An International Letter of Permission (ILOP) is required by Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Regulation 14 for any undergraduate Arts and Science student studying abroad at another institution. Please ensure you read these regulations. You do not require an ILOP if you are studying at Bader College, on exchange, or on a departmental program where you are taking Queen’s courses.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for a Letter of Permission, students must be:
- In good academic standing and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.60 when taking courses at the visiting institution.
- Have completed a minimum of 6.0 units on a degree program in the Faculty of Arts and Science. A conditional Letter of Permission may be granted for first year students without 6.0 units yet completed if the mid-year GPA is a minimum of 1.60. The Letter of Permission will be valid upon meeting the conditions above.
- Have no more than 3.0 units of incomplete (IN) grades in a previous term.
- Students completing their final courses of an Honours degree must have a minimum Plan GPA and cumulative GPA of 1.90.
In order to be eligible for a Letter of Permission, courses must be:
- Taken at an accredited Canadian university, or an international university approved by the International Programs Office.
- Developed, assessed, and delivered by the accredited degree-granting university to which the Letter of Permission is issued for.
- Equivalent in unit weight and have a similar number of instructional hours and duration (i.e., weeks) as a comparable Faculty of Arts and Science course. Courses offered during the December/Winter break are not eligible for transfer credit. Courses offered in a significantly condensed format and/or intersession courses are not eligible for transfer credit.
- Completed within the articulation term to which the Letter of Permission applies.
- Graded. No Pass/Fail or non-evaluative grades will be accepted for transfer credit.
- Must not exceed the regular term limits in combination with Queen's courses.
Students who have already taken 6.0 units of LOP transfer credits: Students with extenuating circumstances or an opportunity to pursue an exceptional learning experience not available through Queen's may submit a petition to the Associate Dean (Academic) to request an exception to the 6.0 units maximum. Note that all student and course eligibility criteria will still apply; these criteria may not be petitioned.
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.
Do you have questions about pursuing your own independent study abroad? Read our guide!
Application
We strongly recommend you apply for an ILOP and receive a response prior to applying to the host institution. Every effort is made to process ILOPs before courses begin and to allow time for you to apply. However, meeting external deadlines is not the IPO's responsibility and we may not be able to process your ILOP before your host institution's application date. If you do not receive approval to transfer study abroad credit before enrolling in/paying for a course, this is done at your own risk. At the discretion of the IPO, retroactive ILOP submissions may be rejected.
Decide where and when you would like to study. Search the website of the university/program you wish to attend and gather specific information about the availability of suitable courses and programs offered. See programs that other Queen's students have participated in.
Study abroad programs facilitated by the International Programs Office requiring an ILOP are:
- KGU Cross-Cultural College
- OUI Summer Programs
Some institutions are not eligible for transfer credit. Check this list to make sure you do not apply to an ineligible program or course.
Once you have found a university of interest, determine the application deadlines and procedures for applying as a visiting student and whether an ILOP is required.
To ensure that you are selecting courses that will be offered, please wait until the host university has released its final course schedule. Summer school course schedules are typically finalized by late March/early April each year.
- A non-refundable application fee of $60 must be submitted for each ILOP. If a student requests replacement or additional courses, a new ILOP application and application fee of $60 must be submitted.
- The maximum number of courses a student can take on an ILOP without an Academic Petition is the Queen's equivalent of 6.0 units.
- Any amendments or requests for substitute courses must be submitted as a new ILOP by the deadline stated.
- An ILOP may take 4 weeks or longer to process.
Documents you will need for your application
- Course syllabus: you must provide a detailed course syllabus for each course you are applying to take which includes:
- course description
- textbook information (author, title, edition, year of publication)
- method of evaluation (e.g. two exams, 50% each)
- breakdown of lectures per class with book chapters included
- name of instructor and contact details
- host university pre-requisites
- It is the student’s responsibility to apply for admission to the host university.
- Students participating in an independent study abroad activity must register at the host university as a visiting student rather than as a student on a degree program. Students who register on a degree program will jeopardize their registration status at Queen’s University.
- The student must complete and submit all documentation required by the host university, directly to the host university, by its stated deadlines.
- Tuition and ancillary fees are to be paid by the student to the host university, in accordance with the host university’s requirements.
- Students may be required to pay additional fees, such as mandatory health insurance, activity fees, etc., to the host university.
- Application to the host university may in some cases come before applying for an ILOP. Students must determine application deadlines and requirements prior to applying. It is not the responsibility of the International Programs Office to determine this.