Letters of Permission

A Letter of Permission (L of P) allows you, as an undergraduate student, to take one or more courses at another university as a visiting student and transfer the credit(s) towards your degree at Western. The majority of courses required for your degree modules must be completed at Western. Letters of Permission must be approved by the Academic Counsellor in the School of Health Studies before you register at the other university. If you take a course without requesting a Letter of Permission, you may have to apply for re-admission to this University. The form and instructions is available to be downloaded from the Registrar’s Office website.

Eligibility

You must be in good academic standing at Western. Students on probation are not eligible.
You must have completed at least four full or equivalent courses at Western and have an average of at least 65%. If you are in first year, you will be asked to verify your term marks.
Special Students (i.e., students with degrees) are not eligible.
Number of course permitted. You may be given permission to take a maximum of 5.0 courses during your university career.

Specific Course Information

The following will NOT be approved:

Courses intended to fulfill the designated essay requirements;
Science courses below the 1000 level;
Education, theology, or music performance courses.

Residence Regulations for Graduation

You must complete certain courses at Western. The minimum in a three-year program is 5.0 senior courses, 2.0 designated essay courses, and most of your module courses. The minimum in an honors or 4-year program is 10.0. (See Academic Calendar for full details.)

OSAP

For Winter Sessions in particular, we recommend that you consult the Financial Aid Office to see whether you have to apply for OSAP through the host institution.

Procedure to Obtain an Letter of Permission

Complete the form carefully to avoid delays in obtaining approval and plan ahead because you need to allow about two weeks for processing your paperwork. Students who don't pay any processing fees will be subject to financial and academic penalties.
Contact the host university to ask about the application deadlines and fees, the registration procedures and add/drop deadlines for visiting students. See if an official Western transcript is required. Obtain descriptions of courses being offered. You might find the Canadian Universities web site and our tips about other universities helpful.
Complete the Request for a Letter of Permission form. Fill in all areas except "Exact Western Equivalent", "Substitute for Western Courses" and "Dept Appr". List alternative course choices, if possible. On campus students: Have principal courses equated by the department. Take your form and course descriptions to the Department to equate any courses. For example, if you are completing a math course in the summer, visit the Math Department for departmental approval.
Submit the form and course descriptions to the School of Health Studies Office. If you are in first year, you may be asked to provide verification of term marks. You will be given a date to return to pick up the completed form.
Submit the approved form to the Registrar's Office and pay the non-refundable processing fee.
Off campus students: mail or fax (519-850-2432) the form and course descriptions to the School of Health Studies Office, room 222 in the Health Sciences Building, and immediately submit your non-refundable payment to Western's Fees Office.
The Registrar's Office will prepare your official Letter and forward it according to your processing instructions. (Exception: If you are attending U of T, you must pick up the official L of P from the Registrar's Office in a few days and submit it yourself or request that it be faxed to the appropriate U of T campus.) FAXing the L of P is available on receipt of an additional fee. (Be sure to provide host university's fax number.) Only if necessary, order a Western transcript from the Registrar's Office. For transcript details, call 661-2106 or check www.registrar.uwo.ca.
Register in the approved courses at the host university. Make arrangements to pay your fees (apply for OSAP, etc.) at the host university. Order a transcript from the host university to be sent to our Registrar's Office when your final grades are available.

Improtant Information about your Letter of Permission Revised Letters of Permission

Your Letter of Permission is valid only for the session indicated and for the number of courses and the specific courses approved. If you register for different courses, contact the BHSc Office immediately by mail or fax to request a revised L of P. There is no charge for revising courses a L of P. However, you need a new L or P to attend a different session. Students attending other schools without a valid L of P normally have to apply for readmission to Western and there is no guarantee of transfer credit.

Notice of Cancellation or Withdrawal

Before classes begin, you may call (519-661-4119) or fax (519-850-2432) the School of Health Studies Office to cancel your L of P. After classes begin, you must submit it to Western's Registrar's Office as written confirmation from the host university indicating that you didn't register or that you withdrew on a specific date. If you withdraw without penalty, the course(s) will normally be shown as "WDN" on your Western academic record. Late withdrawals will be recorded as failures on your Western transcript and will be included in your average. You must provide notice or a failing grade will be recorded.

Send a Transcript of Your Results to Western

It is your responsibility to request that the host university send an official transcript of your grades to Western’s Registrar's Office. Place your order as soon as you are registered so that you don't forget. If a transcript is not received at Western, the course(s) will be recorded as a failure on your academic record. This could affect your eligibility for further registration here or delay your graduation.

Transfer of Credit(s) and Grades

An approved course will be credited toward your degree. The grade will be recorded as a numeric value and converted using the OMSAS (Ontario Medical Schools Application Service) conversion table or other conversion scale used by Western. Grades will be included in your average. Failures, including late withdrawals, will also be recorded and included in your average. Course credit will be granted equal in value to the course weight assigned by the host institution. For the purpose of future registration, course content covered on a transfer of credit basis may serve as either pre-or antirequisite, as determined by the Dean of the Faculty in which the student is registered. NOTE: if you wish to appeal a grade, contact the host university directly. The policy on determining eligibility for Dean's Honor List and "With Distinction" is outlined in the Academic Calendar.

Graduation

If you have a L of P to take for you to be eligible to graduate, you must apply for graduation on the web at the appropriate time and ensure that the Registrar's Office receives your official transcript by the deadline. Otherwise, you must re-apply to graduate at the next convocation. Normally, students attending in the winter will not graduate until the Fall Convocation. For Spring (June) Convocation, apply between Feb 1 - Mar 15 (transcript deadline - May 15) and, for Fall (Oct) Convocation, apply between July 1 - Sept 1 (transcript deadline - Oct 1).