Georgian’s Admission policy was developed to ensure that all applications are considered fairly and equitably. The policy endorses and seeks to apply the principles of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities’ regulations and the directives of the Board of Governors of Georgian College.
Students applying to full-time studies at Georgian College must submit a completed application to www.ontariocolleges.ca
For 2011 – 2012, the application fee is $95. Applications may be submitted online at: www.ontariocolleges.ca
Ontariocolleges.ca receives and records applications and offers. Once the student confirms his or her offer, ontariocolleges.ca records the student’s responses.
Part-time students at Georgian College who are interested in applying for full-time studies must follow the ontariocolleges.ca admission process. Part-time student status does not provide preferred access to a full-time program. New students to Georgian wishing to apply for Advanced Standing must also apply through ontariocolleges.ca. See also section 2.11, Advanced Standing.
2.1.1 Exceptions to applying through ontariocolleges.caApplications for the following Continuing Education (part-time) certificates are not made through ontariocolleges.ca:
Note: For these programs, students must complete a Georgian College Application for Admission form and submit it, along with transcripts if required, to the Office of the Registrar. A $25 non-refundable service fee, payable to Georgian College, is also required. Please check individual program outlines for additional exceptions and application procedures. For other part-time programs, refer to the Continuing Education page in this calendar.
2.1.2 DeadlinesApplicants are urged to submit their application as early as possible since some programs may require the applicants to take part in an information session, write selections tests, or complete a resume. For highly competitive programs, applications received by February 1 will be considered equally.
2.1.3 Applying after February 1Applications received after February 1 will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. To find out which programs are still accepting applications, visit the ontariocolleges.ca Program Vacancy Service for information about which programs are open, which are closed and which are taking applicants on a waiting list. Contact the inquiry line at (519) 763-4725 or toll-free at 1-888-892-2228 or visit the website: www.ontariocolleges.ca
2.1.4 International StudentsInternational students applying to full-time studies at Georgian College must complete an International Student Application form and submit it to Georgian College at:
Georgian College
Office of the Registrar – International
One Georgian Drive
Barrie, Ontario L4M 3X9
Canada
Telephone: (705)728-1968, ext. 5820
Fax: (705) 722-5158
Original or certified copies of all documentation and academic records must be attached to the application. Applicants need to show proof of graduation, subjects taken and marks received. For documents that are not in English, certified translated copies must be provided.
Please note that some programs have selection requirements such as portfolios, letters of intent and other requirements. A $100 CAD application fee must accompany the application.
The International Student Application form can be downloaded from the following website: www.georgianc.on.ca/international
Applicants may also request an international application package by e-mailing international@georgianc.on.ca
For those international applicants whose first language is not English, see section 2.5, English Language Proficiency.
While applications may be submitted anytime, they are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. For program availability and general inquiries please contact international@georgianc.on.ca
Final or conditional offers of admission are sent only to those applicants who meet admission requirements. Conditional offers are sent only by e-mail; final offers are sent by courier or mail.
Full tuition fees or a minimum payment of $1000 CAD are due by June 1 for fall term, October 1 for the winter term and March 1 for the summer term to guarantee a place in the program. $950 of this payment will be deducted from tuition owing.
2.2 Academic QualificationsThe basic academic requirement for acceptance to Georgian certificate or diploma programs is the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) at the college, university or college/university level or equivalent courses at the general or advanced level. If you have not obtained an OSSD, an Academic and Career Entrance Certificate (ACE) or Ontario High School Equivalency Certificate (GED) may be considered for acceptance. Mature applicants with standing in the required courses and/or mature student testing that meets the minimum standards may also be considered for admission. Most programs have course pre-requisite requirements. For specific course prerequisite equivalencies please refer to policy 2.8.
Students outside Ontario should check the Academic Policies (article 49) at: www.georgianc.on.ca/academics/policies/pdfs/ontario_sec_equiv.pdf
Unless otherwise stated, applicants should have an overall average of 60.0 per cent (C) or greater in the credential stated.
Graduate certificate programs require a college diploma or a bachelor’s degree. Degree programs require an OSSD with six grade 12 U or M level courses.
For all programs, refer to the program outline for specific admission and selection requirements. For other equivalencies, please contact the Office of the Registrar at: registrar@georgianc.on.ca
2.2.1 Mature Applicants to Post-Secondary programsApplicants who are 19 years of age or over by the first day of classes, and who lack the academic entrance qualifications, may be considered for entrance to an appropriate post-secondary diploma or certificate program as mature applicants (see exceptions listed below). Each applicant will be considered on an individual basis and acceptance will be determined by counselling, previous post-secondary education and evaluation of experience. Some programs also have specific prerequisite requirements that must be met prior to admission. Mature applicants must meet all program specific prerequisite courses. Those applying as mature students and having no documentation of Grade 12 education must supply, if required, proof of age, such as a copy of an official birth certificate or driver’s licence.
