Transfer Credit

Obtaining a Transfer Credit Evaluation:

New Applicants

If you are a new applicant to Lakehead, we will evaluate your application for transfer credit once an official transcript of your previous post-secondary institution(s) has been received, as well as institutionally prepared course syllabi. Please refer to your Letter of Acceptance for any additional requirements for initiating your transfer credit assessment. 

If you are currently in-progress with other courses, a preliminary transfer credit evaluation will still be made for your completed credits. Once a final official transcript has been received, an updated transfer credit evaluation will be completed. 

Returning/Previous Lakehead Students

If you are a former student of Lakehead University returning to study, you must arrange to have final official transcripts and course syllabi from all other post-secondary institutions at which you have subsequently studied sent directly to Undergraduate Admissions (docs.admission@lakeheadu.ca). A $60 document evaluation fee is required to be submitted at the time you apply (only if you have studied at another post-secondary institution since you were last at Lakehead).

Your Evaluation Results:

Once a transfer credit evaluation has been completed, you will be notified via your Lakehead University email account. Grades from transfer credits will not appear on your official Lakehead University transcript, but the fact that you received transfer credit will. This will be signified by the term "ADV" - Advanced Standing). Refer to your "My Progress" tab in the Student portal to view how your transfer credits work towards your Lakehead University degree requirements.

Supporting Documentation:

In addition to official transcripts, course syllabi from your previous and/or present institutions(s) must be submitted in order for your transfer credit evaluation to be completed. 

Courses in which you previously achieved a grade of 70% or higher at the college level, and 60% or higher at the university level will be considered in the transfer credit assessment. Refer to your offer of admission on what is required to initiate the completion of your transfer credit assessment.

Course syllabi (or course outlines) should include:

• Learning outcomes and/or course objectives
• Course number and name (i.e. English 1100)
• Number of hours of lecture and lab
• Number of credit units
• Name of sending institution

Please email course syllabi to docs.admission@lakeheadu.ca. Please include your first and last name and student ID (if possible). Course syllabi must be separated into individual files in order to be reviewed. If you are transferring to Lakehead University under the terms of a transfer agreement with another institution, course syllabi are not required. 

To ensure your transfer credit assessment is completed prior to the final date to drop or add courses, the recommended deadline for submitting course syllabi is 8 weeks prior to the start of the classes.

Once all documentation is submitted, requests are processed in the order that they are received. Please expect your evaluation to take up to 8 weeks. Failure to include all documentation will result in a delay.

Please note: If you are waiting for the results of your transfer credit assessment and your course registration window opens, you may wish to postpone registration. If you receive transfer credit for any course(s) that you are currently registered in, it is your responsibility to make the necessary registration amendments through your Lakehead student portal. Changes to your transfer credit will not be made due to failure to de-register in courses in which transfer credit has already been received.

Course Equivalencies:

Whenever possible, we identify an exact equivalent for the courses you have taken elsewhere. Where there is no exact equivalent, we may assign an unspecified credit in the general subject area (for example, a first year half credit in History, HIST 1-10). This means that while we do not offer exactly the same course, we do offer courses in the same subject area at the same level. In many cases, credits completed more than five years ago are considered for unspecified credit unless course content is deemed equivalent to current curriculum. In most programs, you may use unspecified credits to fulfill elective requirements. 

Changes to Transfer Credit:

If you have questions regarding your transfer credit evaluation, please email transfer.admissions@lakeheadu.ca.