International Students

Explore the links below to find information on all housing opportunities, including contact telephone numbers and a brief description of what each rental unit entails. The student and landlord are responsible for making all rental/boarding arrangements. Visit our Housing List to explore all your options. 

NEW! Homestay Housing

Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus has partnered with Canadian Accommodation Services to provide a Homestay program for international students. What is Homestay? Their goal is to match international students with host families and make all that’s great about hosting – learning about other cultures and learning English – and a whole new world – from scratch, or feeling right at home – all the better through a dedicated service that ensures both international students and host families get the most out of it.

International Students

If you are interested in applying to the Homestay program, please complete the Student Homestay Request Form and review the Student Housing Guide, then email to Lyne Vezina, lyne@caservices.ca. If you have questions, please contact Lyne at 613-325-0822. 

Fall 2023 Orientation – Sundae Social

Some of our current international students shared their experience at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus and our community – check out the videos below.

Olivia Slosson, shown in the video above, is a recent Early Childhood Education graduate who also happens to be from Missouri, USA. We want to congratulate Olivia on receiving the International Student Scholarship having graduated from her program with the highest cumulative grade point average. Olivia now works at the Petawawa Military Family Resource Centre (PMFRC) with the Play Troop. She is excited to grow in her field and work at using her skills to enhance the learning environment.

Campus Activities

Our Waterfront Campus bustles with activities that are run by our Community and Student Affairs department, Students’ Association, and that are program-driven. Check out some of the links below to learn more:

• Event Calendar
• Students’ Association 
• Loggersports Team
• Athletics
• Pembroke Community Guide

Community Attractions

There are many truly Canadian attractions surrounding the Pembroke Waterfront Campus that should be experienced by all students. Some attractions to explore include:

• Algonquin Park: This Provincial Park spans a large area of southeastern Ontario. Its forests, rivers and numerous lakes are home to moose, bears and common loons. The park’s many trails including the Barron Canyon Trail, have views from the north rim that shouldn’t be missed.  
• Maple Sugar Bushes: For many people, the words “maple syrup” and “maple sugar” kindle fond memories of quieter, simpler times when old-fashioned values prevailed. In the early days, making quality maple syrup using traditional methods and simple tools, involved a great deal of hard work. The Mapleside Shanty is an example of an old-style where they still use a wood-fired evaporator to make our premium quality Canadian maple syrup. This is a local attraction where you can learn how Ontario’s first agricultural crop is harvested and processed. Take a walk in the maples and see the “maple shanty” where the syrup is made every spring.
• Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Indigenous Community: Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation is a proud and progressive Algonquin community. Pikwakanagan is situated on the shores of Golden Lake and the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located off of Highway 60, our community is 1½ hours west of Ottawa and 1½ hours east of Algonquin Park.
• Outdoor Skating Trail: The Township of Laurentian Valley, just outside of the Pembroke Area, created a natural ice skating trail that is over 1.5km long through a scenic wooded area.

Many campus facilities and services are available to enhance your student experience at our Pembroke Waterfront Campus:

• AC Hub
• Bookstore
• Campus Employment Support Centre
• Co-Curricular Record
• Events Calendar
• Food Services
• Housing
• Library
• Orientation Activities
• Parking & Lockers
• Students’ Association
  • Athletics
  • Student Health Plan

Many student support services are available to help you have a successful academic year:

• Centre for Accessible Learning
• Co-op Education
• Counselling Services
• Financial Aid
• Health Services
• Learning Strategist
• Peer Tutoring
• Registrar’s Office
• Student Success Specialist
• Student Support Lab
• Testing Services

On-Campus Health Services

Laurie Ann Klawitter is a Registered Nurse in Health Services and is on campus Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to assist Algonquin College students. Laurie Ann is an experienced nurse who provides good advice on health care issues impacting your ability to be successful in your studies. She can also refer you to community health care resources where you can access additional support. See the list of Health Services and Sexual Health Clinic information.

Laurie Ann can be found in Room 127 Phone 613-735-4700, Ext. 2748 Fax 613-735-4703 Email: klawitl@algonquincollege.com

Need health support after hours? Telehealth Ontario has fast, free, confidential medical advice. Information is available from a Registered Nurse, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 1-866-797-0000 (toll-free) or 1-866-797-0007 (toll-free TTY). If you need to speak with a Counsellor after hours, you can call Good2Talk (24/7) at 1-866-925-5454. If you are in crisis, please contact the Crisis Line at 613-722-6914, toll-free 1-866-996-0991.