Some programs also have selection requirements, such as resumés, entrance testing, etc. Applicants applying to the following programs must meet both admission and selection requirements:
Applicants to these programs must meet both admission and selection requirements.
2.2.1 Mature Applicants to Degree programsMature applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
Mature applicants must possess the published subject requirements, or equivalents, and submit official copies of transcripts from high school and any post-secondary institutions attended. Applicants must also provide a resumé outlining work and volunteer experience since full-time attendance at school.
2.3 Learning SkillsStudent success in college depends as much on well-developed learning skills and attitudes as on prior academic achievement. While achievement is of major importance in program admissions, other skills – such as being able to work independently, participate in a team, be well organized, develop good work habits, and show initiative – are those that result in greatest success in college. By contrast, students lacking these skills are less likely to become well integrated into college programs and are more likely to leave without completion. Applicants should therefore develop these skills and attitudes before beginning their college programs.
2.4 College Preparatory Programs / Academic and Career EntranceApplicants who have completed college preparatory programs and Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) upgrading are eligible for admission to post-secondary programs (not degree or graduate certificate programs) and will be given priority admission to the College providing that admission requirements and deadlines have been met. (Not applicable to highly competitive post-secondary certificate or diploma programs.)
For the student to properly plan his or her academic progress at the College, all requests for Advanced Standing should be made at the time of application. A fee of $100 is required for all Advanced Standing requests.
2.5 English Language ProficiencyIn addition to the academic admission requirements, all applicants for whom English is a foreign language must provide proof of language proficiency. Applicants must meet one of the following criteria to meet Georgian’s language proficiency requirements:
If an applicant does not meet any of the above criteria, he or she will be required to submit an acceptable English language proficiency test with the appropriate score. Acceptable language tests include:
If the above requirements cannot be met, applicants may apply for Georgian’s English as a Second Language program. For more information, see English for Academic Purposes, page 35.
2.6 Other Admission RequirementsSome post-secondary programs require special prerequisite courses, essays, resumés, immunization forms, testing, portfolios or information sessions. These requirements are listed by program under Admission Requirements in the Programs section of this Calendar and in the Georgian College Admissions Calendar. It is the responsibility of the applicant to complete these requirements as part of the admission procedure. The Office of the Registrar will inform applicants of any changes to admission requirements if they are not contained in recent publications.
2.7 Criminal Records CheckSome College programs have a clinical or work placement component within their curriculum. Students in such programs may be required by host agencies or employers to provide a current criminal records check from a recognized police service before they may start their clinical or work placement. Individuals who have been convicted criminally and not pardoned may be prohibited from proceeding to a clinical or work placement. For those programs affected, some jurisdictions require a long lead-time for processing. Please check with the program co-ordinator to ensure sufficient turn-around time. These checks are required prior to the placement start.
Accordingly, if a student is registering in a program with a clinical or work placement component, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he or she is eligible to participate. Further, the College assumes no responsibility for these matters and students should be aware that tuition and related fees will not be refunded in the event that access to a clinical or placement course is denied.
Students should also be aware that some professions and licensing boards also have a criminal records check provision to ensure suitability to practise in the profession. Accordingly, it is recommended that students who have a criminal record contact the appropriate professional association or licensing agency prior to starting their college studies.The costs associated with the provision of the criminal record check are to be borne by the student.
2.8 Course Prerequisite EquivalenciesTo meet course prerequisites, students must have courses at the general, advanced, college or university level. For a complete listing of equivalencies, please refer to the chart: Course Prerequisite Equivalencies.
Courses taken at a post-secondary institution will be considered on an individual basis. Students must provide official transcripts and course descriptions for evaluation. Courses taken outside Ontario are evaluated based on the educational standards of that province or country. For further information please e-mail the Office of the Registrar: registrar@georgianc.on.ca
2.9 Selection CriteriaWhen there are more equally qualified applicants than spaces available in a given program (highly competitive), the College will use formal selection techniques to determine final selection, in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and Ministry policy. The selection criteria, volunteer experience, and techniques approved by the Ministry include academic requirements and performance, testing, information session participation, resumés, reports, portfolios, physical health and age requirements. These techniques may vary from program to program.
For programs requiring selection testing, a non-refundable testing fee is required. This fee must be paid at the time of scheduling the test. Students are notified of this fee once they apply to the College. The testing fee is non-refundable if the student chooses not to write, fails the test, does not meet entrance requirements, does not receive an offer to the program, or chooses not to attend if accepted.
