No. IYO is only offered at the Keele Campus.
IYO is available for the Fall (September to December) and Winter (January to April) intakes. You need to take the two terms consecutively (you cannot take a break between terms one and two).
Note: The Cities, Regions, and Planning (CRP) Program in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change is only available for the Fall term.
Please see the “Paying from an International Bank Account” section of the Paying My Account page.
You will receive a confirmation email for your IYO registration. This email will also have your updated visa letter. Once you receive this confirmation, please check your MyFile a week later for your updated offer letter and visa letter. You will receive your Provincial Attestation Letter within two to three weeks of registration.
Note: you will need these three documents to apply for your study permit.
No. Enrolling in IYO means you have met the language proficiency requirement to begin your undergraduate program. You do not need to submit further proof of your English language proficiency.
You can enrol in IYO anytime after you have registered for your undergraduate program up to three weeks before your undergraduate program begins. You can ask to be enrolled in the program while your study permit is being processed or if you have already received your study permit. IYO does not impact your study permit process or approval in any way.
You will receive your first email within two weeks of registration.
Some courses may have prerequisite requirements. This information is provided on the course portal. Please ensure you check these requirements before you take a course. Contact your academic advisor for guidance.
Science undergraduate students should note that Science courses typically have a prerequisite. If you lack a prerequisite for a course you take in the first year, your advisor will recommend an alternative course.
We will provide most of the schedule for you. With the guidance of your academic advisor, you may select electives, general education and other courses from the options provided for IYO. You must ensure these electives’ schedules fit in with your other mandatory courses.
The minimum full-time course load is 18 credits (nine credits per term), with a maximum of 24 credits (about six to eight courses for the year). IYO students are advised to take 24 credits for their first year.
The fees for IYO are a flat tuition fee. Regardless of the number of credits you take, you are required to pay $49,500 for the program over two terms.
You need to maintain a GPA above 60% to pass the courses. Throughout this first year, you can access special support to help keep you on track to advance to your second year.
Some majors may have different progression requirements. You are responsible for reviewing the progression policy for your undergraduate program and your mandatory year-one course.
All students in this program follow the undergraduate policies on passed or failed courses for academic credit. Please review the university’s policy here.
Yes, in most cases you will have the option to complete these credits before the start of your second year. However, you must speak to your academic advisor to learn about course availability before your second year begins.
ESL Humanities and General Education focus on many types of content (e.g., Canadian Culture) but are delivered with support for ESL students. This often means more tutorial time and less lecture time per week to support content acquisition.
Non-credit ESL focuses on English language development and acquisition, the four-skills development (speaking, listening, writing and reading), vocabulary and grammar.
Most courses are delivered in person. Some may be offered in a blended or online modality.
Yes. However, you must contact the relevant Faculty Advising office:
- Faculty of LA&PS: lapsadv@yorku.ca ;
- Faculty of Science: intlsci@yorku.ca;
- Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change: eucadvise@yorku.ca
Please read your offer letter for the last date you can provide your English proficiency tests. To switch to the regular undergraduate program, please provide the Admission Office with your language test results and request your switch. These dates are typically August 15 for the Fall intake and November 15 for the Winter intake.
No. You cannot switch to the regular undergraduate program once you begin the IYO program. You must complete IYO to progress to year two of your undergraduate degree.
You will work with your Faculty Advisors to plan your credit course schedule, which will typically be Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. The team at the English Language Institute will provide you with your non-credit ESL course schedule.
Yes, the non-credit ESL courses are mandatory.
IYO is structured with recommended courses that will enable you to successfully complete up to 24 credits. Speak with your academic advisor if you want to drop any course or take fewer credits.