Academic Services

​Services offered include:​

Degree Audits

An Academic Advisor can conduct a degree audit for any Undergraduate student. A degree audit consists of looking over a student's academic record to verify if they are meeting or have met all degree and program requirements .

A student can request a degree audit at any time to ensure that they are on the right track. Requests can be made by sending an email from your Nipissing student email account to advising@nipissingu.ca. Please include your student id number.

Overload Request

A student may be permitted to take a course overload at this university after they have received permission from an Academic Advisor. Students are normally allowed to register in a maximum of 30 credits in the Fall/Winter session but under certain circumstances a student will be allowed to take a maximum three-credit overload per term or six credits over an entire academic year.

Course loads are calculated on all courses in which a student is registered, this includes courses taken on a Letter of Permission. Please consult the Academic Calendar or the following for the official regulations on course overloads:

Eligibility

  1. You must be a full-time student  
  2. You must have an excellent academic record with an overall average of B+ or better (75%+)
  3. You must have been in a full 30 credits in the previous fall/winter term and in those 30 credits you can not have any failed credits.
  4. You can not have any failed grades from the previous Spring/Summer session.
  5. First year students cannot take an overload.

How to Apply

If you are a current student enrolled in an active undergraduate program, you may request a course overload by submitting the Course Overload Request form.

If you have any questions regarding course overloads, please contact Academic Advising by email at advising@nipissingu.ca.

International Exchanges

Academic Advising assists and advises international students who have been approved to come to Nipissing as an exchange student and for Nipissing students who are planning to participate in an international exchange program.

Incoming Exchange Students

International Students

Approved Incoming Exchange students should contact the Academic Advising office for assistance when choosing courses to take at Nipissing while on exchange.

For further information on the courses offered at Nipissing University, students should consult the following links:

For information on what courses are being offered and their availability click here.

For course descriptions, restrictions, and prerequisites requirements click here​.

Outgoing Exchange Students

Nipissing Students

Prior to submitting your application for exchange, you must consult with an Academic Advisor to review your program requirements and to develop a plan for international study.

Course selection is the sole responsibility of the student, however an Academic Advisor can provide advice on how you can satisfy your degree and program requirements while on exchange. Once approved for an Exchange Program, students are asked to review the course offerings at their host university and then meet with an Academic Advisor with a potential list of courses they would like to take while on exchange. Students are reminded that the Course Comparative Assessment is an on-going process and students can add and/or drop courses as they see fit.  Academic Advising asks that when you do add and/or drop courses that you e-mail that information to advising@nipissingu.ca

It is advisable that students become familiar with Nipissing University Policy and Procedures for Exchange Students before and after they have been approved for an exchange program.

Other Useful Links

Letters of Permission

A student may be permitted to take course(s) at another university for credit. A Letter of Permission to undertake such courses must be obtained from an Academic Advisor before registering at the other university.​

Eligibility​

  1. ​You must be in good academic standing at Nipissing University.
  2. Students must complete a minimum of 18 credits from Nipissing University before a letter of permission will be considered.
  3. Only under exceptional circumstances are Letters of Permission issued for students to complete their 4000 level courses elsewhere.  Requests for 4000 level courses are considered by the Academic Advising Office in consultation with the department concerned. 
  4. If you have already graduated with an undergraduate degree and you want to take a course at another institution for interest or for upgrading your admissibility into a professional program (i.e., Bachelor of Education) you do not need to apply for a Letter of Permission.
Applying for a Letter of Permission

If you are a current student enrolled in an active undergraduate program, you may request a Letter of Permission by submitting the Letter of Permission form.

The request must include a URL to a detailed course description that includes the course code, course weight and the title of the course. Students must ensure they are selecting courses for which they have the prerequisite.

Payment must be received before the Letter of Permission is processed. Please see Financial Information below for payment information.

Approval of a Letter of Permission

Please allow four weeks to process a Letter of Permission request.  

After the Letter of Permission has been reviewed, an email will be sent to your Nipissing student email account and if approved, a copy of your Letter of Permission will be attached.

Completed Letter of Permission Course(s)

It is the student's responsibility to send Nipissing University’s Office of the Registrar an official transcript of the grade(s) from the host university.  Upon receipt of the transcript, the transfer credit will be entered on the student’s academic record, provided the minimum grade has been achieved. The grade(s) will be recorded as TR. The grade(s) received for the courses completed on a Letter of Permission will not be used in the calculation of the averages for a Nipissing University undergraduate degree.

For students completing a course on a Letter of Permission in their graduating year, the official transcript from the host university must be received no later than the first week of May.

For students applying to the Schulich School of Education for September, please see the Registrar’s Office to determine when the official transcript must be received.  Students are not normally permitted to finish their last course(s) on a Letter of Permission in the spring/summer if they are attending the Schulich School of Education in the fall of the same year.

Course Load

Courses taken on a Letter of Permission will count towards a student’s course load.  Courses taken in one session should be completed before the beginning of the next session. Where courses are not completed, students must reduce their course load accordingly or apply for a course overload.

OSAP

We recommend that you consult Student Financial Services if you have any questions regarding OSAP.

Payment Information

A fee of $40.00 is charged for each Letter of Permission issued to a university and the Letter of Permission will not be processed until verification of payment is provided. Payments may be paid in person or through online banking (Payee: Nipissing University, Account #: 7 digit student number). If you have any questions regarding how to pay for a Letter of Permission, please contact the Finance Office at 705.474.3450 ext. 4419 o finance@nipissingu.ca.

Host University 

Courses may be taken at any Canadian university.  To find courses Canadian Virtual University and StudyOnline are useful websites to assist you in your search.  You may also want to visit individual university websites.

Be sure to select university degree credit courses when choosing a course.

When in contact with a host institution ensure that you ask them about their application deadlines, fees, the registration procedures and add/drop deadlines for visiting students. See if an official Nipissing transcript is required. 

 It is the student's responsibility to make sure the course is available and to complete and submit all of the necessary admission and registration forms to the host university prior to their stated deadline dates.  It is also your responsibility to pay your fees at the host university.

Residency Requirements

When planning to take courses on a Letter of Permission please consult your residency requirements for your degree in the Academic Calendar or discuss your plans with an Academic Advisor before you commit to courses on a Letter of Permission.

Required Grade

Only courses completed on a letter of permission with a grade of 60% or greater will be accepted for transfer credit.

Revising your Letter of Permission

Your letter of permission is valid only for the session indicated and for the number of courses and the specific courses approved. If the course you requested is no longer available, contact the Academic Advising Office immediately to request a revised Letter of Permission.  There is no charge for revising courses on a Letter of Permission at the same host university. However, you need a new letter of permission to attend a different session.

If you have any questions regarding a Letter of Permission please contact the Academic Advising Office at advising@nipissingu.ca.

Second Degrees

Students wishing to pursue a second degree program and who possess an undergraduate degree from a recognized university can arrange for a second degree program, in another area of study. Students must contact the Admissions Office​ to determine eligibility to their program of interest.​

Second degree programs are arranged by an Academic Advisor and are done in consultation with the discipline concerned.

For further information on second degrees, please click here.