Queen’s University

Admissions and Applications

Academic Requirements

Review the International High School Student Admission Requirements on the Undergraduate Admissions website to figure out what the academic requirements are for the program(s) you are interested in.

English Language Requirements

Visit the Undergraduate Admission website to learn more about English language requirements and the Test of Facility in English on the Undergraduate Admission website.

How to Apply

Visit the How to Apply webpage on the Undergraduate Admissions website to learn how to apply.

Apply

Go to the OUAC website and look for the “Undergraduate Applications” category. This will direct students to both the application for students studying at Ontario high schools (both international and domestic) and students from outside Ontario/Canada and post-secondary students.

Study Permits and Entry Visas

If you are planning to study in Canada for one term (less than 6 months):

• you may study under temporary resident status as a visitor

For any period longer than 6 months (two terms):

• Study Permit is required. Students from some countries may require a temporary resident visa (entry visa) to be eligible to enter Canada. The temporary resident visa (if required) will automatically be issued as part of a successful Study Permit application.
• To get a study permit and/or a temporary resident visa (entry visa) you should apply online through the IRCC website.
• The study permit application costs $150 CAD (or the equivalent in local currency), while a temporary resident visa application (if made on its own – without a study permit application) costs $100 CAD.
• It is recommended that you apply early for a study permit. These applications generally take 10-20 business days, but can still in some cases take as long as 3 months to be processed.

General requirements include:

• A valid passport;
• Proof of acceptance from Queen’s University;
• A Provincial Attestation Letter;
• Proof of adequate funds to cover living expenses for you and any dependents coming to Canada with you;
• A medical examination may be required;
• Citizens of some countries must provide biometrics (digital photographs and fingerprints).

It is extremely important that you check with the visa office that you are applying to as each office may have additional requirements. Be sure to keep copies of all documents sent to and from the Canadian visa office.

Study Permits, Visas & Residency

Awards and Bursaries for International Students

We recognize a university education is a major financial undertaking. That’s why Queen’s offers a variety of financial aid programs available to assist International and U.S. students studying at Queen’s.

• Admission Scholarships and Awards (for incoming first year undergraduate students)
• U.S. Student Loans
• International Student Loans
• Queen’s General Bursary
• Work Study Program
• Athletic Financial Awards
• Section 529 Savings Plan (U.S. Students)
• U.S. Veteran Affairs

Supporting Your Academic Success

Excellent students need support. As an Arts and Science student, you will have a team of dedicated academic advisors, student services staff, instructors, peer advisors, and librarians supporting you from before you step foot on campus to the moment you cross the stage at graduation.

Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC)

The Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) provides welcome and orientation services whenever a student, scholar or staff member arrives. They also provide assistance to all international students, staff, and faculty coming to Queen’s. Their dedicated staff can assist you with obtaining the mandatory University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) and provide resources for preparing for your time at Queen’s as well as information on arrival to Canada, Queen’s University, and Kingston.

• Pre-Arrival Information
• Arrival Information

Queen’s University English Bridging Program

QBridge is a university preparation program for students who have received a conditional offer of acceptance to an undergraduate program at Queen’s University.

QBridge is designed to provide you with academic English language training prior to studies at Queen’s. From the end of June until August, you will participate in an intensive English language program at Queen’s School of English (QSoE), completing the program in time to enrol in full-time degree studies in September.

This program helps to build the skills necessary for academic success and helps you gain an understanding of the expectations for studying at Queen’s University. This student-centered immersion program integrates the four language skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking, at an academic level. It is more academically challenging and rigorous than standard lecture and test format courses and more in keeping with a communicative classroom style. Students are expected to communicate their ideas orally, and to analyze and critique the ideas of others, as they fine tune their academic English skills.

Successful students will demonstrate a high level of academic ability while engaging in English study, attending and listening to lectures, writing essays, and participating in presentations, seminars and debates.

Daralyn Auld – Academic Advisor for International Students

Meet Daralyn Auld, our Academic Advisor for International Students. Daralyn plays a key role in ensuring international students receive a quality education, and academic support throughout their degree in Arts and Science.

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We are Queen’s University

We are internationally recognized for our research, innovation, and academic excellence. We have a strong history of scholarship and discovery, global impact, and transformative education. Our students, faculty, and staff are tackling humanity’s greatest challenges.

• We are a top-ranked university
• Top 200 in the world – Ranked highly for research and academic excellence by QS World University Rankings
• Top 10 in Canada – Ranked highly for research and academic excellence by QS World University Rankings and Maclean’s
• 6th globally for sustainable impact – Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
• Top 50 for innovation – Fast Company and Inc.’s Ignition Schools 2024 Awards

Student success

Our students excel in academics and thrive in their careers.

