Admission requirements vary between specific colleges and programs. In most cases, an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent is required. Graduate Certificate programs require a prior college or university certificate, diploma or degree for admission. In addition, colleges may establish program-specific admission requirements. Please visit college websites to learn more about these requirements.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring they meet academic criteria and complete any special prerequisites required for admission (such as specific courses, essays, medical forms, or testing). These requirements are listed as admission requirements in the individual college calendars. The Office of the Registrar will inform applicants of any changes to the admission requirements if they are not contained in recent publications and on college websites.
Programs considered highly competitive will have different requirements than non-competitive programs. Visit our Highly Competitive Programs page to learn more.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition is a means of evaluating skills and knowledge acquired either through continuing education, or outside the classroom, through work experience, volunteering, life experience and many other avenues. The assessment results can be applied toward academic credit for those who are upgrading, retraining or pursuing education in Ontario's colleges after being in the workforce.
Though there is no set PLAR standard in Ontario, many colleges develop their own prior learning process, which will help workers who are already knowledgeable in their fields avoid relearning what they already know. Assessments are often conducted through interviews, demonstrations and testing, as well as through evaluation of a PLAR portfolio, which is a collection of documents or items that show recognition for skills and knowledge.