This page contains comprehensive information about studying at other institutions during your McGill program.
For questions about what is possible and right for you and your program progression, consult your Academic Advisor.
Education students are eligible for various opportunities to complement their McGill program with studies completed at other institutions, including other Québec institutions. Students completing an Inter-University Transfer (IUT) through Autorisation d'études hors établissement (AEHE) will take one or more classes at another Québec institution while earning credits towards your degree and paying McGill tuition. Please read this page carefully for more information on IUTs.
Please note, while McGill encourages Inter-University Transfers, not all courses offered at host institutions may be eligible for transfer credit. Courses that are generally not accepted for transfer credit include:
- Continuing Studies courses
- Certificate/diploma program courses
- Language courses offered by Language Centres (i.e. not associated with a degree program)
- Practicum (“how to”) courses (e.g. dance, fashion design, photography, web design, etc.)
- Professional development/training courses
- Institution-specific orientation courses for exchange students
- Volunteer program courses
For questions about transfer credit and course equivalency, always consult your departmental Academic Advisor.
Pre-Approval of Transfer Credits
Any coursework completed at another university MUST be pre-approved to be considered for transfer credit. After-the-fact requests for transfer credit without pre-approval will be refused.
In this section:
What Is an IUT?
Various Québec universities, including McGill, participate in a program which allows students to register for one or more courses at another academic institution within the province while simultaneously taking courses at their home institution (optional). This is known as an inter-university transfer (IUT) or Autorisation d'études hors établissement (AEHE). When taking an IUT, students pay McGill tuition and earn credits towards their McGill degree.
Why Take an IUT?
IUTs can be a good option for a variety of reasons:
- a course is not offered at McGill
- a course is not offered at a convenient time (e.g. at night)
- a course is not offered in a desired format (e.g. online)
When considering whether or not you wish to apply for an IUT, it is important to note the following:
- Students are required to complete a minimum of 60 credits at McGill
- Education students are only permitted to take a maximum of 18 credits online
- Courses completed as IUTs count for credit only; individual grades will not appear on the McGill transcript or be calculated into the CGPA
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Students must obtain a grade of ‘C’ (using the host school's scale) or better in order to transfer it to McGill
- Students in their final year (U3/U4) may have to delay their graduation by a term if their IUT grades are not available by McGill's grade submission deadline
- For Education students in particular, IUT courses cannot be substituted for certain required courses, including field work and methods courses, etc.
Students apply for IUT courses using a system called AEHE. This system allows students to submit an IUT application for approval, first with McGill and then with the proposed host institution. When making an application, it is important to note the following:
- Even if an IUT application is approved by McGill, host institutions still retain the right the right of refusal
- Once an application has been approved, students must go through the regular registration process at the host institution
- Even if a host institution accepts an application, this does not guarantee that a seat will be available in the desired course
For further questions, or to find out if an IUT is appropriate for you, please make an appointment with your departmental Academic Advisor.
Where Can I Study?
McGill students can consider courses offered by many Québec universities. A full list of eligible institutions can be found on the AEHE website.
When to Apply (Suggested Dates)
Students should apply for an IUT as early as possible in order to ensure that there is ample time for the request to pass through the required channels. Below are some suggested deadlines for IUT applications; however, any applications submitted beyond these deadlines may also be considered on a case-by-case basis:
| TERM | APPLICATION DEADLINE |
|---|---|
| Fall | July 15th |
| Winter | November 15th |
| Summer | March 15th |
How to Apply
In order to complete an IUT application, you must:
- Meet with your academic advisor to verify if IUT is an option for you and in which term(s).
- Ensure that you will not exceed the maximum number of credits permitted per term (e.g. 15 credits per term); any IUT request which will put you in excess of the maximum credit limit will necessitate that you complete a 'Request for Credit Overload' form.
- Research course offerings and schedules at the proposed host institution to ensure that they do not have a conflict with any McGill courses or field experiences for which you already registered.
- Check that the proposed IUT course is approved in McGill's Course Equivalency System; your IUT application will not be reviewed until an equivalency has been approved; if a proposed course is not in the system, please submit an application to have the course evaluated (for instructions, see the student's FAQ and select "Submitting a Request").
- Create a profile on the AEHE website.
- Complete an IUT application through AEHE and await a response to your McGill e-mail; this process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the time of year and the number of requests being assessed; you can verify the status of your application by logging back into the AEHE site; please ensure that you address any comments/instructions that are added to your application by McGill or the host institution.
Take note: There are a number of stakeholders in the IUT approval process. It is not instantaneous - be patient! Make your request as early as possible to ensure that you leave ample time for the multi-step approval process to run its course.
For more information about the IUT process, visit your Academic Advisor.
Registering at the Host Institution
If you are approved to take an IUT course(s), you will receive an e-mail from AEHE notifying you that you may now register at the host institution. This may involve the submission of additional documents or providing proof of pre-requisites. Students are responsible for following up on these items themselves.
Upon successful registration, your AEHE application status will be updated. When your status is changed to ‘Confirmed’, and after the McGill Add/Drop Deadline has passed, your unofficial transcript will show an IUT notation. At this time, your McGill tuition fees will be assessed based on the number of credits you are taking at McGill and the host institution.
Once registered, if you decide to add or drop a course at the host institution, you must update your application in AEHE.
Final Grades
Once you finish your IUT course, the host institution will submit your grade to McGill via the AEHE system so no further action is required on your part; however, you may wish to order a copy of your transcript for your own records or future applications (e.g. graduate school, job interviews, etc.).
Your final grade and any applicable transfer credit will appear on your unofficial transcript in Minerva. Please note:
- Eligible IUT courses count for credit only; specific grades earned will not appear and are not calculated into your CGPA
- IUT courses will only be eligible for transfer credit if the final grade earned is equal to or greater than the grade required to graduate from the host school (e.g. if the minimum requirement to graduate from the host school is a CGPA of 2.00 (C) then this is the minimum grade you must obtain)
- Grades of Pass (P) and Satisfactory (S) will not be approved for transfer credit
- If both a letter grade and a numerical grade appear on the transcript, the letter grade earned will take precedence over the corresponding numerical grade
- If you withdrew from an IUT course, received a failing grade or the course will be excluded from your record ([E] flagged as additional to your program requirements), it will still appear on your transcript; however, it will be assigned 0 credit
- IUT courses that do not have direct McGill equivalents will be recorded on the unofficial transcript using generic subject codes (e.g. ENGL 2XX or TRNS LANG, etc.), if warranted.
If your final grade is changed after it has been submitted to AEHE by the host institution, it is your responsibility to ensure that the new grade is transmitted to McGill. You must contact the host institution’s registrar’s office to advise them of the change and ensure that your record reflects the new grade. You will also need to e-mail the ISA Office to advise them that a new grade is forthcoming. Once the new grade is received, your transfer credits will be adjusted accordingly.
If you are planning to graduate following the term in which you take an IUT, please note that your graduation may be delayed by a term if your mark is not received by McGill's grade submission deadline. Please contact the ISA Office for details about deadlines.