Procedures for Course Credit Transfer
Your credits from your term(s) abroad are ultimately your responsibility. You must get approval for the
courses you plan to take. Make sure to keep your Academic Advisor(s) and Student Abroad Advisor
informed about your course selections, and any changes that you make to your course selections over the
duration of your exchange.
A regular course load taken abroad will be counted as 2.5 credits/ term toward a student’s Laurier degree.
The following procedures will assist in the processing of your credits at Laurier:
Before You Leave
While Abroad
Upon Return to
`Canada
• Once accepted to a host institution, do as much research as possible into the
courses that may be available during your term(s) of study.
• Discuss possible course selections with your Academic Advisor
• Complete your Course Credit Transfer Agreement (CCTA) prior to departure
and return to Laurier International, Student Abroad Advisor
• Send any changes to course registration immediately to your Academic
Advisor(s) for approval, and send proof of approved changes to the Student
Abroad Advisor
• Record the number of credits (ECTS/ UCTS, etc) that each course is worth at
the host institution
• Keep copies of your course outlines and assignments in case you need to
provide your Academic Advisor with course information
• Prior to departure from your host institution, arrange to have an official
transcript mailed to you directly (you may need to pay for this)
• Prior to departure, ensure that an official transcript is being sent to the Student
Abroad Advisor at Laurier International as well
• If you intend to apply for graduate school you should request that extra copies of
your transcript be mailed directly to you in sealed envelopes which are signed
across the seal.
• Make an appointment with your Academic Advisor(s), and bring your
transcript and copy of approved CCTA form (and a blank CCTA form, if
changes were made since last approval)
• Properly complete the CCTA, as per instructions, and have your Academic
Advisor sign it.
• Deliver the final and completed CCTA to the Student Abroad Advisor at Laurier
International.
• The Student Abroad Advisor will verify your CCTA with the official transcript
received by the host institution, ensure that proper WLU credit weight has been
granted, and will send it to the Registrar’s Office for processing.
Credit Transfer Equivalents
In the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), 30 ECTS credits are equivalent to a full course load for one term at
Laurier (2.5 credits). The minimum amount of ECTS that will be granted 2.5 WLU credits is 27 ECTS. This
accommodation is only made for students who have difficulty finding a mix of courses to give them exactly 30
ECTS. Similarly, in Australia, 30 UCTS credit points equals 2.5 credits at Laurier, and typically a student takes 3-4
courses in Australia per term to complete a total of 30 UCTS credits. In Japan, students should aim for 18 credits,
with 16 credits being the minimum required to be granted 2.5 WLU credits. As in the case of the ECTS system, this
accommodation is only made for students who have trouble finding a mix of courses to give them exactly 18 credits.
When neither the ECTS nor UCTS credit systems are available, credits are awarded on the basis of Laurier course
hours. Each Laurier 0.5 credit course is 36 hours over a period of 12 weeks. Multiplied by 5 courses per term, the
normal course load at Laurier is 180 contact/ lecture hours per term.
Here is a table outlining the credit equivalencies at our partner institutions in various countries:
Country
Australia
Austria
Denmark
France
Germany
Hungary
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Brazil
Canada
China
Ireland
Japan
Korea
Mexico
Poland
Russia
South Africa
Taiwan
U.S.A.
Laurier full term (2.5 credits)
• University of Canberra (UC): 9-12 UC credit points or 30 UCTS (normally 3-4 courses)
• University of Western Sydney (UWS): 40 UWS credit points, or 30 UCTS (normally 4 courses)
• Australian Catholic University (ACU): 40 ACU credit points (normally 3-4 courses)
30 ECTS = 2.5 WLU credits
• Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos (UNISINOS) – no information
• Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec: 1 course at Sherbrooke = 1 course at Laurier, therefore 5 courses
equals 2.5 credits
4 courses = 15 credits = 2.5 WLU credits
Exceptions:
• University of Macau: 6 courses = 18 credits = 2.5 WLU credits
• Jinan University – no information
University of Limerick: 1 course at Limerick = 1 course at WLU. Approx.15 U of L credits = 2.5 credits
• Akita University: 16-18 credits = 2.5 WLU Credits (winter term is ½ semester so 6 credits is full
course load in winter)
4 courses (12 credits) = 2.5 WLU credits
• School of International & Area Studies (SIAS – Grad Program – available to our senior undergrads),
Seoul National University
• Instituto Technologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM): 4 courses (48 hrs each) = 2.5 WLU credits
• Universidad de Colima: 5 courses = 2.5 WLU credits
• University of Silesia – no information
• Lomonosov, Moscow State University – no information
• Ural State University
• University of KwaZulu Natal: 64 Natal credit points = 2.5 WLU credits
• National Sun Yat-Sen University (NSYSU): 16 NSYSU credit points = 2.5 WLU credits
4 courses (12 credits) = 2.5 WLU credits