Computing, Economics, Political Science, Drama and Music and Kinesiology.

Entry into courses in any department is not guaranteed and we emphasise caution on selecting this institution if you fall under the following degree subject areas: Anthropology, Computing, Economics, Drama and Music.

Students may have the option to take courses from another Faculty. However, the majority of courses must be in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Students are not permitted to enroll in courses offered by the Faculty of Law.

Some departments require incoming students to have certain pre-requisites or to fulfill certain criteria, which are listed below:

All Economics degree programs at Queen’s require a supporting credit or background in Differential and Integral calculus. If you do not have this background it is recommended that you take MATH 121 or MATH 126. (MATH 126 content is similar to 121 but assumes no knowledge of calculus.)

Your responsibilities

The information provided here serves as a guide.
It is your responsibility to research whether the partner provides appropriate courses for your degree programme.
Even if there are no restrictions on your degree subject, this does not mean that there are appropriate courses for you.

You can find courses of instruction in the online Academic Calendar.

Academic Calendar.

Not every course listed in this Calendar is offered every year.

Find Departments in the Faculty of Arts & Science

Academic Information for Exchange Students

Guaranteed accommodation

University accommodation

A limited number of spaces in Jean Royce Hall are available for exchange students. Jean Royce Hall single private rooms with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Students can choose to cook or participate in an optional meal plan.

All residence allocations are made through a lottery system and housing in residence cannot be guaranteed.

See Queen's University Residences website for more details including relevant deadlines and application details. (You will require your Queen’s student ID (number) to apply, which will be provided to you after you have successfully applied to Queen's.)

Queen's University Residences

Private accommodation

Many exchange students elect to live off-campus. The Queen's University International Centre (QUIC) provides resources to assist students to locating housing.

See QUIC's "Finding Housing" website for more details.

Finding Housing

You can access additional resources through the Off-Campus Living Adviser.

Off-Campus Living Adviser

Finding living arrangements in Kingston can be a challenge – especially in the Fall term. Queen's recommends students who choose to live off-campus should come to Kingston at least one week in advance to find adequate accommodation if they have not secured accommodation prior to travelling.

How much it will cost to go on exchange to Queen's?

Information on Costs for Incoming Exchange Students

Fees you should anticipate include:

Accommodation and living expenses
University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) - mandatory
Transit Pass - included at no cost
Books and supplies

Financial Aid and Awards provides estimated accommodation and living expenses.

Estimated accommodation and living expenses

Costs may vary depending on a student's personal situation and your actual costs will vary depending on your lifestyle and personal spending habits.

Refer to the Residence Fee Schedule for the most up-to-date on-campus residence fees.

Residence Fee Schedule

As a student at Queen's you have access to the Queen's Centre, which includes an accessible swimming pool, gyms, cardio rooms and more. Classes typically cost extra.

Queen's Centre

Numbeo is a crowdsourced cost-of-living tool that you can use to get a feel for prices in Kingston.

Numbeo

Health insurance

The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is a mandatory primary health insurance plan for all international students and their dependents who will be residing in Ontario for more than 3 weeks. New students qualify for emergency UHIP coverage for 21 days before the term starts, at no additional cost.

UHIP Health Insurance Plan Information