Students’ Association Health and Dental Insurance

If you are a new academic student, your insurance will start at the beginning of your studies, ex. September 1, 2019. You will receive an email from Guard.me, your health insurance provider soon. The email will be sent to your AC Live email. Be sure to check both the focused and other folders to find the email. Log into your ACLive email here.

All international students registered with Algonquin College have access to a physician through a secure online portal through Guard.me. This portal is supported with both family and emergency room physicians. The services that are available are for non-urgent/common or non-complicated issues. The physicians will even write prescriptions and either fax them to a pharmacy or mail them to your student address. All students need to do in order to utilize this service is to register on the Guard.me website using your international student card information.

• Visit the Guard.me website to learn more about your coverage and more

All full-time, activity-fee paying students are assessed a Health Plan fee. This fee is included with your tuition payment. The fee is $153.19 for students beginning in September 2019 and $134.38 for students beginning in January 2019. The plan will be effective from September 1, 2019 until August 31, 2020. You can obtain a break down of the fees you have paid from the Admissions Area, Room 131.

Your student card is used as your Health Plan card. Show it to the pharmacist when you go to fill your prescription or at the dentist’s office to submit electronic claims. We recommend you view your Student Insurance Plan Brochure at wespeakstudent.com before your first visit to a pharmacist, dentist or vision care provider.

Please note: your card will not work during the first month of coverage. You will need to keep any receipts, fill out a claim form and drop it off at the Algonquin Students’ Association office, and a refund cheque will be mailed to you.

Learn more about how to opt-in dependents, how to opt-out of the insurance and the benefits package here.

Ottawa University Health Card Information

Attention all Bachelor of Science in Nursing students: Details about your health and dental insurance can be found here.

Ottawa U health cards are accepted locally at one location:

Mulvihill Drug Mart
Address: 315 Pembroke St E, Pembroke, ON K8A 3K2
Phone: (613) 735-6559

The International Education Centre (IEC) Contact Info

The IEC is located at the Ottawa Campus of Algonquin College, 1.5 hours from the Pembroke Campus, in the new Dare District – Student Central location in room C021.

IEC Office hours are:

• Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:45 pm.

Address: Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2G 1V8
Tel.: 613-727-4723, ext. 7031
Email: international@algonquincollege.com
Fax: 613-727-7665

Take a look at the IEC Self-Serve portal.

Class Schedule

• View your timetable on ACSIS here: acsis.algonquincollege.com/students

Not registered and don’t know why? If you have any questions about why you are not registered if you are a level 1 student in an academic program, send an email to international@algonquincollege.com.

Important Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

• If you need information about how to extend your study permit, TRV, or work permits for students or any other inquiry related to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), please call 1-888-242-2100 or visit www.canada.ca and put your question in the search section for an answer.
• Please review this helpful IRCC document for more details.

Work Permit for work related to your program (free but necessary)

• Known by IRCC as a Co-op/Internship Work Permit – please review this helpful Co-op/Internship Work Permit document for more details.

Costs for International Students

Algonquin College’s tuition fees are competitive with other large colleges in Canada and more affordable than universities. You’ll find that postsecondary education is far more affordable in Canada than in other English-speaking countries such as the US or UK. Costs will vary depending on your choice of program, where you choose to live, and your lifestyle. Tuition fees include full-coverage health insurance. Learn more about fees, paying fees, and bursaries and scholarships here. 

Food Cupboard

The Food Cupboard is a supportive service funded by the Algonquin Students’ Association and other community members, which recognizes the financial concerns of students and is here to make a difference. The Food Cupboard provides students who require support with food and other basic necessities.

Hours & Location
The Food Cupboard is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm and is located in the Pembroke Campus Students’ Association Office, Room 100 in the Commons. 

Who Can Access the Food Cupboard?
Any current Algonquin student can access the Food Cupboard. Those who are not current students who are requesting services from the Food Cupboard will be referred to a Food Bank in their local community.

There are community Food Banks that you can access too:

• St. Joseph’s Food Bank – Pembroke
• Food Banks and Related Services in the Area

Emergency Situations

Once a student on campus, we recommend that you talk to someone in our Student Services before you have no money for food or other necessary items. Please visit our Financial Aid office, Rooms 133 and 134, in our Admissions Area to see what help is available.