Attending Another University

LETTER of PERMISSION REQUESTS

A Letter of Permission is a document that allows you, as an undergraduate student, to take one or more courses at another university as a visiting student and transfer the credit(s) toward your degree at King’s University College, Western University. LETTERS OF PERMISSION ARE NOT GRANTED ON A RETROACTIVE BASIS. All Letters of Permission must be approved by the Academic Dean’s Office at King’s. If you take a course without requesting a Letter of Permission, you may have to apply for re-admission to this university.

NOTE: Students registered in the School of Management, Economics, and Math, please refer to the School's Letter of Permission Checklist for information related to eligibility criteria and the School's procedure for requesting a Letter of Permission.

Eligibility
1. You must be in good academic standing at King’s University College, Western University.
2. You must have completed at least 4.0 courses at King’s University College/Western University, and have an average of at least 60%. If you are in first-year, you will be asked to verify your term marks.
3. Special Students (i.e., students with degrees) are not eligible.
Number of Courses Permitted
You may be given permission to take a maximum of 5.0 Letter of Permission courses toward your degree.
Specific Course Information
Option courses can normally be approved by the Academic Dean’s Office. Principal courses will be sent to the department concerned for evaluation and approval. The following will NOT be approved:
1. Courses intended to fulfil the designated essay requirements;
2. Science courses considered below the 020 level (e.g., Math 012a/b); and
3. Education, theology, or performance courses in music.
Residency Regulations for Graduation
Make sure you meet residency requirements for graduation. For details about residency requirements for 3-Year and 4-Year degrees, see http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca
OSAP
For Winter Sessions in particular, we recommend that you consult Student Financial Services to see whether you have to apply for OSAP through the host institution.

Procedure to Obtain a Letter of Permission

Plan Ahead.
Please allow at least four weeks for processing of your L of P.
Contact the Host University.
Ask about the application deadlines and fees, the registration procedures and add/drop deadlines for visiting students. See if an official UWO transcript is required. Obtain descriptions of courses being offered. You might find the Canadian Universities web site (http://www.univcan.ca/) helpful.
Complete the “REQUEST FOR A L of P” form.
Fill in all areas except “EXACT EQUIVALENT”, “SUBSTITUTE FOR COURSE”, and “DEPT APPROVAL”. List alternative course choices, if possible. Complete the form carefully to avoid delays in obtaining approval.

Please click here to download a .pdf version of the Request for Letter of Permission form.
Submit the completed form.
Bring your completed form to the Academic Dean’s Office and meet with an Academic Counsellor to review your submission.
Keep track of the preparation of your official L of P.
The Academic Dean’s Office at King’s will submit your L of P form to the Registrar’s Office at Main Campus, where your Official Letter of Permission will be processed and forwarded directly to the host university. The fee for a Letter of Permission ($80) will be added to your tuition account once billing begins for your Letter of Permission term. Please check your Detailed Statement of Account (student.uwo.ca) regularly and pay your fee by the due date listed. It is the students' responsibility to ensure that all fees are paid. Students who do not pay the fee by the due date listed will be subject to financial and academic penalties. (Exception: If you are attending U of T, you must pick up the Official L of P from the Registrar’s Office and submit it yourself, or request that it be emailed to the appropriate U of T campus). Only if necessary, order a UWO transcript ($25.00 fee for a hard copy, $17.00 fee for an e-version) from the Registrar’s Office at UWO. For transcript details, call 661-2106. The Board of Governors reserves the right to amend fees after this information is posted. Students who don’t pay the processing fee will be subject to financial and academic penalties.
Register in the approved courses at the host university.
Make arrangements to pay your fees (apply for OSAP, etc.) at the host university.

Important 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 your Academic Counsellor immediately by email or fax to request a revised L of P. There is no charge for revising courses on a L of P. However, you need a new L of P to attend a different session. Students attending other schools without a valid L of P normally have to apply for readmission to King’s and there is no guarantee of transfer credit.
Notice of Cancellation or Withdrawal
Before classes begin – you may call (519) 433-3491, ext. 4406, or fax (519) 963-1263, the Office of the Academic Dean, to cancel your L of P.
After classes begin – you must submit to the Registrar’s Office at Western University 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 University transcript and will be included in your average. The L of P fee is not refundable. YOU MUST PROVIDE NOTICE OR A FAILING GRADE WILL BE RECORDED.
Send a Transcript of Your Results to Western
It is your responsibility to have the host university forward an official transcript of your grades to the Registrar’s Office at Western University. Place your order as soon as you are registered so you don’t forget. Please have the host institution email an official electronic transcript to lop@uwo.ca. TMU offers electronic transcripts through MyCreds. If the host university doesn't offer electronic transcripts, have them mail the transcript to:
Attn: Letter of Permission, Student Records
Western University
Western Student Services Bldg. Rm 2140
London, ON
N6A 3K7
If a transcript is not received by Western University, 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 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 Academic Dean’s Office.

N.B. 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 the final course(s) of your program and you want to graduate, you must apply for graduation on the web (https://student.uwo.ca) at the appropriate time and ensure that the Registrar’s Office receives your official transcript by the deadline. Otherwise, you must reapply to graduate at the next convocation. Normally, students attending in the winter will not graduate until Fall Convocation. Spring (June) Convocation – apply between Dec 1st and Mar 1st (transcript deadline: May 15th). Fall (October) Convocation – apply between July 1st and Sept 1st (transcript deadline: Oct 1st).

For further information please refer to the Western Letter of Permission website.