Letter of permission

A letter of permission allows students from the University of Ottawa to take courses at another university and have the chance to obtain a transfer credits.

uOttawa students who wish to take courses at another university

Courses taken with a letter of permission replace courses in their program and failures incurred in connection with this registration count towards their program of study.

Important: Before submitting a request for a letter of permission, be sure to check the eligibility criteria of both institutions, the unit value for the course (s) you wish to take as well as their availability, because when your request for a letter of permission is accepted, the administrative cost for the evaluation of your file will be billed to your student account. These administrative fees are non-refundable, even if you decide to no longer take the course or if the course is no longer available. If the course is no longer available at the host institution, you may submit a second choice for the same institution at no additional cost. Additional fees may apply for the assessment of a second institution.

To be eligible to take a course by Letter of Permission, you must:

  • Be admitted to a degree program at the University of Ottawa;
  • Have completed a minimum of 24 units;
  • Be in good academic standing (i.e.: not be on probation);
  • Have no outstanding fees with the University of Ottawa.

Please note that, when taking a course by letter of permission, the units are transferred but the grades are not, meaning that they will not be included in the calculation of your CGPA.

Courses taken at another university with a letter of permission do not count towards residence requirements at the University of Ottawa: faculties must require that at least 50 percent of the credits be completed at the University regardless of specific requirements (Academic Regulation 12.6: Residence requirements). Only courses that meet your degree requirements can be approved.

If you meet the eligibility criteria mentioned above, you can submit a Letter of Permission request by following these steps:

  • DECIDE which university you wish to attend, and which courses you wish to take. 
  • COMPLETE the University of Ottawa online Letter of Permission form et carefully read the instructions. You are also requested to submit an outline (syllabus) of the course or courses in which you intend to register at the host university.
  • SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST before the registration deadline.
  • PAY the administrative fees required for the evaluation of your application (non-refundable), which will be automatically billed to your student account.

Before registering with the host University as a special student, you must OBTAIN APPROVAL from the Faculty of Engineering.

If you submit a Letter of Permission request knowing that you do not meet the requirements, the Faculty will deny you the privilege.

If your request is denied, you will receive an email with the reason(s) outlining the Faculty's decision.

Once approval has been given, it means that you will be authorized to follow the course(s) listed on the Letter of Permission form. We will add the letter of permission administrative fee to your account by registering you on a letter of permission (LPR1000 will appear in your schedule) for the term you requested and you will be required to pay the non-refundable administrative fee associated to this evaluation. You will be able to pay the same way you would your tuition fees.

You will also receive a confirmation email from the Faculty with a signed copy of your Letter of Permission form. You will need to present this version of your form to the host institution in order to register with them.

Important: Please note that the Faculty nor the University of Ottawa take care of the course registration/withdrawal process at the host University, therefore it is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the deadlines of both institutions.

If you no longer want to take course(s) through Letter of Permission, you are responsible for informing us, before the course withdrawal deadlines for the appropriate term. Otherwise, the mention "NC" will appear on your transcript. Withdrawal proof may be required.

Once the course(s) are completed, you are responsible for asking the host University to send an official transcript, in a sealed envelope, to the Faculty as soon as the grade(s) are available. Our mailing address is the following:

Faculty of Engineering
Undergraduate Studies Office
SITE Hall, room 1020
800 King Edward Ave
Ottawa, ON  K1N 6N5

Important: If you wish to graduate during the Spring/Summer convocation, we must receive the official transcript from your host University no later than May 15, or September 15 for the Fall convocation. If we receive the official transcript from the host University after the deadline, you will be eligible to graduate at the next convocation ceremony.

Failure to obtain a final grade of at least 60% (at a Canadian institution) will result in the entry of a NON-CREDIT "NC" on your University of Ottawa transcript. The credits marked NC will be included in the maximum allowable failed credits for your program of studies.

Students from another institution who wish to take courses at the University of Ottawa

Students who are enrolled in an engineering program elsewhere and are interested in taking courses with the University of Ottawa for the purpose of receiving transfer units must first obtain permission from their institution, normally through a letter of permission (or approval letter). Once you have this authorization, you must send this letter of permission (or approval letter), a copy of your electronic transcript and our completed special student enrolment form.

Important: Course registration will depend on the number of seats available.

Once enrolled, you will be considered a special student and will have to pay the tuition fees associated with the University of Ottawa.

Before submitting your letter of permission request, please consult our course offering as well as the associated university fees. Finally, we also ask you to respect the enrolment periods, depending on the course (s) you are interested in.

If you have already studied (or applied) at the University of Ottawa, you may simply fill out the special student enrolment form above (include your uOttawa student number), and submit it with any documentation to support your enrolment request (letter of permission approval and relevant post-secondary transcript) to [email protected]. If you do not remember your uOttawa student number, you may contact InfoService at [email protected] to retrieve it.

If you have never studied (or applied) at the University of Ottawa, you must first fill out the personal identification form available on the Registrar's Office website. Once you have submitted the form, the Registrar's Office will get in touch with information regarding your new uOttawa student account. After receiving your uOttawa student number, please fill out and submit the special student enrolment form along with any documentation to support your enrolment request (letter of permission approval and relevant post-secondary transcript) to [email protected].

Important: We reserve the right to refuse enrolment request in popular courses in order to promote the registration of our regular students.

We are accepting requests as of August 17, 2021 for fall 2021 and December 9, 2021 for the winter 2022.