Admissions Guide

How to Apply

1. November 1 – Colleges may begin sending offers of admission. Apply online at ontariocolleges.ca by February 1 for equal consideration. Follow the prompts to complete the process. There is a non-refundable fee to apply, payable to ontariocolleges.ca. If you need help completing your application, call us at 705-759-2554 ext. 2222.
2. Watch for communication from Sault College. Once your application is processed, you will receive an official letter via email, as well as a letter in the mail to let you know if you are accepted into your program of choice or if there is anything missing.
3. Once we have accepted you into your program, go back online to ontariocolleges.ca to confirm your offer.
4. Pay your fees by the deadline(s) to secure your spot. We will let you know what else you need along the way.

Admissions

A. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
 

1. The minimum requirement for admission to any postsecondary program is an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) (30 credits) or its equivalent, or mature applicant status. Some programs have specific requirements in addition to the minimum admission requirement.
2. The minimum requirement for admission to an Ontario College Graduate Certificate program is an Ontario College Diploma or university degree.
3. The minimum requirement for admission to any degree program is an OSSD including university-level credits where indicated.
4. Consideration will be given to applicants who have successfully completed college preparatory programs such as, but not limited to, Pre-Health, Pre-Trades, General Arts and Science – One‑Year, and Academic and Career Entrance (ACE).

The College may publish other recommendations that enhance student success. Applicants should consult individual program descriptions available on our   website.

(See Section J regarding collaborative programs)
 

B. OSSD EQUIVALENT

Recognized equivalents to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma are listed below and are accepted on the understanding that the applicant meets all requirements in particular subjects and/or subject averages.

• All provinces and territories, other than Quebec – Grade 12
• Quebec - High School Leaving Certificate (Secondary V)

Other academic qualifications may be evaluated as equivalent, as deemed appropriate by the Registrar’s Office.
 

C. MATURE APPLICANTS

An individual who does not have an OSSD or equivalent but has reached the age of 19 may be admitted as a mature applicant. Mature applicants may be referred to Student Services for admission testing.
 

D. GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT IN ONTARIO (GED)

Applicants successfully completing GED requirements will be assessed for admission as equivalent to secondary school graduates. Additional program-specific admission requirements must still be completed.
 

E. OTHER APPLICATIONS

Applicants who have completed studies utilizing independent curriculum (i.e. home-schooled) may be admitted through a process similar to that of the mature applicant. The applicant is referred to Student Services for admission testing and is required to submit available transcripts and curriculum for equivalency review.
 

F. APPLICANTS WITH INTERNATIONAL CREDENTIALS

Completion of secondary school along with program-specific admission requirements is necessary; and equivalencies will be determined by the Registrar’s Office. Applicants with international credentials in languages other than English must be submitted with a certified true translation, along with the official academic record in the language of instruction.
 

G. APPLICANTS WITH FIRST LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH

Sault College instructs its courses in English, and as such, an applicant must demonstrate English proficiency to meet the demands of our programs. To demonstrate English proficiency, applicants must have studied in an English-speaking secondary or postsecondary institution, for a minimum of 3 years, in any of the following countries: Canada, Australia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, New Zealand, Singapore, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Caribbean countries excluding Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Puerto Rico; or have completed English training as deemed equivalent by the Registrar’s Office.

Applicants for whom English is not a first language, and who have not studied in the countries noted above, must provide proof of English language proficiency. Sault College has approved a number of tests and minimum scores to satisfy English language proficiency. Please click here for international admission requirements.  Where appropriate, if applicants do not meet these minimum requirements, successful English language training may be required prior to the start of the academic program.
 

H. CREDIT TRANSFER OR ADVANCED STANDING APPLICANTS

Applicants seeking advanced standing, including college-to-college transfers or advance credit transfer, will follow the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) policy, Credit Transfer policy and/or General Education Credit Transfer policy.
 

I. OVERSUBSCRIBED PROGRAMS - SELECTION PROCEDURES

Priority of Admissions
The established MCU priority for admissions for oversubscribed programs is as follows:

1. Permanent residents of Ontario
2. Permanent residents from other Canadian provinces and territories
3. International applicants

The College procedure for selection in oversubscribed programs is as follows:

If, after all other selection procedures have been applied and there are more qualified applicants than spaces available in a given program, selection criteria beyond those of program eligibility may be used. The criteria shall be determined on a program-specific basis and must be capable of objective demonstration or measurement and be relevant to the program.

Program-specific ranking information may be requested from the Registrar’s Office. Waiting lists are to be established for oversubscribed programs and maintained up to the end of the registration period. Applicants must, on their request, be informed of their relative positions on the waitlist. Movement takes place as vacancies arise. For oversubscribed programs, 10% of seats available are held for students currently enrolled and successfully completing an internal preparatory Ontario College Certificate with an overall GPA of 2.5 or greater, as well as any other admission requirements for their program of choice.

