Incoming International Exchange

Important information for your transition to Carleton University

Carleton University operates on a two-semester system, with Fall and Winter semesters.

The Fall semester typically begins in September and ends in December, while the Winter semester runs from January to April. Visit the dates and deadlines page to view the dates associated with each semester.

Course Registration

You will be registered in a minimum of 3 courses* (1.5 credits) in each of the term(s) you will be studying at Carleton. This is considered academic full time status, and these courses must be approved by our academic departments.

*Please note that if you have an English as a second language requirement, your maximum credit limit may be altered.

Registration Changes

Should you wish to make changes to your timetable (i.e. add or drop courses), the registration system, you must do so via Carleton Central. You will be informed via email when you have access to the system.

If making changes to your registration, please ensure that you are registering in courses that have been approved by your home university.

• If you receive a registration error for a non-Engineering course that is restricted or requires pre-requisites, you will need to submit a Course Registration Override Request.
• If you are submitting a Course Override Request, we recommend that you use the reason code “I am an incoming international exchange student, my transcripts are available in the RO (registrar@carleton.ca).”
• If you receive a registration error for an Engineering course, you will need to submit an Engineering Request Form. Information on this process is available by visiting the Faculty of Engineering and Design website.

Registration Assistance

• This website offers different “How to” videos and resources to help you navigate Carleton Central.
• Our Student Registration Assistance team is also available to support you. Just email registrar@carleton.ca, and be sure to include your full name and Carleton student number.

Important Information

• Exchange students must be registered in a full time course load in order to study at Carleton. Full time study is defined as a minimum of 1.5 credits (or 3 courses) per term. Students are allowed a maximum of 2.5 credits (or 5 courses) per term.
• Students must exercise caution when deleting courses from their schedule. You must remain registered in the minimum 1.5 credits required per term at all times.
• Fall classes begin September 4, 2024, and final exams run from December 9 to 21, 2024 inclusive. Winter classes begin January 6, 2025, and final exams run from April 11 to 26, 2025 inclusive. Visit the Dates and Deadlines page to be sure you don’t miss any important deadlines.

Important Contacts

• student_accounts@carleton.ca  – Student Accounts for questions regarding your student account.
• exchange@carleton.ca – International Student Services Office for questions regarding your exchange agreement, orientation, course approvals, general assistance for international students.
• registrar@carleton.ca – Registrar’s Office for question about your registration or navigating the registration system in Carleton Central.
• residence@carleton.ca  – Housing and Residence Life Services for questions about residence and housing.
• its.service.desk@carleton.ca – Information Technology Services for technical support and questions regarding Carleton email, passwords, and websites such as Carleton Central, Brightspace and MyCarleton Portal.

Registration Tools

Dates and Deadlines

Always be mindful of the academic dates and deadlines for each academic term.

Registration Steps

All registration for courses is done through Carleton Central. There are 4 steps to registration which must be completed in order to ensure your successful registration.

Waitlisting

While we strive to provide students with access to courses, factors such as room size can limit the number of spaces available in a course. For courses that are currently full, you may be able to join a waitlist.

Registration Override Request

When attempting to add a course, you may encounter a registration error. This happens when you do not meet the registration criteria set out by the department.

Course Delivery Types

Course sections may be offered in-person, online or as a combination of in-person and online activities. The delivery type for each course will appear in the “Section Information” listing in Carleton Central.

Registration Support

If you still have any questions after looking through the information on this website, we have several services available to help you out.