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Letter of permission
If you wish to take courses at another institution, download and complete the Letter of Permission application.
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.
Bring it to the Registrar and Information Services counter at any of our three campuses:
- on the third floor of the Maggie Benston Student Services Centre, Burnaby campus.
- on the mezzanine level at the Surrey campus at 250 - 13450 102 Avenue, Surrey.
- on the main level at the Vancouver campus at 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver.
See our hours of operation.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible to take courses at another institution with a Letter of Permission, you must have completed a minimum of 9 units at SFU and must be in good academic standing at the time you submit a request for Letter of Permission. Since standing is achieved once all grades for the term have been received, you may have to wait until your third term at SFU to be eligible to take a course elsewhere. Students pursuing an SFU degree, diploma or certificate must apply for a Letter of Permission, while students in a non-degree program are not eligible to apply.
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, or taking a course in another province if the student will be living there at the time. While an approved Letter of Permission guarantees that the credit will count toward the overall credit requirements, it does not guarantee that the credit will meet a specific program requirement.
Minimum grade to achieve to receive transfer credits
In order to receive transfer credit for courses completed at other institutions, you must achieve a grade of at least C (2.0 numeric equivalent). Courses where the grades 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 host institution is forwarded to Undergraduate Records in Student Services at SFU in order for transfer credit to be granted.
Additional information
Consult residency requirements and programs of study sections of the SFU Academic Calendar.
If you have already reached the maximum allowable transfer credit for your degree, the Letter of Permission will be approved for substitution only.
If you have declared a program (major, minor, etc.) be sure to check your requirements with your department advisor.