Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program
About us
The Government of Canada’s International Education Strategy includes a five-year outbound student mobility pilot program that will provide funding for thousands of college and university undergraduate students to gain in-demand international skills and experience during their studies.
Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, the Outbound Student Mobility Program is jointly administered by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). In addition to giving students international learning experiences, this program is also an important step towards achieving Canada’s trade diversification goals and strengthening international networks.
Innovation projects
Due to COVID-19, the program shifted to a phased implementation approach, starting with innovation projects that focus on helping institutions test new tools and approaches, adapt mobility programming to COVID-19, and build the foundation for the launch of the full program in the spring of 2021, or as soon as conditions permit.
Universities Canada thanks all universities that submitted a proposal to the competition.
Please find below a list of funded innovation projects.
For more information
Please contact studentmobility@univcan.ca for all questions about the program.
Additional resources
Advisory group
Universities Canada and CICan are working closely with multiple stakeholders to design the Outbound Student Mobility Program, and have convened an advisory group of leaders and experts in education, civil society and business to provide high-level strategic advice and guidance on the design and implementation of the program. In addition to informing strategic and policy issues, committee members also serve as ambassadors to build awareness and support for the program across their networks.
Advisory group members
The Right Honourable David Johnston, chair, Rideau Hall Foundation (chair)
John Baker, president & CEO, D2L
Perrin Beatty, president and CEO, Chamber of Commerce
Larissa Bezo, president and CEO, Canadian Bureau for International Education
Margaret Biggs, Matthews Fellow in Global Public Policy, Queen’s University
Zahra Dhubow, recent graduate, Saint Mary’s University; coordinator, Stronger Together: Empowering Marginalized Youth, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia
Seren Friskie, student representative, Thompson Rivers University and Douglas College; research assistant, Canadian Mental Health Association
Zabeen Hirji, executive advisor, Future of Work, Deloitte
Sue Paish, CEO, Digital Technology Supercluster
Christian Paradis, senior vice president, strategic development, security service, GardaWorld
Ian Smith, CEO, Clearwater Seafoods
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot.
Building on Success: International Education Strategy (2019 – 2024)