Outstanding student achievement

Our students average a 91% entering grade, and many win big awards, including more than 50 Rhodes Scholarships.

Highest graduation rate

Our graduation rate is 89%—the highest graduation rate in Canada.

Exceptional career readiness

Over 95% of students are employed within six months of graduation.

Strong history, bright future

We are one of Canada’s most historic universities—established 1841. Our active alumni network of 150,000 graduates spans 119 countries, and each year we contribute almost $2 billion to the Canadian economy. With $1.6 billion in total assets, we’re in a strong position to deliver on our mission of research and academic excellence.

Main Campus

Queen’s main campus is located on roughly 100 acres of land on the southwestern edge of downtown Kingston. Its approximate boundaries are King Street in the south, Earl Street in the north, Collingwood Street in the west, and Barrie Street in the east.

University buildings, especially around the edges of the campus, are interspersed with private homes, shops, and hospital buildings. This mixture is an indication of the piecemeal way in which the campus has developed. Queen’s first Trustees had intended to build the university on a self-contained, 50-acre site west of today’s campus in the area of College Street. They could not, however, afford to build on that original property and sold it piece by piece.

Trustees turned to the present site in 1853 when they purchased Summerhill and its small holding of seven acres, then on the very edge of the city. Until the 1890s, all new buildings were constructed in the immediate area of Summerhill.

By the early 1900s, the campus had spread north to Union Street and west to University Avenue. By this time, the area was surrounded by blocks of private housing and, to expand, Queen’s had to buy developed land and either renovate, demolish, or move the houses that were already there.

Expansion has generally followed this pattern ever since – often to the displeasure of local residents. In the 1920s, Queen’s expanded to the north side of Union Street and the west side of University Avenue, buying the Students’ Memorial Union (now the John Deutsch University Centre) and building Ban Righ Hall and Richardson Stadium.

It was not until the 1950s, however, that development in these areas really took off. Since then, many buildings have been constructed west of University Avenue or north of Union Street.

Today, University Avenue – once Queen’s western boundary – is the university’s central thoroughfare. Most of the original seven-acre holding has been developed, but the section in front of Summerhill, Kingston and Theological Halls has been spared as green space and is home to the Queen’s Arboretum, thanks in part to fierce protests about the proposed lower campus development in the 1960s.

The pace of growth has slowed since the 1960s, as the purchase of west campus relieved pressures for expansion, but there have been important developments, especially in the northwest part of the main campus. Richardson Stadium, for example, was torn down in 1971 and replaced by a new stadium on west campus.

In recent years there have been important additions, including the purchase of Victoria School and the construction of the Policy Studies Building (now named Robert Sutherland Hall) and Stauffer Library, all on Union Street west of University Avenue. Other new buildings include Chernoff Hall, Goodes Hall, Beamish-Munro Hall, the Queen’s Centre, and a new Medical School Building.

Plans for the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts are also underway.

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International Tuition Fee Status Changes

If you are not a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or a person registered as Indigenous within the meaning of the Indian Act, you are assessed the international fee rate. International students are exempt from international student tuition fees under certain conditions as defined by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities Operating Funds Distribution Manual. These exemptions are subject to change at any time.

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International and U.S. Students

Queen’s University attracts a community of outstanding student scholars from across the globe. There are a variety of financial aid programs available to assist international and U.S. students studying at Queen’s.

Specific Student Groups – review financial aid options available to part-time students, consecutive education students, student athletes, Queen’s alumnae, mature women students, Indigenous students, Black and racialized students, and students with disabilities.

Graduate International Students – find information about scholarships, awards, and other funding opportunities on the School of Graduate Studies website.

First-Entry Undergraduate Financial Aid

Queen’s offers a range of scholarships to students entering their first year of any first-entry undergraduate program of study.

Eligibility

To be eligible for most international admission scholarships and awards you must be:

• An international student (Canadian citizens, including those students holding dual-citizenship, and permanent residents do not qualify for these awards)
• Entering the first year of post-secondary education for the first time (graduates from a 2-year CEGEP program transferring into their second year of a Queen’s program remain eligible for Admission Scholarships and Awards)

Canadian citizens, those holding dual-citizenship, and permanent residents of Canada should visit the Future Students section for further information on scholarships and awards for incoming first-year domestic students.

Academic Average Calculation

Unless otherwise stated, the awards average outlined below is used for scholarship consideration:

Other International Awards

International and U.S. Students are encouraged to check the Canadian Bureau for International Education site for information on the availability of awards for international students studying in Canada.

Dean’s International Award Program (no application required)

International students who are entering undergraduate programs at Queen’s University will be considered automatically for the Dean’s International Award program.