2.10 Priority of AdmissionsWhen a program is highly competitive, applicants will be admitted to the College in the following order, as required by the Ministry:
Advanced Standing is the process of granting credit for prior learning from an accredited post-secondary institution. It involves permission to directly enter a program of study at an advanced level on the basis of a number of related accredited courses or semesters or years of post-secondary education. Receipt of Advanced Standing does not imply admission to a specific program. Applicants must apply through the standard application process (see section 2.1 for information on how to apply) and admission will be based on space availability.
For the student to properly plan his or her academic progress at the College, all requests for Advanced Standing should be made at the time of application. A fee of $100 is required for all Advanced Standing requests.
2.11.1 ProcessThe student must review the course outline/description of the Georgian College courses for which he or she is seeking Advanced Standing. At this point, a consultation with the program co-ordinator is recommended.
The student must ensure that documentation for the courses in his or her previous studies has been obtained, including course grades (official transcripts) and course outlines/descriptions that will allow an assessor to evaluate whether the learning outcomes match those of the Georgian College courses and whether the student’s performance is sufficient to warrant Advanced Standing. Examinations or other evaluations may be required.
The student must pay applicable fees and complete a Request for Assessment of Previous Learning Form (available in the Office of the Registrar). The student must then take the completed form to his or her program area’s academic officer, who will arrange for the Advanced Standing assessment. The academic officer in the student’s program area will forward the assessment to the Office of the Registrar for final approval. The approval will be posted on Banner, the College’s student information system. Copies of declined requests may be obtained through the academic area.
Advanced Standing will appear on the student’s grade report or transcript. The result of an Advanced Standing assessment is final and is not subject to appeal. See following sections for more detailed information on Advanced Standing requests.
2.11.2 Articulation AgreementsTo provide opportunities for advanced studies to our students and graduates, Georgian College has developed agreements with many institutions. For more information please visit the articulation page: www.georgianc.on.ca/academics/articulations
If a student is entering Georgian College from another educational institution that has an articulation agreement with Georgian College, the student must identify this fact prior to registration so that appropriate Advanced Standing credits can be assigned.
2.11.3 Diploma Program to Certificate ProgramApplicants who are presenting a cumulative average of 60 per cent (C) or better will be considered for Advanced Standing, depending on the degree of affinity of the College program with Georgian’s program. Most courses are evaluated on an individual basis (see also section 3.3.1, Exemptions).
2.11.4 Diploma Program to Georgian Degree ProgramApplicants who are presenting an overall GPA of 60 percent (C) or greater from a two-year diploma program from an accredited College will be considered for admission to a Georgian degree program. For advanced standing, courses may be evaluated on an individual basis or based on block transfer depending on the overall GPA obtained in the diploma program and the field of study. Please refer to section 3.3 Assessment of Previous Learning for more information.
2.11.5 Degree Program to Diploma/Certificate ProgramApplicants who are presenting a cumulative average of 60 per cent (C) or greater will be considered for Advanced Standing, depending on the degree of affinity of the degree program with Georgian’s program. Most courses are evaluated on an individual basis (see also section 3.3.1, Exemptions).
2.11.6 Degree Program to Degree ProgramAcceptance of transfer credits from degree programs shall be based on the recognition that, while learning experiences may differ in a variety of ways, their substance may be essentially equivalent in terms of their content and rigour. As often as possible, acceptance of transfer shall allow for the maximum recognition of previous learning experience in degree-level courses.
Subject to degree, grade and program requirements, any course offered for credit by one institution shall be accepted for credit by another institution when there is essential equivalency in course content. For more informaiton, please refer to section 3.3 Assessment of Previous Learning.
2.11.7 Qualifying Bridge Program to Degree ProgramApplicants who have successfully completed a Georgian qualifying bridge program with a grade of 60 per cent or greater in each course and an overall average of 65 per cent for the program will be considered for admission, with advanced standing, into a Georgian degree program.
2.12 Offer of Admission (Acceptance Letter)Applicants will be notified of their acceptance in an offer of admission letter from the College and all offers will be displayed at the College’s website and at the ontariocolleges.ca website. For programs that start in the fall term, acceptance letters are mailed out commencing February 1 for open programs and March 5 for highly competitive programs. Applicants have until May 1 (or closest weekday if May 1 falls on a weekend) to confirm the offer through ontariocolleges.ca, which will reserve a space for them in that program.
An applicant may confirm only one offer of admission to ontariocolleges.ca. Applicants who do not respond before May 1 may forfeit their place in the program to students on the waiting list. After May 1, applicants will have 10 working days to respond to an offer of admission.
