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Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you're curious about our programs, wondering how to register, or looking for financial aid details, this page covers the most common questions that students ask.
Explore the sections below to find quick, clear answers about life at Luther, from academics to admissions and everything in between. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, we’re just a message away.
Don't see your question answered here?
Current students can contact lutherstudents@wlu.ca.
Future students can contact martin@luther.wlu.ca.
If you are an incoming student with questions about how to accept your offer, please see Students with Offers.
General
Luther is federated with Wilfrid Laurier University. This means that each school governs its own business and budget, but work in a close relationship with each other.
Although Luther has the legal right from the Province of Ontario to award theology degrees, we have suspended that practice while we're federated with Laurier. In short, our graduates receive degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University.
For more information, you can visit our Accreditation and Affiliations webpage.
Although Luther has the legal right from the Province of Ontario to award theology degrees, we have suspended that practice while we're federated with Laurier. In short, our graduates receive degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University.
For more information, you can visit our Accreditation and Affiliations webpage.
Martin Luther University College is located next to Wilfrid Laurier University's campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Our building is at the corner of Albert Street and Bricker Avenue. The main entrance is located on Bricker Avenue. See our location on the campus map or our location on Google Maps.
You can watch a video tour of our campus.
Mailing Address:
Martin Luther University College
75 University Ave. W.
Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5
There is no student or visitor parking at Luther. Visitors may find free three-hour parking on surrounding streets. They may also find parking on Laurier's Waterloo campus at the metered-parking section and pay-and-display lots indicated. For details, visit Laurier’s parking webpage.
To order an official transcript or access an unofficial transcript, please follow the instructions on the Transcripts, Letters and Form Requests webpage.
To order a duplicate or replacement copy of your degree/diploma, please follow the instructions on the Student Records webpage.
Programs and Courses
We offer degree (BA, MA, MDiv, PhD), diploma, and certificate programs. Please visit our Programs webpage for details on all of Luther’s programs.
All of our programs are delivered in person. Depending on the program, you might be able to take some online courses, but you should expect to attend the majority of your classes in person.
No, you do not have to follow the Christian faith in order to be considered for this program (or any of our available programs). Luther is a multifaith learning environment. Students of all faiths (or no faith) are welcome to apply to our programs.
You can apply to the program with an Honours (4 year) Bachelor’s degree from any field. The Admissions Committee recognizes that many disciplines have transferrable skills and knowledge to contribute to psychotherapy. You can, however, make your application more competitive by taking undergraduate courses in psychology.
Luther’s Bachelor and Masters programs begin each year in the fall only (classes start in September).
Students pursuing our Graduate Diploma or General Graduate Studies can start in the fall, winter or spring.
Laurier students and those registered in programs at other institutions are welcome to enroll in courses running during any term. Consult your academic advisor for information on whether successful completion of our course(s) can be applied as a credit toward the completion of your degree.
Masters and Graduate Diploma Students
Our Masters and Graduate Diploma programs can be completed on a full or part time basis.
Full time:
- 3 or 4 courses per term
- 9-12 hours on campus per week
Part time:
- 1 or 2 courses per term
- 3-6 hours on campus per week
PhD Students
Luther's PhD is designed as a full time program with a part time course load.
This means that you are classified as a full time student, but you only take 1 or 2 courses per term with a time commitment of 3-6 hours on campus per week.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students can also complete their program on either a full or part time basis. Part time undergraduate students take 1.75 credits or less per term.
We do not provide sample course schedules because course scheduling changes from year to year, and an individual students' schedule will be unique depending on which electives they enroll in.
Both full and part time students should anticipate attending courses in the morning, afternoon or evening. Our programs cannot be completed by taking evening courses only.
Graduate students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment. In other words, you are expected to be enrolled every term, including the Spring/Summer term, until you complete your degree.
If you do not want to take courses during a term, you can submit a request for a temporary withdrawal. Please consult with your Academic Advisor to make sure you are on track with your courses before submitting a temporary withdrawal request.
Please visit our Advising and Support webpage and select the checklist for the program you’re interested in. All courses for each program are listed on their respective checklist.
To view course descriptions, you can visit our course offerings webpages:
Undergraduate Course Offerings
Graduate Course OfferingsCourse syllabi are the intellectual property of course instructors and are therefore not publicly available. If you need a copy of a syllabi for CRPO or CCPA registration, please email your request to lutherstudents@wlu.ca.
Please note that our archive of course syllabi is not comprehensive and we cannot guarantee that we have a copy of what you're looking for. All students are instructed to save copies of your course syllabi.
Most courses at Martin Luther University College will meet for three hours per week throughout the term, but some courses (especially during the Spring term) are offered in an intensive format which do not follow the regular Laurier course schedule.
