- Who: Undergraduate Arts and Science students in any discipline. See Eligibility for further details
- Where: Any accredited and approved university
- When: Fall, Winter, or Summer
- How long: Typically one semester/length of program
- For academic credit? Yes
- GPA requirement: 1.6 cum GPA (see Eligibility for further details)
- Application fee: $60 ILOP processing fee
- Program fee: Varies by program
- Costs borne by student: Travel documentation, flights, accommodation, meals, insurance
- Tuition: Payable to host university
- Financial assistance: No
- OSAP eligible: No
Faculty of Arts and Science Regulations require students to successfully apply for an International Letter of Permission if they wish to independently study abroad outside of the Arts and Science Exchange Program.*
An International Letter of Permission (ILOP) allows you to study abroad with the assurance that you will be able to transfer your credits back to Queen's.
Attention: International LOP applications are now open for the 2024 Summer Term. Be advised that International LOP applications for courses offered during the 2024 Fall Term are currently not being accepted.
Please note: The Faculty of Arts and Science will not accept and process International Letters of Permission for Soochow University, the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology nor for Chinese Culture University. We advise you not to apply for courses at these universities, as they are no longer eligible for transfer credits.
If studying abroad independently you must register as a visiting student and pay tuition to the host university. You are responsible for meeting all host university deadlines and for all associated program costs.
Queen’s complies with Government of Canada travel advisories. Queen’s does not permit student ILOPs for locations with active “avoid non -essential travel” or “avoid all travel” advisories. Please consult GAC travel advisories for your proposed independent study abroad location. Travel to a student’s home county may be permitted under the OCASP policy. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Environmental Health and Safety (ehssa@queensu.ca).
We also use the ILOP to enable transfer credit on several non-exchange programs facilitated by the IPO:
- Semester in Shanghai
- KGU Cross-Cultural College
- OUI Summer Programs