A Letter of Permission allows students to take undergraduate courses, related to their program requirements, at an accredited external university which will count as credit towards a York degree or certificate. Please note, only certain courses are eligible for a Letter of Permission and students should confirm their student eligibility, course eligibility, and obtain approval from the department that offers the course subject before submitting an application. Students in the following faculties should contact their faculty directly for details and about the Letter of Permission process, and approval:
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Glendon
- Osgoode Hall Law School
- Schulich School of Business (View your program handbook(s) for more information)
Credits will be granted after the Office of the University Registrar approves the Letter of Permission application and receives an official transcript directly from the external institution at lopco@yorku.ca. The letter of permission application comes with a non-refundable processing fee of $50.
Note: If you are in your final term of study, please be advised that transcript delays could affect your graduation, if they are not received from the institution by the undergraduate program eligibility deadline.
When can you start applying for a Letter of Permission?
Please note, late applications will not be accepted.
| When is the course you want to take? | When can you start applying? | When is your application due? |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Term | February 1 | March 15 |
| Fall Term | June 1 | July 15 |
| Winter Term | October 1 | November 15 |
Eligibility
In order to be eligible to take a course on an LOP, the student must:
- Be enrolled and registered in a York degree and/or certificate program;
- Have earned 18 credits at York (an LOP will not be issued to students who have completed fewer than 18 York credits);
- Approval by the faculty if enrolled with the Faculty of Education (BA Educational Studies), Faculty of Graduate Studies, Glendon, Osgoode Hall Law School, or Schulich School of Business;
- Be in good academic standing at the University at the time they apply for an LOP as defined by the Academic Sanctions legislation in a student’s Faculty, department and/or program*;
* If a student’s academic status changes after an LOP is issued and they are no longer in good standing or are ineligible to proceed in their program, the LOP will be rescinded and they will no longer be eligible for transfer credit from the host institution regardless of the grade achieved there.
- Have no outstanding debts on their University account.
An LOP application will not be processed if one or more of the above conditions are not met. If a student is deemed ineligible for an LOP, they will be informed by e-mail.
- Students may take no more than 18 credits on an LOP over the course of a degree program.
- Students enrolled in non-degree studies programs do not need to request an LOP and can apply directly to the host institution.
Conditions
Students may not take courses on LOP:
- that fulfill a major requirement;
- that are at the 3000 or 4000 level*;
- that fulfill General Education requirements except in unique circumstances at the discretion of the Faculty, department and/or program; or
- that constitute a course credit exclusion (CCE) for a course already completed at York, except in unique circumstances at the discretion of the Faculty, department and/or program. Should a course be repeated, the initial grade will be replaced with a notation of “NCR – No Credit Retained”.
*Students in the BA programs in Jewish Studies and the Advanced Certificate in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, housed within the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and the Jewish Teacher Education option within the BEd program, housed within the Faculty of Education, are exempt from this Policy.
Transfer credit will be assessed based on the course work/requirements including scheduled online or in-person (when allowed for) hours completed at the host institution and not on the course work/requirements of the York course credit exclusion or substitute.
Courses completed at Canadian universities are normally assessed for credit at the year level offered by the host institution.
- For example, if a student successfully completes a 2000-level course at the host university, credits granted by York will be recognized at the 2000-level regardless of whether York offers a similar course at a different year level.
Year-level equivalencies for courses taken outside of Canada are subject to Faculty, department and/or program assessment.
Courses and grades achieved at the host institution are not listed on the York transcript or included in the York grade point average (GPA).
Student Responsibilities
Before submitting an LOP Application it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that:
- The course(s) completed on an LOP meet(s) their program requirements;
- They consult with their Faculty, department and/or program to obtain information about any additional restrictions on LOPs for programs subject to external accreditation or professional association requirements;
- They provide detailed course outlines to the corresponding departments at York that include:
- course description;
- textbook information (author, title, edition, year of publication);
- method of evaluation (e.g. two exams, 50% each); and
- breakdown of lectures per class with book chapters included.
- The course(s) completed on an LOP are not considered to be course credit exclusions for a course already taken by the student at York;
- They are registered at York University while they are on an LOP at another institution;
- Their application for an LOP is complete at the time of submission to the Office of the University Registrar; and
- They adhere to the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty which applies to any submission of documentation found to be false or modified without authorization is a breach of the policy and will lead to charges under the policy. Penalties can range from to expulsion to rescission of a degree.