Intensive courses are most commonly offered as 1 day per week, 6 times over a period of 12 weeks (biweekly).
Lectures for intensive courses do not meet every week and LORIS is not able to display our unique schedule. Instead, please visit our Graduate Course Offerings webpage to find the schedule for intensive courses.
Regular registration deadlines apply to intensive courses.
Your courses will appear in MyLearningSpace (MyLS) on the first day of classes.
All graduate students are required to complete the following certificates:
- Luther – Academic Integrity – Graduate
- Luther – Citation — Graduate
All undergraduate students are required to complete:
- Luther – Academic Integrity – Undergrad
These certificates are achieved by successfully completing the modules found in MyLearningSpace. At the top of the main webpage, click “Self Registration” on the left-hand side. You will then be shown a list of modules that you can enroll in. Enroll yourself in the appropriate modules.
Please ensure the modules and earned certificates are from Luther (not Laurier). The Luther logo will be visible on the certificate.
Certificates completed in the student’s first term at Luther should be posted for assignments in subsequent courses. Certificates can be retrieved from MyLS within the completed modules under “Awards.”
Graduate Program Applications
First, review the Graduate Applications Toolkit:
Next, review the program specific application requirements by visiting our Programs webpage and select the program you’re interested in. Navigate to the "Admissions" section for the program.
We will be hosting a virtual program information session for our Masters and PhD programs on November 20, 2026 at 10:00 A.M.
This session will cover basic information about our graduate programs, and will walk through the application process in detail. Registration is required.
You can also sign up to receive a notification when the Masters and PhD application portal opens through our Fall 2027 Future Students list.
The CASPer® (Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) test is no longer required for any of our programs.
If you have any technical questions while applying through OUAC, email gradapps@ouac.on.ca or call 519-823-1063.
Luther is here to support you through the application process, but we are unable to resolve any technical issues in OUAC. Contact OUAC directly.
For instructions on how to upload your documents, please see Step 2 of the Graduate Admissions Toolkit. If you are struggling to upload a file because it is too large or it is encrypted, please read the LORIS Troubleshooting webpage.
Yes, you must submit transcripts from all previous universities and/or colleges in your application, including transcripts for programs that you did not complete.
Please note that all transcripts must be dated as having been printed or issued within the last 6 months from your application date. You may need to contact your previous schools to get updated copies of your transcripts. For the application, unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted. To request copies of your transcripts, reach out to the Registrar or Records offices at your past schools.
Review the Graduate Admissions Toolkit in detail before submitting your documents.
Please note that all transcripts must be dated as having been printed or issued within the last 6 months from your application date. You may need to contact your previous schools to get updated copies of your transcripts. For the application, unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted. To request copies of your transcripts, reach out to the Registrar or Records offices at your past schools.
Review the Graduate Admissions Toolkit in detail before submitting your documents.
The Application Summary Form is a PDF that is generated after you complete your OUAC application. If you did not download it after submitting your application in OUAC, you can log back into OUAC, review your applications, and download the Application Summary Form PDF.
Please see our Statement of Intent Form for guidelines on content and length.
Please download the form to your device in order to complete it using a document editor. The form will not work in a web-based document editor.
We encourage you to include:
- All educational experiences
- Relevant professional experiences
- Relevant volunteer experiences
- Any relevant trainings or certifications
- Any publications and/or scholarly activities
If you have any samples of professional writing from your work experiences, you may consider submitting these as a sample. When selecting a sample, choose something that demonstrates your ability to clearly, confidently and professionally communicate in writing.
You can also prepare a new piece of academic writing. You can select any topic of your choice. As with any academic essay assignment, you will need a thesis statement (an argument) that you then prove/discuss. You can use any academic formatting of your choice (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc).
If you need a refresher on academic formatting, we suggest reviewing the OWL Purdue Style Guides.
You can also consult Laurier’s writing support resources.
You can also prepare a new piece of academic writing. You can select any topic of your choice. As with any academic essay assignment, you will need a thesis statement (an argument) that you then prove/discuss. You can use any academic formatting of your choice (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc).
If you need a refresher on academic formatting, we suggest reviewing the OWL Purdue Style Guides.
You can also consult Laurier’s writing support resources.
If you have samples but they don’t meet the page count requirement, you can submit multiple writing samples that add up to a total of 10-20 pages. Please note that they must all be combined into one file.
References are included in the page count. If your writing sample is slightly over the 20 page limit (ie., 25 pages or less), this is acceptable.
If your previous degree was taught in a language other than English, you must provide evidence of English proficiency prior to admission.
