Letter of Permission

A Letter of Permission is a document that allows you to take one or more courses at another university as a visiting student and transfer the credit(s) towards your degree at Western. You must apply for the Letter of Permission in advance of attending another Institution.

Eligibility

  • You must be in good academic standing at Western.
  • Special Students and second degree students are not eligible.
  • Not more than 5.0 courses may be taken at another University on a Letter of Permission to fulfill graduation requirements.
  • Students must complete the majority of their module through Western courses

Procedure

 

Start Early! It will take time for the Departments to evaluate your courses, so please apply at the Academic Counselling Office at least a month prior to the commencement of classes at the other institution. The Office of the Registrar will require at least 3 weeks to process the form once it has been signed and approved by both Department and Faculty.

Contact the Host University. When is their deadline to apply as a Visiting Student? What documentation do you require? Familiarize yourself with their website and methods of evaluation.

Complete a Request for Letter of Permission form. The forms are available from an Academic Counsellor in the Counselling Office, University College RM 2230.  You are responsible for finding courses which will fulfill your degree requirements. It is often best to choose more courses than you plan to take.

Bring the form and course descriptions to the Departments involved for evaluation. (ie: English courses must be brought to the Department of English; Spanish courses to the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures).

Return the fully completed Request for Letter of Permission form to the Counselling Office for submission.

Pay the Fee. There is a non-refundable fee to be paid to the Office of the Registrar for processing your request.

Register for the courses at the Host University. You are responsible to abide by their deadlines and for any fees they require.

Submit a final Transcript to the Office of the Registrar, Western Student Services Room 2140. For graduating students, please remember to submit your Transcript in a timely manner (prior to May 15 for Spring Convocation; prior to October 1 for Fall Convocation). If your transcript is not received by November 1, a grade of "F" will be recorded.

Notes:

Revising your Letter of Permission. Your Letter of Permission is only valid for the session indicated and for the number of courses and the specific courses approved. If you have registered in different courses, contact the Counselling Office immediately to request a revised Letter of Permission. There is no charge to revised your courses, however, you need a new form to attend a different session.

Cancellation or Withdrawal. If you change your mind or are unable to complete your Letter of Permission courses, you must notify your Counselling Office. Prior to your courses beginning, we require written notice from you. If the courses have already begun or have completed, we need documentation (transcript or letter) from the Host University indicating that you have withdrawn.

Transcripts. It is your responsibility to submit a transcript upon completion of your Letter of Permission courses. It must be delivered directly from the Host University to:

Attn: Letter of Permission
Western Student Services Room 2140
University of Western Ontario
London, ON N6A 3K7

Grades. Final grades are recorded in numeric values using the OMSAS (Ontario Medical Schools Application Service) conversion table. Letter of Permission grades are included in your average. Failures and late withdrawals will also be recorded and included in your average.

 A note on LOP for courses abroad:

We are happy to consider Letters of Permission for students to take courses abroad. However, we will not grant Letters of Permission for courses that are not officially administered by an accredited University and taught by a faculty member with an advanced degree their field.  This means that in order to receive a Letter of Permission, your course must be part of the official timetable at that University and the instructor must have either a Master’s or PhD (or equivalent level degree), depending on their field. In order to have a Letter of Permission approved for the course you wish to take, you MUST provide us with the following documentation:

  1. A link to the University’s course listing in the course calendar showing a brief course description, and any prerequisites that apply;
  2. A link to the course listing in the University’s timetable showing that the course is being offered during the session in which you plan to take it;
  3. The course instructor's official listing (e., the faculty listing from the instructor’s home university);
  4. The number of contact hours (hours of official instruction - lecture hours; length and frequency of tutorials or labs, etc.) associated with the course;
  5. A link to the current course syllabus (if the current syllabus is not available, you may submit a link to the previous year’s syllabus but please make every effort to provide us with accurate and up-to-date information).

Please do not pay tuition or arrange travel and/or accommodation for a course until you receive official notice that your Letter of Permission has been approved by Western. We cannot guarantee approval in advance, even if that course has been approved in previous years.

 

Further info:

Letter of Permission Information and form

Office of the Registrar

Trois-Pistoles French Immersion School