Details

• Canada
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

Before you arrive, UVIC will send you some information, including a packing list, insurance details, and so on. I’d go through all of that and take care of as much as possible in advance. I flew from Frankfurt to Vancouver and took the ferry to Victoria from there. But if you can find a cheap direct flight to Victoria, that’s definitely worth it too. And I would definitely recommend booking a flexible return flight, because the courses all end at different times, so you’ll have more flexibility if you want to travel afterward.

2. Accommodation

I applied for on-campus housing and was lucky enough to get a spot in cluster housing, which I would recommend to anyone. Cluster housing is basically a four-person shared apartment with a shared kitchen, a shared shower, and two bathrooms, all located right on campus. The rooms are small, but you have everything you need (a bed, a closet, a desk, and a dresser). Most classrooms are a 5-10 minute walk away, and there’s security all over campus that you can contact if there are any issues. For the cluster housing, you just have to apply close to the deadline, and I was pretty flexible with my preferences (mixed dorm, noise level in the cluster, etc.) and specified that I wanted to live with another WU student, and that worked out. In general, I would definitely recommend applying for on-campus housing, not just the clusters but also the “dormitories", because it’s really convenient to be right near everyone, and there’s also a gym right on campus. The beach is just a 10-minute walk away, and there’s a regular bus to downtown (about a 30-minute ride).

3. Academic life at host university

The campus facilities were really good; you had everything you needed, and everything was right on campus. The teaching style varied greatly from professor to professor. I took some very large classes and some small ones, courses with midterms and presentations, and courses with just a final exam. In general, I’d say the professors all make a real effort to learn the students’ names and are otherwise very helpful when it comes to questions. I especially liked courses like Marketing, since they certainly overlap a lot with WU. At the beginning, UVIC provides a list of courses you can take, and I would simply pay attention to which ones align with your own degree program, what level they are at (from first to fourth year), and whether you prefer courses with just one major exam or ones where the grade is based on several components. In hindsight, I would have taken a closer look at the respective course syllabi, but in the worst-case scenario, you could still have switched courses during the first week.

5. Every day life in the host country

Victoria is absolutely beautiful, especially right near the beach. The public transportation system works really well, but it’s always convenient to have someone with a car. There are definitely some drug-related issues in downtown, but I never felt unsafe, and you can feel really safe on campus, too. The lifestyle varies from student to student, but you can go hiking a lot (mount Douglas) and explore the island, or party in downtown (Upstairs) or try out new restaurants (earls and drafts for happy Hour, The locals). The university also offers many sports clubs (some friends of mine started their own soccer team during the semester), Gym pass and a wide variety of events, which I would especially take advantage of at the beginning to meet new people. There’s also a pub on campus (Felicitas) and a small supermarket down by the beach (Peppers), but there’s also a mall (Hillside) about a 20-minute bus ride from the university. Overall, I’d say Victoria is also perfect for traveling during breaks from school. You can actually get to Hawaii or LA & San Francisco pretty cheaply, and the island itself is also super nice for a road trip and of course you need to visit Vancouver. All in all, you can really have a great time in Victoria and meet lots of wonderful people. As for the budget, I’d say it can vary a lot depending on how frugal you are and whether you travel a lot or not. It’s not a huge city, but you can get to Vancouver really quickly by ferry, and the island really has a lot to offer.

6. Testimonial

Living on campus with all the other students, the walks to the beach and coffee shops, and all the restaurant visits and nights out at clubs really made my exchange experience special. All the trips I got to take with other exchange students were a huge highlight, and Victoria is truly a beautiful little town with a great university.