This is an exciting time in your life and we feel fortunate to be part of your journey. Below you will find some information that will help you get ready once you've been accepted to Mount Royal University's Exchange Program.

Choosing your courses

We recommend exchange students take three or four courses per semester. The minimum number of courses you must take is three and the maximum is five. You should confirm with your home institution if there is a minimum number of courses that you should be enrolled in to satisfy the requirements of your home university. 

List of courses
You can see the list of course offerings in the Course Lookup Page. As an exchange student, you are eligible to take most courses if you receive pre-requisite approval from the department (see below). 

You can also view schedule options and create a timetable that works best for you, by using My Schedule Builder. Go to MyMRU> Register & Pay> My Schedule Builder. 

Should you require more information about any specific courses, please email vjarmuske@mtroyal.ca to request a course outline. These are often used to assess transfer credit at your home institution. 

Prerequisites
Prerequisites are courses that are required before registering for a more advanced course. We understand that you might not have taken identical courses to the prerequisites offered at Mount Royal, but we would require that you have taken courses similar to the prerequisites. This is to ensure that you have a sufficient foundation of knowledge in the topic area to be successful in the course. Once you have indicated which courses interest you, we would contact the academic Chair or Dean of the department. They would review your transcript to confirm whether you are able to take the course.
 

"Cool courses"
If you do not need to take specific courses while you are at Mount Royal, take a look at this list of "cool courses" that are unique to Mount Royal and demonstrate Mount Royal's commitment to interesting and relevant topics in coursework. Not all of these will be offered while you are here, but some should be.

Understanding abbreviations

Days of the week:

M-Monday; T-Tuesday; W-Wednesday; R-Thursday; F-Friday; S-Saturday

There are never scheduled classes on Sunday

Course Types:

LEC-Lecture; 

LAB-required lab section in addition to Lecture; 

TUT-required tutorial section in addition to Lecture

Course numbering:

0000-1999: first-year & introductory courses

2000-3999: second & third-year courses

4000-5999*: fourth & final year courses

*these courses will likely have prerequisites for which you must demonstrate equivalency

Locations:

EA-Faculty of Arts Building 
EB-Bissett School of Business
EC-Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning 
ED-Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts
EL-Riddell Library and Learning Centre
LP-Main Building

ONLINE-Administered online, not eligible for exchange students

Expectations in the classroom at MRU

As a student at Mount Royal, you can expect:

• that each course will run the entire semester of four months
• courses generally having an introductory period, small assignments and projects, research papers, mid-term exams, final projects and final exams
• projects and assignments that include written, oral, and research components and/or a combination of reports, assignments, presentations and exams
• each project, assignment and exam will vary in grade weighting
• classroom discussion, group work, presentations and an ongoing interactive environment
• class sizes are generally 30 students with one professor
• professors to indicate how they would like to be addressed, but often it is by their first name 

Health Insurance

Mount Royal University requires that all inbound exchange students have adequate Medical coverage for the duration of their academic program in Canada. Mount Royal University will not pay for or reimburse any medical expenses whatsoever, and if students fail to purchase adequate coverage they will still be responsible for paying all medical costs themselves. Medical insurance should cover at minimum:

• 100% of Hospital, physician/surgeon and x-ray lab charges 
• 100% of Ambulance charges including air evacuation to home 
• 100% of Prescription Drug charged, to a maximum of 30 days coverage 
• 100% of Emergency and Accidental Dental Injury charges 
• Repatriation of deceased charged of at least $20,000

Extending your coverage: You should ensure that you are insured during the entirety of your stay in Canada and any travels before or after your academic program. If you wish to extend your insurance please communicate with your provider to ensure you have additional coverage. 

Please contact international@mtroyal.ca for a list of options. 

Wellness Services on campus

We have a comprehensive Wellness Services office located directly on campus and you, as covered by the guard.me medical insurance, have access to almost all services that are offered!

Services offered:

• Health services: physicians and nurses

• Student counselling: personal, career and educational counselling for students

• Optimal Therapy: chiropractors/acupuncturist/athletic/massage/physical therapists

• Breathing Room 

• Student Health 101 e-zine

Mandatory Exchange Program fees

• $300 Exchange Program Administration & Services Fee
• $160 UPass
• $20 per Official Transcript Request

Other applicable fees

• Residence 
• Mandatory fees
• $50-350 Textbooks and course materials
• $7-250 Canadian Immigration Documentation (see: Travelling to Canada)
• Groceries and Appliances

Banking information

If you choose to set up a bank account in Canada, we recommend the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).  It is very close to MRU (2-3km away) and is open on Saturdays and late on some days during the week. There is also an RBC ATM bank machine on campus in Wyckam House.

The two closest branches to Mount Royal are located in the Signal Hill Shopping Centre and Marda Loop.

Call the bank to set up your 1-hour appointment to get your new student bank account set up. 

Documents to bring to your appointment:

• Passport

• Letter of Acceptance to MRU

• Proof of MRU Residence Letter

• Cash to deposit

You will receive a debit card which will be very useful for you to pay for things at all stores and you will be able to withdraw cash from ATMs and you will save yourself the International Bank Fees that can be charged if you use your bank cards or credit cards from home.

