Homelearners who wish to attend a university or college in Ontario will find information on this page that relates specifically to this province:
- eligibility of home-educated students in determining funding of universities and colleges by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU)
- criteria for attending college and university as a mature student in Ontario.
Many universities and colleges in Ontario now have admissions policies for homelearners. You can find them listed on our page of Canadian universities and colleges that admit homeschoolers.
The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents has been instrumental in bringing the need for such policies to the attention of Ontario’s admissions officers, and helping them formulate what those policies might be through a 49-page report on Developing Homeschool Admission Policies. For more information on higher education for homeschoolers, follow the links in our University/College Info menu.
Funding of universities and colleges
OFTP’s efforts with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) have resulted in changes to funding policies for Ontario colleges and universities, as of May 2001. Previously, home-educated students were not eligible to be counted for funding purposes. (Note: this refers to funding given to the institutions, not to any funding for students themselves.)
In the Archives: letter from MTCU to OFTP President, Albert Lubberts, regarding the funding changes.
MTCU Wording Changes
Excerpt from the August 2001 issue of Home Rules
(From an email exchange on the higheredforhomelearners email list and reported by Shelley Welchner)
Last week [in 2001] OFTP received a letter from the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) [update: now the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development] informing us of a change in the Document that governs educational transfer payments to universities. Ineligible students are now described as:
“an undergraduate level student who is registered in the first year of an undergraduate degree program and, on the applicable count date, has not successfully completed the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Honour Graduation Diploma (SSHGD) or the Ontario Secondary School Diploma with six Ontario Academic Credits (OSSD with 6 OACs) or the equivalent…..”
The change is in the addition of the phrase “or the equivalent”. So, the criteria which would have made home educated students ineligible is no longer there.
Nobody spoke to the Ministry. This was in response to a letter that the project wrote to the Minister. In our upcoming meeting with the Ontario Council of University Admissions (OCUA), one of the issues we will discuss is the question of defining “equivalent”.
Note: University funding is tied to the guidelines set out by the MTCU. All of the universities and colleges are audited annually to determine their level of funding, based in part on the number of students admitted who meet MCTU rules. If a student does not meet those criteria, the university does not receive funding for that student. Tuition fees only cover a portion of the actual cost of educating any individual student, and the shortfall is made up by the government, but only for those students who have the credentials which the Ministry deems appropriate.
Attending College or University as a Mature Student
Excerpt from the December 2000 issue of Home Rules
University Admissions
(note: Mr. Arai is a professor at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo; he is also a homeschooling parent and a member of OFTP)
The requirements for university entrance change once a person reaches the age of 21 (19 and in some cases 18 for college) in Ontario. If a person will be 21 on or before the day classes start, has been out of school and working full-time for two full years, they can apply for part-time entrance to university without any other requirement. If they complete two full credits (two eight-month courses) with a 70% average or better, they can transfer to full-time status. In other words, people who meet these requirements are admitted as mature students and they are not subject to the usual requirements of those under 21 (i.e., they can get in without an OSSD). I believe these are Ministry of Colleges, Training and Universities (MCTU) rules which are standard across the province. These are the criteria for mature entrance to a general Arts program. Business and Science programs usually have additional requirements like grade 12 calculus, and in some cases specific science requirements as well.
Note: it is recommended that you determine what the admissions policies are for Mature Students for the particular college or university that you are interested in attending. The specific admissions policy for mature students may vary for each college and university from what is indicated above.
External links
Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (previously, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities)