BCI programme in Quebec
Study in Quebec for your semester or year abroad in a university where the courses are taught in either French or English!
Le Bureau de cooperation interuniversitaire - BCI (interuniversity cooperation office) is an agreement which creates links between French and Quebecois universities in order to facilitate student exchanges. This agreement allows students who are registered at a French university to spend either a semester or a year in Quebec studying at one of the universities that participate in the programme.
Reasons and advantages to going abroad.
The University of Burgundy's partner universities
Take a look at the 6 Quebecois universities who participate in the BCI programme, and the programmes which are offered to exchange students.
Eligibility and duration
Eligibility
- Be enrolled at the University of Burgundy at the time your application is submitted and during your year of mobility.
- Have passed at least one year of higher education studies. If you are still in the first year of your bachelor and wish to go abroad the second year, you can still apply, even if you haven't yet received the first year's results. If you are chosen to study in Québec, you will be able to go, provided that you pass your first year.
- Possess a strong academic record.
- Have a good knowledge of the teaching language at the host university (either French or English).
- Be selected by the BCI programme.
Duration
- A semester or a whole academic year - depending on the chosen university.
- It is possible to combine your BCI exchange with other mobilities offered by the University of Burgundy. If you go on exchange with BCI, you are able to go abroad again later in your degree, for example with the Erasmus+ programme.
How to apply?
Applications for the BCI programme are made once a year, regardless of whether you are going on an exchange in the first or second semester of the academic year. The application period usually opens in mid-December for the following academic year. Application deadlines vary according to the university you are applying to.
Step 1: pre-select the university where you wish to study and obtain the approval to go abroad from your uB’s study programme manager
- Take a look at the BCI website to find out which study programmes are offered to exchange students and choose the university where you would like to go. Read carefully the additional conditions for each university and chose which modules you may wish to take.
- Choose your study programme (taught in French or in English) at the University of Burgundy, where you will remain officially enrolled in if you go abroad. You must contact the person responsible for your future study programme at uB so that they can approve if your proposed exchange project at Quebec is suitable within the framework of your studies.
EXAMPLE: if you are in your 3rd year of Bachelor studies and wish to go to Quebec during your 1st year of Master studies, you must contact the person in charge of the Master programme in which you will be officially registered at uB during your mobility in Quebec.
Step 2: contact the uB's International office to obtain the access code to the online application form common to all applicants
If the responsible person of your future study programme at uB approves your project, contact the uB’s International office from mid-December and
before mid-February in order to get the personal access code which will allow you to complete the application form on the BCI website that all candidates must complete.
Contact: Nela JOURNAUX, Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser., 03.80.39.55.16.
Step 3: submit your application for the chosen university
Your application and deadline will vary depending on the university you choose.
Consult this summary document on the application deadlines, the type of application and the deadlines for responses. The summary document is in French as the majority of study programmes are taught in French but don’t worry – you will also be notified by our International office agent about the exact procedure before getting your personal access code which will allow you to complete the application form on the BCI website (Step 2 here above).
ADDITIONAL STEPS IF YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED
Step 4: complete the uB's International office online application form
If your application is accepted by the university in Quebec, you must complete the uB's International office online application form before the 15th May if going abroad in 1st semester and before 15th November if going abroad in 2nd semester.
If you do not receive a response from the university in Quebec before this time, fill out the International office's online form anyway before the deadline.
- Fill out the International office's application form online and follow the instructions you will receive by e-mail in order to create your personal online account.
- Once your personal account is created, your application will be sent off to be officially approved by the person responsible for your study programme at the University of Burgundy.
- Once your application is electronically approved by the person responsible for your study programme at the University of Burgundy, you will have access to all the documents you will need to complete your application.
- Download, fill out, and sign these documents (electronically or by hand) and upload them, scanned if necessary, to your personal account. The procedure is almost completely electronic; only one document must be submitted as a hard copy. Be sure to read this sheet that includes detailed instructions about each required document. We urge you to read the instructions very carefully and to thoroughly respect the guidelines.
- The deadline for creating your personal account is 15th May (if you go abroad in 1st semester) and 15th November (if you go abroad in 2nd semester). Good to know: once the online application form is filled out and your personal account is created, you will have a few extra weeks to finalise your mobility packet.
You can apply to study abroad within the Erasmus+ framework or outside the Erasmus+ framework AND within the BCI programme at the same time. If you are accepted onto both of the mobilities, it's up to you to choose the one you want and there are no consequences if you decline the other offer.
Step 5: take the necessary steps with the partner university.
Your Québec host university will inform you of the remaining steps to be taken in order to come and study with them.
Courses at the partner university
The responsible person for your programme at uB must approve the modules that you plan to take at the host university.
Choosing your modules
In order to find out more about the courses proposed take a look at the sections List of programs offered to exchange students and Other information on each BCI university web-profile. If necessary, note down the programme codes that interest you and go to the official university website. Then paste the code into the search engine on the website to find the possibilities.
- Note down a list of modules that you may wish to take and submit it to the person responsible for your study programme at the uB to get their agreement. The goal is not to find exactly the same courses as those at the University of Burgundy, but to make sure that your subjects correspond with your study area.
- In order to successfully pass your university year you must obtain a minimum of 30 ECTS credits per semester. Whilst choosing your modules, don't forget that one Canadian credit is worth 2 ECTS credits. 30 ECTS credits = 15 Québec credits.
- Once your course selection is approved by the person responsible for your study programme at the University of Burgundy, you must officially fill out your learning agreement, which will allow you to validate the year of mobility. This document may also come in handy during your interactions with the partner university. Take a look at this example to learn how to fill out your learning agreement.
uB International office contacts.