Applicants from Access Programs (ACE)
For oversubscribed programs, students must have a grade point average of 2.5 or greater in the ACE program, along with program-specific admission requirements.

Designated Seats
For some health programs (Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Practical Nursing, Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant, and Pre-Health), 5% of seats, in addition to any selected through the admission ranking process, will be held for applicants who self-identify as Indigenous.
 

J. COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM

Collaborative program refers to a program where the College and another postsecondary institution agree to jointly deliver a program. Admission requirements for collaborative programs will be determined on a program-by-program basis with the postsecondary institutions involved.
 

K. CRIMINAL RECORD CHECK

Applicants applying for enrolment in programs that involve placement, practicum or outreach activities may require a Criminal Record Check as part of the placement requirements. The applicant should review specific program requirements.
 

L. ADMISSION REVIEW PROCESS

Applicants who are refused admission to the College have the opportunity to request the reason(s) for which they were refused admission to their program of choice. Applicants who are not satisfied with the reason(s) for the refusal can request a review of their application.

Admission Review Procedure

• These requests will be made, in writing, to the Registrar’s Office within 10 business days of the date of the refusal letter. The submission will include the nature of the request as well as any supporting information or documentation to be considered in a review of the decision.
• The Registrar or designate will convene a meeting of the Admissions Review Committee, consisting of the Registrar, a Finance and Administration Representative, the Chair of the program in question, and where applicable, the Program Coordinator.

A final decision on behalf of the Committee will be communicated to the applicant within 10 business days of the receipt of the appeal.
 

Important Dates

1. Students can apply as early as October of each year at ontariocolleges.ca.
   1. All applications received up to February 1 are treated equally.
   2. All applications received on or after February 2 are treated on a first-come, first-served basis.
   3. All offers are subject to the final achievement of an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or its equivalent, and successful completion of specific program admission requirements.
2. An application fee as designated in the application guidelines must be received by ontariocolleges.ca in order for the application to be processed and sent to the College.
3. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that their official midterm grades and final Grade 12 grades are forwarded to the Ontario College Application Service directly from their school. A decision regarding acceptance cannot be made if grades are not submitted.
4. Sault College Registrar’s Office staff, recruiters, and counsellors are available to assist prospective students.
5. You must accept your offer of admission at ontariocolleges.ca.
6. May 2 is the earliest date any college can withdraw an offer of admission.
7. Payment or deferral of tuition fees must be made by the fee payment date, as established on the Key Dates Calendar, in order to reserve a seat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I contact ontariocolleges.ca?
You may reach the Customer Contact Centre by phone: 1-519-763-4725 or 1-888-892-2228 (toll-free within Canada); or by email: ask-us@ontariocolleges.ca. If you need to contact by mail, the address is below:

ontariocolleges.ca
60 Corporate Court
Guelph, ON N1G 5J3
 

How can I submit my transcripts?
Transcripts may be requested as part of the application process on ontariocolleges.ca. Many institutions are able to submit transcripts electronically through the transcript request service in the application system. Or, if you are currently in high school in Ontario, let your Guidance Office know that you are applying to college and they will send your transcripts to ontariocolleges.ca for you. If you are currently in high school in another Canadian province, your school will need to send one official transcript to ontariocolleges.ca or to the Sault College Registrar’s Office.

If you are unable to request your transcript through the ontariocolleges.ca application site, please contact your high school/postsecondary institution to have them submit your transcript. If your high school is closed, contact the Board of Education to place your request. If the school is unable to upload your transcript to the ontariocolleges.ca application site, they may email your transcript to registrar@saultcollege.ca; fax to the Registrar’s Office at 705-759-3273; or mail to Sault College, ATTN: Registrar’s Office, 443 Northern Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, ON  P6B 4J3.

If you are applying as a mature student, you will still need to arrange with your last high school to have one official transcript sent to ontariocolleges.ca or to the Registrar’s Office.

If you are sending documents from any educational institution outside of Canada, an original or certified copy of the documents needs to be sent directly to Sault College or to one of the following agencies to have an evaluation of your credentials completed:

World Education Services
www.wes.org/ca
Phone: 1-416-972-0070
Toll-free: 1-800-361-6106

International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
ICAS of Canada
Ontario AgriCentre
100 Stone Road West, Suite 102
Guelph, ON N1G 5L3

Phone: 1-519-763-7282
Toll-free in Canada: 1-800-321-6021
Fax: 1-519-763-6964
Email: info@icascanada.ca