Upon receipt of the LOP approval from the Office of the University Registrar, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that:
- A copy of the LOP approval is sent to the host institution; and
- Should enrolment/registration circumstances change, and the course(s) the student is requesting on a LOP is/are no longer available, the student immediately contacts their Faculty, program or department in order to request approval for any replacement course(s).
- All students traveling outside of Canada are required to complete York University's Safety Abroad Steps in advance of travel. Students can contact safetyabroad@yorku.ca with questions.
An official transcript must be forwarded to York University’s Office of the University Registrar as soon as final grades are available from the host institution.
If the course(s) are completed at a foreign institution (including in the USA), arrangements must be made to the host institution submit the transcripts electronically through the Parchment website.
If the course(s) are completed at a Canadian institution, an official transcript must be sent directly from the host institution in a sealed envelope (that remains unopened), carrying an official stamp, seal and/or authorizing signature of the issuing institution, to York’s Office of the University Registrar. Address the transcript to:
Office of the University Registrar - Degree Audit
York University, Bennett Centre for Student Services
4700 Keele St. Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, electronic transcripts can be sent directly from the host institution to lopco@yorku.ca. This email address is for the receipt of official documents only. General LOP inquiries can be sent to lop@yorku.ca. Please allow up to six weeks for your record to be updated with any LOP credits granted. A statement will be sent to you via email to notify you of our assessment.
How To Apply
- After downloading and printing the LOP Request Form, the student must:
- Obtain a detailed course outline from the host institution for each course they wish to take;
- With the application form and course outlines, seek approval from the Department responsible for offering the course at York. (Example: if seeking a course equivalent for a Math course, visit the Department of Mathematics and Statistics); and
- Review the section, “Submitting an LOP Application” under Student Responsibilities, and ensure the form is complete before uploading.
- Once your application is processed it will be transmitted from York University to the MyCreds.ca Learner Portal. You will receive an email notification that your letter is ready for payment, viewing and secure sharing online through the MyCreds.ca Learner Portal. For more information, please visit mycreds.ca/learners/.
- Course Credit Exclusions (CCEs) are courses offered at York and the host institutions that are similar enough in content that both may not be taken for degree credit. A course substitute can replace a specified York course/degree requirement. A course substitute can be a CCE but a CCE is not always a course substitute. For more information, please visit the Course Cross-listings, Exclusions and Substitutions policy.
- Repeated courses: Credit towards your degree will only be counted once for repeated courses taken at York or elsewhere. Should you repeat a course, the initial grade will be replaced with a notation of “NCR – No Credit Retained”, for more information please see Repeating Passed or Failed Courses for Academic Credit within the Academic Forgiveness policy.
- Minimum grade requirement: Generic results of “Pass” or “Credit Achieved” at the host will not be accepted for transfer credit to your York degree. A minimum grade of C (60%) is required for credit.
- Transfer credit will be assessed based on the course work/requirements including scheduled online or in-person (when allowed) hours completed at the host institution and not on the course work/requirements of the York course credit exclusion or substitute. Please see York's General Academic Information for more information on in-class hours and check the ONTransfer database for potential course equivalencies.
- Year level: Courses completed at Canadian universities are normally assessed for credit at the year level offered by the host institution. For example, if you successfully complete a 2000-level course at the host university, credits granted by York will be recognized at the 2000-level, regardless of whether York offers a similar course at a different year level.
- Courses and grades achieved at the host institution are not listed on your York transcript or included in your York grade point average (GPA).
Some addition conditions on courses that will be approved to be taken on a Letter of Permission are in place for these programs:
- Commerce majors: ADMS courses will not be approved on a Letter of Permission.
- Communication Studies majors: If you wish to take a course on a Letter of Permission to satisfy a major requirement(s), you must seek approval from the department to ensure the course(s) will fulfill the requirement(s). Please send the Letter of Permission application form identifying both the course(s) and the host institution to: comnupa@yorku.ca
- Economics majors: ECON courses will not be approved on a Letter of Permission.
- French Studies majors: Any student looking to take a French language course on a Letter of Permission must first speak with the Department of French studies before submitting their request. Please contact: lapsfren@yorku.ca.
- Public Administration majors: An advising appointment is required before submission of your application. Please contact: lapssppa@yorku.ca.
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