2. Admissions

2.1 Admissions

Semesters customarily begin in the fall (September), in the winter (January) and in the spring (May).

Enrolment in some programs is controlled by Provincial quotas. The College reserves the right to cancel a program where sufficient enrolment is not attained, and/or to restrict enrolment in a program.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit to the College a valid Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent prior to the commencement of classes, where required.

2.2 General Admission Requirements

The basic admission requirement to post-secondary programs is the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (Grade 12) or its equivalent - with the majority of senior credits at the college, university, college/university level - or mature student status (age 19 or over).

In addition, a minimum average of 65% is required for admission to degree programs with 6  6 University or University/College credits at the grade 12 level. Any additional requirements for the specific program will be published.

2.3 Subject Prerequisites

Several programs require specific subject and level prerequisites among the 30 credits in the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. These prerequisites will be published in the College Calendar. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that his/her studies follow program requirements.

2.4 Early Application - Full-Time Studies

Students may be accepted conditionally on the basis of their Grade 12 mid-term examination results.

Applicants are advised that acceptance is based upon successful completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma at the end of the academic year.

2.5 Mature Students - Full-Time Studies

Mature students, age 19 or over, who wish to resume their education in a course of study at Seneca College, will be evaluated by a Board of Admissions which may recommend an appropriate preparatory program of study offered at Seneca College, or direct entry into a program.

2.6 Admission into a College Preparatory or Foundations Program

Seneca College offers preparatory programs for applicants who require certain academic skills or readiness experience to be successful in a post-secondary program of study, and who wish to pursue college studies. Preparatory program students must be 19 years of age or over on or before the first day of classes.

This program is not a substitute for secondary school programs, but successful completion will qualify the applicant for consideration for admission to Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology.

Students who lack only one or two subjects of the admission requirements may be admitted conditionally to a Diploma/Certificate program. Where a student is admitted conditionally, the program must be approved by the Registrar's Office.

2.7 Selection Procedures

Certain programs offered at the College may require an essay, a pretest, portfolio, or group orientation. Following receipt of application to such a program, the Registrar's Office will advise the applicant of the selection procedures required for the program chosen by the applicant. A Board of Admissions reserves the right to add or delete from the list of selection procedures outlined in the College Calendar.

2.8 Board of Admissions & Notice of Acceptance - Full-Time Studies

All applications are assessed by a Board of Admissions which is empowered to accept, defer or reject the admission of any applicant to a program. Applicants will be advised of their acceptance by an official letter of acceptance.

2.9 Priority of Admissions - Full-Time Studies

In accordance with provincial guidelines, students will be admitted to Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology in the following order of preference:

• Permanent residents of other provinces and territories in Canada.
• Applicants from other countries.

2.10 Admission Status - Full-Time Studies

Admission to a program of study at Seneca College means that the student is admitted to that program only. Admission to one program is not a guarantee of subsequent admission to another program of study.

2.11 Probationary Admission

In some instances, where a student fails to meet all the admission criteria for a program of study, a Board of Admissions has discretionary power to recommend probationary admission to a diploma or certificate program. A probationary student will be asked to withdraw from the College should he/she fail to meet the probationary requirements.

2.12 Equivalent Admission Requirements

Academic standing from other provinces and other countries which is recognized by the College as equivalent to an OSSD will be considered for admission to certificate and diploma programs. Generally, the standards are as follows:

• A valid Secondary School Graduation Diploma at the general level, or equivalent for the following provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
• United Kingdom and Commonwealth Countries - General Certificate in Secondary Education with grade "C" or above in at least six academic subjects.
• United States of America Grade 12 (A minimum of 16 units of credit at the secondary school level; at least four credits of which are in English.)

All applicants from other provinces and other countries are considered on an individual basis.

For admission to degree programs, the applicant will be assessed for equivalencies on an individual basis.

2.13 Medical Report Form - Full-Time Students

Students in some programs are required to complete a medical report form before the commencement of classes. Failure to do so may result in the denial of acceptance into some programs and/or denial of the opportunity to participate in athletic activities at Seneca. Certain programs also require a special medical examination as a condition of acceptance to the program.

2.14 Re-Admission - Full-Time Studies

Requests for re-admission are received on occasion from students who have withdrawn from Seneca College for one or more full semesters. In these cases a full time student must apply in the normal manner by submitting an Application for Admission to ontariocolleges.ca. Prior study at Seneca College does not guarantee re-admission.

To meet program conditions and graduate as outlined in section 16.1 of Seneca’s Academic Policy, students who interrupt their studies for an extended period of time, or who take significantly longer than the normally prescribed program duration to complete their studies, may be required to take additional subjects and/or repeat subjects which have gone through significant change.

2.15 Admission to Co-operative Education Programs

Two types of co-operative education programs are offered at Seneca College - "mandatory", wherein all those registered in the program become co-op education students, and "optional", wherein registered students apply for admission to the co-op stream of a program after being admitted to the College. Selection is based on attendance at an initial co-op orientation meeting, academic achievement at the College, the letter of application specifying interest in co-operative education, and faculty comments.

All degree students are required by the government to complete at least one separate, full-time work term (of no less than 14 consecutive weeks) prior to graduation, related to the professional field of study.

2.16 Admission Decision Review

It is the policy of Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology to provide a method of reviewing a refusal to admit a prospective student to any full-time program conducted by the College. This policy does not include part-time courses or programs that register on a first-come, first-served basis.

In the normal course of operations, a decision to accept or reject an application for admission to the College shall be sent to the applicant in writing, whether or not a previous verbal decision has been given. In the case of a rejection, a brief written explanation of the reason(s) for rejection will be included.

The Admissions Office will provide further explanation of the reason for rejection if so requested by the applicant.

If the applicant is not satisfied with the explanation or requests a review of the admission decision, the following procedure will apply:

• The applicant must apply in writing to the Registrar for a review of the non-acceptance decision within 30 days of the date of the written decision.
• The Registrar acknowledges the application in writing and appoints an Admission Review Panel consisting of the Registrar, or Registrar's designate, the Chair of the program in question and, where applicable, the program coordinator.
• The Registrar fixes a date for a meeting of the Panel and notifies the applicant and the Panel members within 15 days of the receipt of the applicant's written request.
• The applicant may make representation to the Panel, either verbally or in writing (with reasons), or both; no counsel or other agent may attend or represent the applicant.
• The Panel makes its decision, in writing and with reasons and notifies the applicant.
• The decision of the Panel is final and binding. Should the Review Panel find in favour of the applicant, and the pertinent program no longer has seats available, alternatives will be investigated. Under no circumstance will a student already admitted to Seneca College be disadvantaged, on behalf of another, by the findings of the Review Panel.