- 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
CHANGES TO THE LETTER OF PERMISSION (LOP) REGULATIONS AND POLICIES: Effective September 1, 2024 (including Fall term LOP applications submitted now), students will only be permitted to take a maximum of 6.0 units of courses via a LOP. This includes both domestic and international LOP applications. If you are planning to apply for an LOP for Fall term, please ensure you have not exceeded this limit. Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from studying on campus and students who have a unique learning opportunity available who need to take more than 6.0 units of courses on an LOP may submit a petition to the Associate Dean (Academic) to request an exception. Further details and information on what courses are eligible to take on a letter of permission can be found in the academic calendar under Academic Regulation 14 and in our LOP guidebook.
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.
Starting with courses to be taken during the Winter 2025 term, applications must be received within the timeframes below. Late applications cannot be accepted.
Below are the ILOP application deadlines for each term:
- Fall term: May 15 – July 1
- Winter term: September 15 – November 1
- Summer term: January 15 – April 1
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:
- KGU Cross-Cultural College
- OUI Summer Programs