Academic Operational Policies

Subject: Admissions  Number:  AOP 226
Issued by: Vice-President Academic Date Issued:  August 2020
Supersedes: N/A Page:  1 of 1
Links:

Post-Secondary Registration and Graduation – AOP 225

Evaluation of Student Performance – AOP 224

PLAR, Transfer Credit, Advanced Standing, Articulation Agreements and Exemptions – AOP 221

 Revision
Date:		  

Admissions

1. Introduction and Purpose 

Loyalist is committed to providing educational opportunities and pathways for further studies for its students.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for admission to Loyalist’s full-time post-secondary programs, including Ontario College Certificates, Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Graduate Certificates and Degrees.

2. Application

All full-time applicants to a post-secondary program.

3. Definitions

Academic year – Three (3) terms of study beginning in September and concluding in August of the following year.

Course – An individual unit of instruction offered at a post-secondary institution.

Full-time post-secondary program – A sequence of courses leading to an Ontario College Credential offered in two (2) to eight (8) prescribed groupings.

Mature student – An individual applying to a certificate, diploma, advanced diploma or degree program who has reached, or will reach, the age of 19 years on or before the start of the program to which they applied.

Mature applicant – A mature student applying to a post-secondary program.

Ontario college credential – A credential awarded upon successful completion of a certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate, or degree program that meets the minimum requirements articulated in the Minister’s Binding Policy Directive Framework for Programs of Instruction.

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) – A provincially recognized credential earned on successful completion of secondary school requirements established by the Ministry of Education.

Prerequisite – A course that must be completed before taking a course.

4. Policy Statement

To give College applicants the greatest opportunity for success, their eligibility for admission to a program will be assessed and considered based on a range of factors including their academic history and credentials. Each Loyalist program has academic, language and status requirements that applicants must satisfy in order to be admitted to that program. Specific admission requirements may vary from program to program. Details of the program-specific academic or other requirements (volunteer, work experience, etc.) are referenced on the College website.

Since applicants may be ranked based on a range of academic factors, meeting the minimum requirements for admission in any one year does not guarantee acceptance into a Loyalist program the following year, as applicants are competing with others in the applicant pool for each admission term. Admission is competitive and will be based on the applicant’s overall qualifications and the availability of space in the program and in accordance with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities’ (MCU) policies.

Generally, there are three (3) full-time post-secondary admission terms: fall, winter and spring.

Loyalist College reserves the right to restrict enrolment in a program and/or suspend a program intake where sufficient enrolment is not attained prior to the start of classes. When Loyalist has taken a decision to suspend a program to which applicants have been admitted, applicants will be notified in writing.

5. Domestic Applicants Admission Requirements

Any applicant who attended secondary school in another province or country must provide documentation as proof of their credential’s academic equivalency to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

In accordance with the Minister’s Binding Policy Directive for Admissions Criteria, an applicant must meet one of the following requirements to be considered for admission to a program:

  • Hold an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent;
  • Have mature student status; or,
  • Any lesser minimum admission requirement established by the college on a program-specific basis. 

In addition, an applicant must also meet the following requirements established on a program-specific basis:

  • Successful completion of prerequisites.
    • For certificate, diploma and advanced diploma programs, prerequisites must be taken at the college, university or university/college preparation level or equivalent.
    • For degree programs, prerequisites must be taken at the university or university/college preparation level, and the applicant must have achieved a minimum final grade of 65 per cent.
  • For degree programs, successful completion of a minimum of six university and/or university/college preparation level courses in Grade 12, with a minimum average of 65 per cent.
  • For graduate certificate programs, successful completion of an Ontario College diploma or degree, a university degree or equivalent.
  • Language proficiency appropriate to the credential level.
  • Successful completion of any other requirements, such as specific courses, portfolios, tests, auditions, certifications, credentials or specialized fields of study.

Meeting minimum admission requirements for a program does not guarantee an offer of admission to that program. Loyalist shall make publicly available the admission requirements established on a program-specific basis. Please refer to the detailed admission requirements for each program on the College website to confirm program-specific academic and non-academic requirements.

5.1 Mature Applicants’ Admission Requirements

5.1.1 Mature Applicants to Non-Degree Programs

Mature applicants to certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, and graduate diploma programs must:

  • Reach the age of 19 by the start of the program to which they have applied;
  • Disclose all previous post-secondary transcripts, which may be used in admission decisions; 
  • Require an OSSD, General Education Development certificate, or equivalent if applying to apprenticeship or diploma-apprenticeship or diploma-apprenticeship programs; and,
  • Meet all program-specific admission requirements.

