Mature Students Abroad

If desired, you can bring your partner along on a semester exchange. 

Please note that it is not possible to have your partner accompany you on a group study program, due to the nature of group travel and the scheduled activities. The exception is if your partner also joins the program as a student. 

Things to consider:

• Is your partner a current student at UCalgary or another institution? There may be options for them to study abroad with you. See the "Studying abroad with your partner or child" drop-down below.
• Does your partner plan to join you as a tourist or find employment abroad? Depending on your destination country, this will impact the type of visa they need (if any).
• Do you wish to live with your partner? Generally, only semester or year-long exchanges allow students to arrange private housing where you could live with a non-student partner. 
• Are you legally married to your partner? In some countries, couples who are not married may struggle to find housing together. This can also impact the type of visa needed.
• Are you or your partner 2SLGBTQIA+? Refer to the Sexual Orientation Abroad and Gender Identity Abroad pages for additional considerations.

If desired, you can bring your child along on a semester exchange. Your destination country and the type of visa you travel under may make this more or less feasible - for example, exchange students who wish to enroll their children in the local school system may face barriers in some countries due to the type of visa that exchange students travel on. (If you are in this situation, the visa limitations is something that you will be expected to research yourself. The global learning advisors at our office are not licensed to provide immigration advice for other countries.)

Please note that it is not possible to have children accompany you on a group study program, due to the nature of group travel and the scheduled activities. 

Things to consider: 

• If your child is young, will you have childcare for times that you are in classes? There may be childcare providers in your host country/university, or if your partner is coming along too, they may be able to support with this. 
• If your child is school-aged, will you be looking to pull them out of school, homeschool them, or find options for schooling in your host country? You may need to research processes at your child's current school and alternate schooling options.
• If your child is an adult, are they a current student at UCalgary or another institution? There may be options for them to study abroad with you. See the "Studying abroad with your partner or child" drop-down below.
• Depending on the country, your child's age may also impact the type of visa they need (if any).

Is your partner or child a current university student? It may be possible for them to study abroad with you! Please feel free to contact our office - our global learning advisors can help identify programs that are a good fit for you and have space for you to travel together. 

If your partner is a UCalgary student: 

• They can apply for any UCalgary global learning program!
• Semester exchanges and group study programs are most likely to have enough space to accommodate multiple students. Summer exchanges may also be possible. 
• Generally, research & internship programs are more competitive and we cannot guarantee you will both be accepted. 

If your partner is a student at another university/institution: 

• They are not eligible to apply for UCalgary exchange programs. However, they might be able to apply for an exchange at their own university which is in the same location as a UCalgary exchange program. 
• They may apply for UCalgary group study programs. If accepted, they will be admitted to the program as a visiting student. They will need to negotiate with their own university for permission to enroll in the group study program and transfer the credits to their degree. 

You may decide that you would rather travel by yourself. There could be various reasons for this, but it’s a valid decision! Travelling without your family has some advantages, such as increased freedom and an opportunity to develop your sense of self outside of the family context.

Things to consider: 

• Would you like your family to visit you? On semester exchanges, it may be possible for them to visit before, during, or after your semester; on group study programs, they could meet you at the end of the program, and stay in your current location or travel onwards.
• Can you keep in contact with your family while you travel? For longer trips, consider setting a regular time to check in with each other.
• What reactions might you expect from others, and how will you respond? Depending on cultural context, travelling without your partner or child may be viewed positively, or met with judgement/criticism. 

While adjusting to a new cultural environment is a reality for all global learning participants, students who are older may face different or additional types of culture shock. For example:

• In countries where mature students are less common, or in cultures where age plays a role in social status, your professors or other locals may be unsure how to interact with you and treat you more casually or more formally than you expect.
• The technology used at UCalgary (D2L, Zoom, etc.) may not be the same ones used during your study abroad program and require an adjustment period.
• While travelling, you may find that some services, events, and tours are heavily discounted for students. The age limits on these discounts might be younger than you expect (e.g. the EU Rail pass has a student youth discount only valid for students 27 and younger).

Whether you do a more independent global learning program like an exchange, or a more structured group study, it's likely that you may be one of the only mature students participating. This may have social impacts. For example:

• You may be put in a mentor-like position, where younger students do not interact with you as a peer, but view you as more experienced and come to you for advice. Your professors may also treat you more as an equal instead of a student.
• The types of social opportunities that other students seek outside of class time might not always appeal to you (e.g. nightlife is very popular at some exchange destinations). 

Our office is happy to support UCalgary students in all stages of life to go abroad. However, some programs have eligibility requirements that must be followed.

• Age requirements: Many research & internship programs set maximum age limits. This also comes up for some exchange programs, where due to immigration requirements or other factors at the partner university, they cannot admit exchange students over a certain age.
• Academic history: Students who start their degrees at an older age may have an apparent "gap" in their academic history. This usually isn't a problem for studying abroad, but you may be asked questions about your history or have additional documents/references requested for your application. 

Each situation is different, so don't hesitate to contact our office (study.abroad@ucalgary.ca). Our global learning advisors can talk it out with you and help determine the eligibility requirements for your desired programs.

Being able to stay in contact with family, community, or other home networks is a priority for many students. Consider your personal situation and communication needs - this may influence the type of global learning program that you pursue.

• How regularly do you want to be in contact with home? Some Group Study Programs have a condensed schedule, and it may not be possible to contact home every day. 
• What methods do you prefer to contact home? If studying abroad in a rural location, options for phone/wifi may be limited. There may also be different options for which apps & social media you can use abroad (e.g. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are unavailable in mainland China). 
• Would you want to return home if there was an emergency? If there is a situation at home that increases the possibility of an emergency (e.g. family illness), you may want to consider studying abroad in a location that's closer or easier to travel on short notice. Cancelling your program & returning home is something our office can support you with, but depending on the situation and how far along you are in your program, please know it may not be possible for UCalgary to refund your tuition or award academic credit if your program is incomplete.