For full information, please see the English Proficiency Requirements for graduate programs.
Luther accepts either academic or professional references. There is no preference for one over the other. It is at your discretion if you want to provide two academic references, two professional references, or one of each. We advise selecting references from individuals who you feel will provide you with the most accurate reference.
Please note that your professional reference should be from someone who has supervised you in some capacity (for example your direct manager at your job, a supervisor for a specific project you worked on, a supervisor for your volunteer commitment, etc).
Reference forms are electronically submitted to Laurier by the referee, and do not need to be uploaded. You can find more information about the process of submitting references on the Reference Letters and the Referee Process webpage.
There is no requirement for a reference to be from a certain year or timeframe. We advise selecting references from individuals who you feel will provide you with the most accurate reference.
Once your application is submitted, it is received in real-time. This means that as soon as you click the button that says "Submit my application" in LORIS, we receive your full application.
No further confirmation of receipt of application is provided, and no further updates will be provided on your application until decisions are issued.
Registration
Please review the Academic Calendar. Select the appropriate calendar (Undergraduate or Graduate). Then, on the right side of the webpage, click the "All Dates" link.
You can also review Laurier’s Important Dates and Deadlines webpage.
For undergraduate students, the Course Registration Guide will walk you through how to prepare for and what to do when you register for courses.
For graduate students, you can consult the Course Registration for Graduate Students page to learn about common registration processes.
Go to the LORIS registration page and follow these instructions:
- Click “Browse Classes”
- Select a term
- Write the subject ("Theology" or "Global Citizenship") and submit
You will see a course list, complete with CRNs, for the term selected.
A late registration fee will be applied to registrations received after the final day to register as outlined in the Academic Calendar. For more information about late registration fees, please see the Late Registration Fees Breakdown webpage.
Requests, Appeals and Program Changes
Luther's Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) is the first level of appeal for all students taking courses at Martin Luther University College. The AAC defers some decisions to other parties. Please have a conversation with your academic advisor prior to submitting a request.
Requests are submitted using the Martin Luther University College Petition Form.
Requests to the AAC are due by the first Tuesday of the month. You will receive a response by the end of the following week. Responses are sent to your @mylaurier.ca email address only.
Luther Master's students with unique academic interests may submit a request for a one-on-one directed study course in consultation with the proposed instructor, as per the Policy for Directed Study Courses.
Luther PhD students are required to submit the PhD Directed Study Request form.
The request should be submitted at least two months in advance of the term and are due by the first Tuesday of the month.
Master's students wishing to change their status must complete the “Graduate Change Form” found on the Frequently Used Forms webpage. Send the completed form to lutherstudents@wlu.ca. Luther Students will then forward the form to your respective Graduate Program Coordinator and FGPS for processing.
We strongly suggest that you submit this form before the start of the next upcoming term. Submitting earlier will allow your tuition assessment to be adjusted as soon as possible. If you are switching to full-time, submitting your form earlier will also allow you more time to register in additional courses.
The latest this form can be submitted is the last day to add a course in a term. Please see the Academic Calendar for specific dates.
Graduate students who wish to take a temporary leave from their studies must complete the “Request to Withdraw from Graduate Studies Form” found on the Frequently Used Forms webpage. Send the completed form to lutherstudents@wlu.ca. Luther Students will then forward the form to your respective Graduate Program Coordinator and FGPS for processing.
We strongly suggest that you submit this form before the start of the term you plan to take leave for. You may take a withdrawal at any point in a term; however, you are responsible for acting in accordance with the academic calendar dates listed in the graduate academic calendar. If the withdrawal occurs after the deadline for dropping courses in a term, any uncompleted courses will be recorded as a failure.
For full details about taking temporary leaves, please review the Absences, Leaves and Withdrawals from Graduate Studies webpage.
Fees and Bursaries
Please refer to Laurier’s tuition fees web page.
For an explanation of incidental fees and fee schedule for undergraduate and graduate students, visit Laurier’s incidental fees page. For explanations of incidental fees paid specifically by students registered in Luther programs, scroll down and select “Luther Fees.”
Yes. Full-time students, in addition to being eligible for financial assistance from Laurier, may be eligible for bursaries from Luther. For more information, see Luther's Financial Resources.
Part-time students are not eligible for bursaries, but might quality for OSAP.
Please visit Laurier’s OSAP information web page.
Invoices are sent out:
- late July or early August for the Fall term
- mid-November for the Winter term
- early April for the Spring/Summer term
For deadlines and instructions on how you can pay your tuition and incidental fees, please refer to Laurier’s Payments webpage.
Luther and Laurier do not offer financial aid to international students. For students to obtain a study permit, they must demonstrate that they can financially support themselves.