Mature applicants to certificate, diploma, advanced diploma and graduate diploma programs who are unable to provide transcripts showing program-specific academic requirements may be permitted to complete pre-admission English and/or mathematics tests to demonstrate proficiency in those subjects.

5.1.2 Mature Applicants to Degree Programs

Mature applicants to degree programs are required to have completed program-specific academic requirements or equivalents, ad admission testing options are not available for degree programs.

Mature applicants to degree programs must be:

  • Be at least 21 years of age or over on the first day of classes;
  • Have not attended post-secondary education on a full-time basis within the last five years;
  • Possess the published secondary school subject requirements, or equivalents, and meet the minimum admission average of 75% based on these subjects;
  • Have a minimum grade of 75% in Grade 12 English (ENG4U), and Grade 12U Mathematics, Grade 12 Chemistry (SCH4U) and Grade 12 Biology (SBI4U); and,
  • Submit official copies of transcripts for their secondary school grades, or any other academic work.

Preference may be given to applicants who completed the courses listed above on a full-time basis. In addition, Loyalist reserves the right to give priority to applicants who meet all course and grade requirements on their first attempt.

6. Transfer student

Transfer students should contact Enrolment Services to discuss their specific requirements and the details of their application to confirm appropriate status. Applicants with previous education from private post-secondary institutions will be assessed on an individual basis.

7. International Applicants Admission Requirements

Applicants applying from outside Canada, or internationally educated applicants, must review and adhere to admission requirements by country. The requirements and process can be found on the Loyalist College website.

Additional program-specific requirements and a full listing of required texts and materials which are included in tuition costs can be found in the Loyalist College portal. Admission requirements are subject to change.

8. English Language Proficiency

If a student’s first language is not English, or if a student’s previous education has not been conducted in English, the student will be required to demonstrate acceptable proficiency in English by undertaking and submitting the results of one of a range of English language proficiency tests. This can be demonstrated through various tests (i.e. TOEFL, IELTS, CAEL, MELAB). Transcripts, TOEFL, IELTS, CAEL and MELAB scores must be original or attested copies. Refer to the English Language Proficiency Guidelines for more information and further acceptable tests and scores.

9. Applicant Selection

Applications received by February 1 prior to the academic year in which a program begins are given equal consideration.

Applications received after February 1 are considered on a first come, first serve basis if space remains in the program.

Qualified applicants will be selected to receive an offer of admission based on the following priority:

  1. Residents of Ontario
  2. Residents of Canada
  3. All other applicants

If a program is oversubscribed after the above residency prioritization, qualified applicants will be ranked according to predetermined, measurable, program-specific criteria.

10. Application Decision

Applications are assessed by Loyalist College’s Enrolment Services, which accepts, declines or defers the admission of applicants to programs.

Applicants will be advised of Loyalist’s decision in writing by Enrolment Services.

Admission to a Loyalist College program means that a student is only admitted to that program and specified admit term.

Admission to one program is not a guarantee of admission to another program or of admission to the same program in a different semester.

11. Conditional Acceptance

In some cases. a student’s Offer Letter of Acceptance (LOA) will stipulate conditions that need to be satisfied for Loyalist to complete the offer of admission. Terms of the conditional offer of admission must be met prior to beginning studies at Loyalist. Failure to complete the conditional requirements will result in the offer being revoked by Enrolment Services.

12. Admission Equivalencies

Academic transcripts from other provinces and/or countries may be considered as equivalents to the admission requirements of a program.

Enrolment Services may require translations and/or evaluations of documents from non-Canadian institutions by recognized evaluation services. The evaluation service must authenticate the documents and recommend the comparability of the education earned outside of Canada to the Canadian education system.

The applicant may apply to have Loyalist assess their previous post-secondary credentials and/or advanced standing in the program as detailed in AOP 224 Evaluation of Student Performance and AOP 221 PLAR, Transfer Credit, Advanced Standing, Articulation Agreements and Exemptions.

13. Admission Decision Review

Loyalist will provide a process for reviewing admission decisions, specifically declines, for any full-time post-secondary program. This method would not include admission decisions related to part-time courses or programs that register on a first come, first serve basis.

Upon request, Enrolment Services will provide an applicant with further explanation of the reason for a decision to decline admission.

If an applicant is not satisfied with the explanation provided by the Enrolment Services for the decision to decline admission, they may request a formal review or appeal, in writing, to the Registrar, or designate, within 30 days of the admission decision.

Admission appeals must be based on procedural error or unfairness of the admission process. Admission appeals cannot be based on stringency or nature of admission requirements.

Admission appeals that are received less than five (5) days prior to the start of classes will only be considered for the next available intake of the program.