The Be World Ready program at Niagara College prepares you for global success through education, exchange, and international experience. This program offers you the opportunity to experience culturally diverse learning environments, understand different perspectives and connect practical skills with a global mindset to help you launch your career.

A Global Learning Experience is a short-term study abroad experience that incorporates both vocational and cultural elements, while visiting some of the world’s most famous sights! All GLEs occur during Niagara College’s scheduled break weeks to ensure that students do not miss any classes.

Many of our GLE’s are customized for specific Schools and programs at Niagara College, allowing students to apply the skills learned in the classroom in a real-world setting.

Items included in the Global Learning Experience vary from one opportunity to another. You are encouraged to review the inclusions section on each GLE opportunity page. However, GLEs typically include round-trip airfare (where applicable), shared accommodations, travel insurance, and program fees as outlined in the itinerary. Participants can expect to purchase some meals on their own and will need to bring spending money for any souvenirs, tips, extra excursions, incidentals, transportation that is not included, or items of a personal nature.

No. All aspects noted as included in the overall cost of the selected Global Learning Experience are mandatory with no exceptions made. Our GLEs are developed using group pricing and we cannot deviate from the inclusions by individual request. 

No. Students cannot book their own flight in any way or alter the flights confirmed by Be World Ready. The round-trip flights as confirmed by Be World Ready are part of the package pricing, and the group is to travel to and from the destination country together.

These are our Niagara College Global Learning Experience policies, and we cannot deviate from them, as they are part of our risk mitigation and management.

Each global learning experience destination has different accommodation providers or themes. Accommodation types that are used may include a combination of dorm-style rooms, homestays, tourist class hotels (shared with a roommate), hostels or bunkhouses. Private accommodation options are not guaranteed.

Rooms will vary in style on each trip; however, they are commonly twin share (2 people to a room with separate beds where possible). Single rooms may be available for an additional room fee provided adequate notice is given to Be World Ready staff. We strive to ensure you have comfortable, affordable accommodations anywhere you travel.

Students will be given the opportunity to meet their fellow travellers before the deadline to submit their roommate requests. Be World Ready does their best to accommodate rooming requests, but please note that final rooming arrangements are subject to room occupancy requirements and availability. A rooming list will be created by Be World Ready staff and shared with our accommodation providers before your departure. All participants will be emailed and will have the opportunity to identify their preferred roommate(s). While we will make every effort to ensure all preferences are met, we cannot guarantee it.

No. Only full-time enroled students at Niagara College can participate in a Global Learning Experience. Applications are accepted and based on our outlined eligibility requirements.

In addition to regular communications shared with participants leading up to the departure of their GLE, Be World Ready requires students to enrol in the Be World Ready course. During the course, students will be presented with the overall expectations of the trip as well as in-depth details concerning their itinerary.

During their time abroad, students will be able to communicate with their GLE staff leads directly, 24/7, with any questions or concerns.

All participants are required to hold a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond any expected date of return to participate in any opportunity involving outbound travel.

You are responsible for researching and applying for any required visa(s) on your own. Be World Ready is unable to tell you what visa you require and how to apply. Be World Ready will provide you with supporting documentation as needed to apply for a Visa. While Be World Ready is not able to advise or guide you in a heightened level of detail through any particular visa process, you may consider hiring a travel visa service to assist you with the visa application process, such as CIBT visas. Please note that Be World Ready and Niagara College do not endorse any third-party vendors, nor have any influence or control over any outcomes or services rendered. We cannot apply for a visa on behalf of any participant.

All international students will need to ensure that their Study Permits and Student Visas are not expired before the date of return from the international experience, to ensure that there are no challenges with reentry to Canada.

Yes, while it is great to have a Nexus card, all participants must hold a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond any expected date of return in order to participate in any opportunity outside of Canada.

Depending on your destination country, we encourage you to book an appointment with a travel health professional regarding any additional vaccinations and medications you may need. It is strongly encouraged that you book an appointment with the Campus Nurse to go over this information. To do so, please visit the medical office to book an appointment at your respective campus.

Be World Ready takes the safety of our staff and students very seriously and has a rigorous risk management assessment when creating all opportunities. Be World Ready staff monitor destination country risk levels as communicated by the Government of Canada. Your safety is the most important aspect of this trip. Be World Ready and Niagara College take all possible precautions to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable experience while travelling abroad.

Eligible students who successfully apply for the Global Learning Experience will be presented with a payment schedule to follow. Students will be instructed to make a one-time payment directly to the BWR Payment portal. Students will require an accepted form of payment to complete the registration. The accepted cards are VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover, Debit Visa and Debit MasterCard.

No. Students will not directly receive grant money as the full value of the grant has already been applied to the final payment to offset the total cost of the learning experience abroad. For students who do not complete all grant requirements by established deadlines (including the time of submission), the full grant amount may be charged directly to their student account. Details on grant requirements will be shared with you as part of the mandatory Be World Ready (SOCL 1128 or IDPL 9103) course, which all students participating in a Be World Ready Global Learning Experience must enroll in and successfully complete to receive funding.

Students are only permitted to travel on an GLE to their home country if the GLE is program specific. GLE’ that are open to students from all programs do not permit students to travel if the destination is their home country. The purpose of the grant funding is to help students gain global competencies that they would not otherwise be exposed to, and as such, travelling to destinations they’ve previously lived in does not support this goal.

Students have the potential to receive funding through Be World Ready up to 2 times; students can participate once on either an Global Learning Experience, Summer Institute, or Semester Exchange, and they can potentially apply again for a Work Abroad opportunity (if eligibility requirements are met – please note that if more applications are received than work abroad grants available, priority will be given to those who have never participated in any type of BWR experience before). So, if you’re wanting to participate in a Global Learning Experience, note that participation on a GLE is permitted only for students who have not yet experienced a Be World Ready GLE, Summer Institute, or Semester Exchange since beginning their studies at Niagara College.

Enrolment in the BWR course is a mandatory part of the GLE experience. If you do not have any remaining general or liberal electives left to complete in your program, you would be subject to the Tuition-Credits Exceeding Load fee, which is approximately $270.00 for the BWR course. Please note that the fee would vary depending on your total credit load and academic status (e.g., part-time or full-time). This Tuition-Credits Exceeding Load fee would be assessed on your student account for the term you will be enroled in the BWR course.