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Letter of permission
If you wish to take courses at another institution, see the SFU Academic Calendar.
All students considering taking courses at another institution, should consult an academic advisor. The Faculty Advisor (and the department advisor if a program has been declared) will be contacted by Student Services for approval. Students should allow six to eight weeks for processing. Normally, a Letter of Permission will not be approved retroactively.
Please complete this application form and email it to urecords@sfu.ca. You can see the guidelines on Page 2 of the form.
Common questions
Should I consult an academic advisor if i am planning to apply for a letter of permission? How long does it take for the letter of permission to be approved?
All students considering a Letter of Permission application should consult an academic advisor. Students should allow six to eight weeks for processing of their application. Normally, a Letter of Permission will not be approved retroactively.
Can any student apply for a letter of permission?
Students must have completed a minimum of 9 units at SFU and must be in good academic standing at the time they submit their Letter of Permission application to urecords@sfu.ca. Since standing is achieved once all grades for the term have been received, students may have to wait until their third term at SFU to be eligible to take a course elsewhere. Students pursuing an SFU degree, diploma or certificate can apply for a Letter of Permission, while students in a non-degree program are not eligible to apply.
Can I apply for a letter of permission to take a course at another institution for any reason?
Permission to take a course at another institution will not be granted unless a valid academic reason is provided. For example, taking a course in a discipline not offered at SFU, such as Czech language. While an approved Letter of Permission guarantees that the credit will count toward the overall credit requirement, it does not guarantee that the credit will meet a specific program requirement.
What grades must I achieve in the courses in order to receive transfer credit?
Students must achieve a grade of at least C (2.0 numeric equivalent) or 60% in order to receive transfer credit for courses completed at other institutions. Courses where the grade is Pass/Fail (P/F) cannot be processed for transfer credit. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that an official transcript from the visiting institution is forwarded to SFU Student Services in order for transfer credit to be granted.
Can my letter of permission application be denied?
Please see below for some (but not all) of the reasons your Letter of Permission application would be denied:
- you are not in good academic standing (on academic probation)
- you are attempting to raise your SFU CGPA by taking courses elsewhere*
- you are attempting to remove a poor grade from the calculation of your SFU GPA **
- tuition fees are lower at the other institution
- the other institution is more conveniently located (e.g. closer to home or work)
- the course is easier to complete at the other institution
- the course is full at SFU
- the course is not being offered in that particular term at SFU
- the course is in conflict with other SFU courses.
* Transfer credit is not used in the calculation of the SFU CGPA.
** A student cannot remove a F, N or poor grade from their SFU record by repeating the course at another institution.