Letter of Permission

A Letter of Permission is formal authorization for a student to take a course at another accredited postsecondary institution for credit towards their Lakehead University degree or diploma. 

 How to Apply for a Letter of Permission

1. Review the Letter of Permission University regulations. Not all requests will be approved. If you have questions, please contact Student Central prior to submitting your request.
2. Fill out the Letter of Permission request form and submit to Student Central. 
3. The Letter of Permission fee will be charged to your student account upon submission. Pricing information can be found in the "Fees" section of the Academic Calendar under "Schedule of Miscellaneous Fees".  
4. Course description and/or teaching outline must accompany the request. 
5. If you are requesting to take a course at more than one institution, you must complete a separate request for each new institution.  Incomplete requests will not be assessed.
6. Equivalencies must be "signed-off" by the Chair/Director of the course subject you are expecting to get as an equivalency. This must be completed prior to request submission.

International Exchange Students
Please make sure you have already spoken with Lakehead International about your exchange.  Upon submission of a request for Letter of Permission, submit the completed "Lakehead University International Exchange Program Department Information Sheet" in addition to your request.

Explore Program Candidates
Be sure to include your institution "choices" as well as the approval of the Chair of Languages.

Important Facts About Letters of Permission

• • Students must currently be pursuing a Lakehead University degree or diploma and must be in good academic standing in order to be considered for a Letter of Permission.
  • The course to be taken may not be a duplication of material already covered.
  • Equivalent courses offered at Lakehead University at either campus or online will not be considered for a Letter of Permission.
  • A Letter of Permission may potentially be granted if the student has taken or plans on taking no more than 5 full course equivalents at another institution (for transfer students, this number may be lower, depending upon the number of courses transferred upon admission to the university).
  • Students wishing to take a course on a Letter of Permission in their final year of study must have approval from their Department Chair and their Faculty Dean. Faculty Dean approval must include a written statement as to how/why the program could not be completed at Lakehead University.
  • Letters of Permission take a minimum processing time of three weeks during regular periods. During peak office periods of April-June and August-October, processing time will increase.
  • Letter of Permission final decisions will be emailed to your Lakehead University email account.  It is the student's responsibility to apply to and register for the approved course at the external institution. Some institutions require a Letter of Permission for admission purposes, so make sure to submit your request well in advance of when it is needed.
  • Immediately following completion of the approved external course, it is the student's responsibility to ensure an official transcript is sent directly from the host institution to Enrolment Services. Mailing information is included in the document.
  • Deadlines for transcripts to be received for graduation purposes are: May 1st for spring graduation, October 1st for fall graduation.
  • Credit will be granted for a course successfully completed with an equivalent grade of 60% or above as indicated on the document.
  • Transfer credit will be annotated with "TCR" for the equivalent Lakehead University course.
  • Transfer credit has no numeric value and will not be included in average calculations for academic purposes except in the calculation of First Class Standing.
  • Converted transfer credit grades will be used in the calculation of the weighted average for entrance scholarship renewal purposes.
  • Students are expected to complete the approved course during the term specified in the letter.  Any extensions and/or changes to a Letter of Permission will require submission of a new request and new payment.
  • Students will not be considered for a Letter of Permission if they already have one on file that is outstanding.