Awarded on the basis of academic achievement to international students entering the first year of any first-entry degree program in the Faculty of Arts and Science, Stephen J. R. Smith School of Engineering and Applied Science, Smith School of Business (Bachelor of Commerce), or Faculty of Health Sciences (Bachelor of Health Sciences). The award is renewable for 3 subsequent years provided the student continues to be registered full-time in a program of study within their original faculty of admission.

Awarded to students paying international student fees, international students paying domestic fees are not eligible for this award. This program includes the following Faculty Awards:

Automatic Admission Scholarships (no application required)

These awards support our efforts in making Queen’s accessible to top students from around the world. Recipients of these scholarships will be selected automatically. By applying for admission to Queen’s, all eligible applicants are automatically considered for the following admission scholarships:

Principal’s Global Scholars Undergraduate Award

Established in June 2022 by Queen’s University. Awarded on the basis of academic achievement to international students entering an undergraduate degree program through the Global Scholars admission pathway for forcibly displaced students.

The award is renewable for up to three subsequent years, as defined in the student’s award offer notification, provided the student maintains a 2.0 GPA in a full-time course load

Principal’s Scholarship

Principal’s Scholarships are awarded, on the basis of academic excellence, to students who are in the top 3% of the competitive admission average for each first-entry undergraduate degree program.

Mehran Bibi Sheikh Memorial Entrance Scholarship

Killam American Scholarship

Other Financial Aid Options

In addition to the options discussed in this section, you should also consider reviewing the Financial Aid Requiring an Application, Work Study program, and Specific Student Group Financial Aid pages that might be applicable to you.

U.S. Student Loans

Queen’s participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, in which U.S. citizens, or eligible U.S. non-citizens, may apply for federal loans directly from the U.S. Department of Education. The Federal School code for Queen’s University is G06679. U.S. Student Loans Info

International Student Loans

International students may hold student loans that have been secured through their home countries.

• You are advised to contact the appropriate student loan agency in your country for further information
• If you are sponsored by any agency or government (other than U.S. loans), you should ensure that proof and duration of sponsorship is sent to the Office of the University Registrar, Records and Services

Prince Takamado Visiting Student Scholarship

Prince Takamado Visiting Student Scholarship Application

Section 529 Savings Plans

U.S. students who have access to Section 529 Savings Plans are eligible to utilize these resources while studying at Queen’s University. To maximize U.S. Federal Tax benefits associated with Section 529 Savings Plans students will need to ensure that their savings plan’s administrator is informed of the U.S. Department of Education Federal School Code for Queen’s University (at Kingston, Ontario), which is G06679.

U.S. Veteran Affairs

If you or a family member served in the United States of America Military, you may be eligible for VA Education Benefits. These requests are processed by the US Department of Veteran Affairs and the Financial Aid and Awards Office at Queen’s University.

Queen’s University is a foreign US Department of Veteran Affairs-approved institution WEAMS Public (va.gov)

We recommend that you visit the VA website for the most up to date information. You can check your eligibility and apply for VA benefits online. Foreign Programs | Veterans Affairs (va.gov) VA recommends that you submit your application for benefits to VA at least 120 days prior to the study start.

You may be eligible to receive benefits for tuition, fees, books and living.

Prior to applying you must confirm that the degree program you intend to pursue has been approved for US VA Education benefits. If your degree program is not approved you must contact the Financial Aid and Awards Office by email financialaid@queensu.ca to request the school apply for program approval. Only a certifying official at Queen’s University may apply for approval of a program. The student cannot submit the request on the school’s behalf. The program approval is a lengthy process you must contact us as soon as possible.

Important: If your program approval is denied you will not be eligible to use your VA Education Benefits and you will be responsible to Queen’s University for all charges including tuition and fees.

If your application is approved by VA you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or an award letter that must be provided to the Financial Aid & Awards office from your Queen’s email address to financialaid@queensu.ca.

A student who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 benefits will be permitted to participate in courses during the date on which the individual provides to the Financial Aid & Awards Office at Queen’s University a Certificate of Eligibility and ending:

1. once the payment from VA has been received by the University or 2. 90 days after the institution certified tuition and fees for an eligible program.

The school will provide Enrollment Certification to VA once the student has provided both documents.

After the initial year each academic year that you wish to receive VA Education Benefits you must email financialaid@queensu.ca to request the required Enrollment Certification be submitted to VA.

Students must submit VA Education Benefit Certification Request and Confidentiality Release form and required Certificate of Eligibility to the Financial Aid & Awards Office by the 1st week of July prior to the start of the school year. Requests after this date will be processed when request is received. It may take up to 30 days to process.

If your application is approved by VA depending on the VA benefit type the payment for tuition and fees will be sent directly to Queen’s through EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer), once received the payment will be applied to your student fee account. The student is responsible for any amount not covered by their VA Education Benefit. We recommend that you check your SOLUS student account prior to payment deadlines.

