Who is Studying in Alberta
Alberta schools attract students from all over the world. In the 2008-2009 school year, approximately 1100 foreign students from 43 countries attended school in Alberta as an international student or exchange student.
International Students
International students generally come to Alberta to live with members of their extended family or with a host family for the duration of their studies. They tend to stay in Alberta for a relatively long period of time (from several months up to several years); some even graduate with an Alberta High School Diploma. To find out more about how to study in Alberta as an international student please see the Application Process page.
Exchange students
Exchange students live and study in Alberta for a set period of time (from several months up to a year) as part of a reciprocal exchange program recognized by Alberta Education. Participating students are partnered with Alberta students to exchange knowledge about each other's culture and/or language. Depending on the program, exchange students may:
- live and study together first in Alberta and then in the exchange partner's country of origin; or
- trade places and live and study in their partner's home country for the duration of the exchange.
Alberta Education coordinates student exchanges with states in Germany, Mexico, Japan and Spain where it has negotiated specific agreements enabling these types of programs. Please visit our Student Language Development Exchange web pages for more information on our partners abroad.
