1. Study Abroad
  2. International Letter of Permission
  3. Credit Transfer

Credit Transfer

You must transfer your courses back to Queen's earned on study abroad programs in order for them to appear on your Queen's transcript.

  • You may take courses on ILOP toward your Plan requirement, provided your department approves the courses listed on your application. The International Programs Office will send the course syllabi to the department to review.
  • Arts and Science students may take Business/Commerce courses. Please keep in mind that only a maximum of 6.0 units of courses offered by other Faculties and Schools may count towards the Program and/or Plan requirements of any degree in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Some exceptions exist. Students are encouraged to consult with their department and/or an academic adviser in the Faculty of Arts and Science.
  • To transfer credit to Queen’s for courses taken at the host university, you must obtain a final grade equivalent to at least “D-” (50%) on the Queen’s University Grading Scale, unless otherwise stated on your ILOP.
  • Transfer credit(s) and not the grade(s) achieved are recorded on the Queen’s transcript with a notation of “TR”. Grades obtained are not included in the Queen’s Grade Point Average (GPA).

Some institutions and courses are not acceptable for transfer credit, which are outlined below.

Institutions

There are certain criteria that need to be met for an institution to be eligible for us to allow a student to take courses there on an International Letter of Permission (ILOP). Courses on an ILOP must be taken at an accredited academic institution approved by FAS and the IPO.

For an institution to be eligible to take courses on an ILOP, it must:

  • Be an accredited university
  • Be a degree-granting institution where grades are issued on an official transcript
  • Be approved by FAS/IPO

Institutions that are not eligible to take courses on an LOP:

  • Community colleges
  • Some online platforms (e.g., Coursera, edX)
  • Certain "expedited" education institutions (e.g., “cram” schools)
  • Most continuing education institutions or colleges within an institution
  • Institutions that do not offer official transcripts (e.g., may only provide a certificate)

Courses

There are certain criteria that need to be met for courses to be eligible for us to allow a student to take them. ILOP-approved courses must follow the same general standards as Queen's courses.                                 

For a course to be eligible to take on an LOP, it must:     

  • Be developed, assessed, and delivered by the accredited degree-granting university to which the ILOP is issued for
  • Be a course that will end with the student receiving a grade on an official transcript
  • Be similar in unit weight/rigor, contact/instructional hours, and duration as a comparable course offered by FAS *
  • Be scheduled within a regular term timeframe
  • Be approved by FAS/IPO

* Courses must be similar in length and rigor as a comparable FAS course (i.e., a minimum of 6 weeks and/or 36 contact hours for an equivalent 3.0 unit course at Queen's, and a minimum of 12 week and/or 72 contact hours for an equivalent 6.0 unit course. at Queen's.

Courses that are not approved for transfer credit:

  • Academic and/or practical courses that are at the community college or high school level.
  • Courses offered intersessionally (i.e., between terms).
  • Courses that are graded on a Pass/Fail or another non-graded basis.
  • Language courses that are only awarded a certificate and not on an official transcript.
  • Courses that would be assessed as courses from another faculty (i.e., Faculty of Education,

Faculty of Law, Smith Engineering, and School of Nursing).

  • Courses that would be assessed as Smith School of Business BCOM-restricted courses.
  • Internship courses.

Transcripts

Once you have completed your courses and your grades appear on your external transcript, please have the university send your official transcript to the IPO (ilop@queensu.ca). This can be done directly through email or through a third-party application (i.e., Transcript). We do not accept transcripts directly from students.

Alternatively, if digital means are not available, we will accept official transcripts through traditional mail. Keep in mind that this process is much slower and can take extra time when transferring your courses over. You can have your transcript sent directly (with official seal) to:

International Programs Office
B206 Mackintosh-Corry Hall
Queen's University
Kingston, ON
K7L 3N6

Please note that unless otherwise specified, host universities will not send out transcripts automatically. It is your responsibility to ensure that our office receives a copy. You may also wish to order transcripts yourself for use when applying to graduate school etc.

Upon receipt of your transcript, the IPO will process your transfer credits for courses approved on your ILOP which were successfully completed. Your transfer credits will be entered on SOLUS and added to your Queen’s academic record.

Notes about Graduation

  • Students granted an ILOP to complete the final course(s) of their program at another university during the Fall-Winter Session must provide an official transcript by May 15. If you do not, your graduation may be postponed until the next Fall Convocation.
  • For students completing the final course(s) of their program in the Spring-Summer Session, an official transcript must be submitted by October 15. If you do not, your graduation may be postponed until the next Spring Convocation.