Cost of living in Calgary

Use this helpful website to assess the cost of everyday living in Calgary.

To wire funds to Mount Royal University

Please transfer the funds through a direct bank transfer to:

Swift Code: CIBCCATT
Beneficiary bank:
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) 
Banker's Hall
309-8th Ave S.W.
Calgary, AB T2P 2P2

Financial Institution Number: 0010
Branch Transit Number: 00009
Account Number: 6617514
Beneficiary Name: Mount Royal University

Travelling to Canada

• Ensure your immigration documents have been approved prior to leaving for Canada and keep them in your carry-on luggage

• Confirm whether you will need any additional immigration documentation if you are travelling through different countries on your way to Canada

Immigration information

Apply for all immigration documentation from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Use this link to determine whether you will need a visitor/temporary resident visa (TRV) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA) to enter Canada.

Getting to Mount Royal from YYC

When you arrive in Calgary you’ll see many “White Hat Volunteers” in the airport who’ll be wearing white cowboy hats and red vests. If you need help or guidance, one of them will be there to assist you. If you arrive in Calgary late at night, you may choose to stay at one of the many hotels around the Calgary Airport and then make your way to the university in the morning.

Taxi: A taxi stand can be found immediately outside of the arrivals area. Expect to spend between $50-60 to get to Mount Royal's campus. Typically, Canadians will tip taxi drivers 10-15% of the total cost, but this is up to you.

Public Transit: The Calgary Transit website lists service hours and allows you to plan your trip by inputting your beginning and end destination. If you have a lot of baggage or are arriving late at night, this may not be a good option for you. 

Uber: Uber is a ride-sharing app available in Calgary. Find out more and get cost estimates here.

Packing list

• Clothes
  • Casual, everyday items (casual clothes are appropriate for the classroom)
  • Sweaters
  • Exercise clothing
  • One nice outfit for semi-formal occasions
  • FYI: Average daytime high in September is 20 degrees celsius; Average daytime high in January is -3 degrees celsius; Average daytime low in January is -13 degrees celsius
• Winter jacket, boots and gloves (you may want to buy these after you arrive at Mount Royal)
• Backpack
  • School supplies can be purchased here
• Electronics
  • Camera, music playing device, computer, cell phone, chargers, adaptors
• Toiletries
  • Medicine and prescriptions
• Traditional items from your country (costumes/traditional dress, music or instruments, games, items that can be used in displays or presentations, your flag).
• Important documents

  • Passport, MRU acceptance letter, residence acceptance letter, photocopies of other important identification

Calgary features an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars, cultural venues, public squares, parks and shopping. 

Some popular tourist attractions include the Calgary Zoo, the Telus Spark Science Centre, the Chinatown district, the Glenbow Museum, International Avenue, the Calgary Tower, and the Military Museums, among others. The Devonian Gardens (located on the 4th floor of The Core Shopping Centre downtown) is one of the largest urban indoor gardens in the world. 

The Heritage Park Historical Village depicts life in pre-1914 Alberta and features working historic vehicles such as a steam train, paddle steamer and electric streetcar. The village itself comprises a mixture of replica buildings and historic structures relocated from southern Alberta. Other major city attractions include Canada Olympic Park, which features Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and Spruce Meadows, a world-renowned equestrian show jumping complex. 

Calgary has three professional sports teams: The Calgary Stampeders (football), The Calgary Flames (hockey), and the Calgary Roughnecks (lacrosse). We also have several junior leagues in hockey and rugby.

Calgary hosts dozens of annual festivals. These include the Calgary International Film Festival, the Calgary Folk Music Festival, FunnyFest Calgary Comedy Festival, Sled Island music festival, the Folk Music Festival, the Greek festival, GlobalFest, Expo Latino, Calgary Pride, Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, and many other cultural and ethnic festivals. Calgary's best-known event is the Calgary Stampede, which is a 10-day rodeo and exhibition has occurred each July since 1912. It is one of the largest festivals in Canada.

Travel

During each semester, Mount Royal University has Reading Week. This is a week where there are no classes and it is designed for you to get prepared for assignments and midterm exams. However, many exchange students will work hard in the weeks prior to Reading Week so that they are able to use this time to travel through Canada and explore other areas. To see the Reading Week dates, please see Important dates. 

You will also have the chance on weekends and in the evenings to explore Calgary and the surrounding area.

Explore and find different ideas of what you can do around Calgary and Alberta.

Distances to major Canadian cities

Calgary to Banff: 1h 30 minute drive

Calgary to Edmonton, Alberta: 3h drive

Calgary to Jasper, Alberta: 5h drive

Calgary to Vancouver: 1h 30 minute flight

Calgary to Victoria, British Columbia: 1h 35 minute flight

Calgary to Toronto: 3h 45 minute flight

Calgary to Ottawa: 3h 45 minute flight

Calgary to Montreal: 4h flight

Calgary to Quebec City: 4h 30 minute flight

Calgary to Halifax, Nova Scotia: 4h 45 minute flight

Calgary to St. John's, Newfoundland: 7h 14 minute flight