Study/Work International Fund
Established as part of the Student Assistance Program, SWIF provides financial assistance to students who want to take part in an international placement. There is a maximum award of $2,000 CAD per applicant.
SWIF supports study, work, or practicum placements for which Dalhousie University will give a degree credit. It provides reduced levels of support for placements with service or educational programs sponsored or recognized by the university. In all cases, the placement must be a component of your degree.
Eligibility
You may be eligible for SWIF funding if you:
- Qualify for financial assistance on the basis of need
- Are in good academic standing and have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.50
- Will receive academic degree credit for the placement (funding is not available for individual travel, research, or data collection)
- Have completed five full academic credit courses at Dalhousie
- Are currently a full-time student
You must complete a pre-departure program prior to applying for any funding through the International Centre.
Application deadlines
The committee meets on a regular basis. This means that there is no deadline for applications, but there are two critical things to note.
- Your application and supporting documentation must be fully complete and submitted prior to your departure.
- The chair of the committee will go through your application to ensure everything is complete only if the application is submitted one month prior to your departure. This will allow you enough time to rectify any omissions. If you don't provide enough time in advance of your departure, we can't guarantee this check will be done, and you risk having your application rejected on the basis of being incomplete.
We recommend that you complete the funding application as soon as you are accepted into an international program.
Established as part of the Student Assistance Program in Student Affairs, SWIF provides financial assistance to students who want to take part in an international placement.
Who is it for?
- Students who are currently registered in a degree program at Dalhousie and are in good academic and financial standing.
- Students who will be building an international experience into their degree (i.e. the international experience will appear in some way on your Dalhousie Transcript), are eligible to apply to SWIF.
- Note that funding is not available for individual travel, research, data collection, or volunteering unless you are registered in an associated course at Dalhousie University for term in which your international experience will occur.
- This fund is primarily a bursary for students with financial need. Commonly, this is demonstrated by the need for a student loan fund your degree. There are other ways to demonstrate financial need – the application ask many questions to try to help you demonstrate financial need.
- 10% of this fund can be used as scholarships for students who demonstrate merit. So, if you do not have a student loan, but do have a Cumulative GPA higher than a 3.3, you are welcome to apply!
How much is awarded?
The maximum award is $2000. This amount is pro-rated depending on the length of time you will be abroad. The guideline applied by the committee is approximately $250/week up to the maximum.
The award amount is also dependent on your budget shortfall, your financial need and/or your level of academic merit.