If applicable, a separate payment for books and living expenses will be sent directly to the applicant by VA.

An Alternative Payment Arrangement which will extend the tuition payment deadline will be automatically added to your student account provided we receive your Certificate of Eligibility.

The student who is receiving educational assistance under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 benefits will not receive any late fees, the denial of access to classes or any institutional facilities. We do not have a requirement that the student must borrow additional funds to meet their financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of funding from VA under Chapter 31 or 33.

The Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment office will initiate a review of your prior education and provide you with a written Statement of Transfer Credit. For this review to occur, you must provide the Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment office with official transcripts for all education completed after high school. Transfer Credits will be awarded in accordance with Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment’s Transfer Credit Policies.

Queen’s University will retain a written record of your prior education and Statement of Transfer Credits in accordance with the US VA regulations.

Your course load will be monitored by the Financial Aid & Awards Office, any changes will be reported to VA. You are responsible to report any course add/drops to the Financial Aid and Awards Office financialaid@queensu.ca.

Any changes in your course load could result in a change to the amount of your benefit and cause an overpayment that must be repaid.

The school is responsible for returning any VA funding the student has not earned. Any debt requested by VA due to any change in eligibility will be taken from the SOLUS student account which could result in an amount owing from the student to the school.

Changing your program of study could result in loss of VA benefits. All degree programs must be approved by VA.

We recommend that you contact the Financial Aid and Awards Office financialaid@queensu.ca before making any changes to your course load or program.

Chapter 33 students must verify their enrollment status directly to VA each month for enrollment periods which begin on or after August 1, 2021, to continue to receive their monthly housing allowance (MHA) and/or kicker payments. If a beneficiary fails to verify for two consecutive months, VA will withhold any additional MHA payments until verified by the student. The requirement for the student to verify their enrollment status means VA cannot accept statements from the school to verify the enrollment.

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International Student Study Permit FAQ

Provincial Attestation Letter

Most new post-secondary international students coming to Queen’s for undergraduate studies must provide a provincial attestation letter (PAL) for their study permit application in order to study at Queen’s. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will return any application received that does not include a PAL unless otherwise exempt.

We have worked closely with the Canadian and Provincial governments, as well as the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), to enact this new requirement while we continue to offer access to high-quality post-secondary education and an exceptional experience for our international students. We want to reassure you that we remain committed to supporting you in every step of your journey by providing as much information and assistance as possible.

We know that big announcements like this can raise a lot of questions, and we have a list of FAQ’s below. We encourage you to contact Carolina Palmer, International Student Advisor. She is regulated through the College of Canadian Immigration Consultants, trained in Canadian immigration systems and regulations, and is available for in-person meetings, or over Calendly.

For more information about the Study Permit, Visas and Residency process, please visit the QUIC website.

General FAQs

What is a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) and what is it used for?

According to the IRCC website, provinces and territories will be issuing Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) to some groups of international students. The attestation letter proves the student has been accounted for under a provincial or territorial allocation within the national cap.

If required, a PAL must be included with your study permit application when you submit your application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Details about PALs can be found on the IRCC website.

Who needs a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)?

Who needs a provincial attestation letter?

• most post-secondary study permit applicants
• most non-degree granting graduate programs (for example, certificate programs and graduate diplomas)
• anyone else not included in the exception list below

When do I get a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)?

Once you have accepted your offer, your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL). It will be located in SOLUS Student Centre.

Once you have downloaded your documents, you can begin your Study Permit application.

Current Applicants and Offer Holders

I’ve applied to Queen’s University, what are my next steps?

Once you’ve applied to Queen’s, watch your email for important information on your application for admission, including submitting required documents, and upcoming deadlines.

I’ve received an offer to Queen’s, what are my next steps?

Congratulations! If you have received an offer to Queen’s, we hope you will take a moment to celebrate with your supporters. Your offer of admission is separate from the Study Permit process. Please review your offer email carefully and note any conditions and your acceptance deadline. We encourage you to accept your offer of admission as soon as possible and no later than the deadline in your offer email. Once you have accepted your offer and paid your $2500 CDN deposit, your PAL and LOA will be issued. These two documents are required for your study permit application.

When will the process for attestation letters be ready?

Queen’s has received its allocation from the Province and we are now issuing Provincial Attestation Letters. If you have received an offer of admission, please review the next steps outlined above.

I am currently in a Canadian high school (including Ontario) on a valid study permit. Will I need a new study permit to come to Queen’s?

Students transferring from post-secondary to secondary school are now required to apply for a new study permit.

To learn more about the process, please visit the IRCC website.

I have more questions about the Study Permit application, can I speak to someone?

Yes! We encourage you to connect with Carolina Palmer at s.c.palmer@queensu.ca

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