Applicants may be conditionally accepted, pending fulfillment of requirements stated in the program outline. All conditions must be met before final acceptance is granted. Once acceptance is granted (conditional or final), applicants will be required to pay or defer their fees by the fee deadline, in order to hold their seat. For more information, see section 3.1, Tuition and Other Fees.
International students: For more information please see section 2.1.4, Admissions: International Students.
2.12.1 Waiting ListsQualified applicants who are not initially accepted may be placed on a waiting list. An admission selection procedure will be used to establish which applicants will be placed on the list and in what order they will appear. Applications received after February 1 are considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
2.13 Communications Placement AssessmentThis assessment evaluates students’ literacy skills. All post-secondary programs (except graduate certificate and degree programs) require students to undergo assessment in Communications (reading comprehension, sentence skills, punctuation and grammar). The results of this assessment determine which Communications course a student takes first. It should be noted that to complete Communications assignments, students require a working knowledge of a word processing software package.
There is a $30 fee for the assessment which is included in the student fees. The Office of the Registrar will advise students of where and when it may be written. The assessment will generally be written at the campus to which the student has applied. Special arrangements may be made for students from outside the province.
Requests for exemptions from assessments may be made by completing a Request for Assessment of Previous Learning form (see section 3.3, Assessment of Previous Learning, for more information). These forms are available at the Office of the Registrar. Official scores from other institutions may be used to fulfill the College assessment requirement providing the scores are current and that the assessment taken is deemed equivalent to Georgian’s.
2.14 Re-admissionStudents must apply for re-admission in any of the following circumstances:
When a student is re-admitted to the College, he or she must successfully complete the graduation requirements described in the current program outline. Students in Semester 1 must apply for re-admission through ontariocolleges.ca. Those in subsequent semesters must apply using an internal College application form. There is a $25 non-refundable fee payable at the time of application. The program co-ordinator and the Office of the Registrar will determine the student’s academic eligibility for re-admission. The Office of the Registrar will inform the student of the decision.
2.14.2 ProcessBefore being re-admitted, the student’s progress will be reviewed. This review may include examination of any of the following:
Priority for re-admission will be given to the following:
Students wishing to transfer to another program in an advanced level or to the same program at a different campus must apply for program transfer.
2.15.1 GuidelinesWhen a student is transferred, he or she must successfully complete the graduation requirements described in the current program outline.
There is a $25 non-refundable fee payable at the time of application for program transfer. This fee must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar when the application for transfer is made.
The program co-ordinator and the Office of the Registrar determine the student’s academic eligibility for transfer. Transfer to another program or level is determined according to available space. The Office of the Registrar will inform the student of the decision.
2.15.2 ProcessBefore being transferred, the student’s progress will be reviewed. This review may include examination of any of the following:
Priority for transfer will be given to the following:
Georgian College encourages academically qualified people with special needs to apply for admission to its programs. While all students must satisfy the usual admission and graduation requirements, the College recognizes that students with special needs may require individualized assistance. This assistance is also available to students with short-term special needs. Students with learning disabilities should contact the learning disabilities co-ordinator at (705) 722-1523 to discuss opportunities at Georgian College and to request special admission consideration. For details about the modified admissions process, please visit the Centre for Access and Disability Services on Georgian’s website.
The College adheres to the Ontario Human Rights Code and will make every effort to provide reasonable academic accommodation to students who have special needs. These accommodations provide special needs students with an equal opportunity to meet the standards of the courses in their programs.
To discuss services and accommodations, students must contact the Disability Services office upon being admitted to the College. Students will be required to forward all related documentation about their disability to the Disability Services office. For more information, contact the Disability Services office at: (705) 722-1523 (Barrie campus), (705) 329-3113 (Orillia campus), (519) 376-0840 ext. 2099 (Owen Sound campus) or visit the Centre for Access and Disability Services on Georgian’s website.
2.17 Unsuccessful ApplicantsApplicants who meet admission requirements but are not selected for admission will receive a notification advising them of this decision, or they may check on the College’s website. They may discuss alternatives available to them with the Office of the Registrar or a college counsellor. In accordance with Ministry guidelines, Georgian College provides a process for reviewing admission decisions. For more information, see section 9.1, Admission Appeal. Applicants who do not meet admission criteria may view outstanding requirements online.
2.4 College Preparatory Programs/Academic and Career EntranceApplicants who have completed college preparatory programs and Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) upgrading are eligible for admission to post-secondary programs (not degree or graduate certificate programs) and will be given priority admission to the College providing that admission requirements and deadlines have been met. (Not applicable to oversubscribed post-secondary, certificate or diploma programs.)
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