The College Application Process for Admissions

Transcription

1 The College Application Process for Admissions NHS College Applicant Meeting November 24, 2014

2 Thinking About Applying to College in Ontario? X8

3 The Application Process An Overview Applicants RESEARCH & APPLY Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) processes the application Colleges begin to evaluate applications November 24, 2014 Colleges make offers of admission (earliest admission offer date is February 1, 2015) Applicants accept an offer of admission (must confirm acceptance by May 1, 2015) College sends registration instructions

4 How to Apply: ontariocolleges.ca

5 Still Researching? Find a campus near you using the College Map feature Filter for programs of interest using the Find Program feature Go directly to college websites for more details about their programs Attend college OPEN HOUSE events

6 How to Apply An Overview Create and log in to your ontariocolleges.ca account. Fill in your personal information. Add your program choices in order of preference! Pay the 95$ application processing fee. Log back in to verify your transcript information, or to make changes or updates to your application. Log back in after February 1 to view and confirm offers of admission.

7 Before You Apply What You Need to Know You begin by creating an OCAS Account through APPLY NOW on the ontariocolleges.ca website The 95$ application fee is non-refundable. An application allows you up to 5 Ontario College program choices (no more than 3 at any one college).

8 Before You Apply What You Need to Know DO NOT create more than one account. Your username is permanent. Use a valid address that you plan to check regularly. You will need your Ontario Education Number (OEN) and Student Number (used to match your application with your academic data from NHS) You can find these two numbers on your NHS Timetable or Report Card!

9 Apply Early! Apply Now! Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible, especially when applying to highly competitive programs where there are often enough qualified applications received by the equal consideration date (February 1, 2015) to fill the program Applicants who apply by January 15, 2015 are eligible to win one of three prizes of up to $2000 toward their education expenses NOTE: the date payment is received at OCAS is considered the date your application is received!

10 Equal Consideration Deadline for Fall 2015 Programs February 1, 2015 Applications received at OCAS on or before this date will be given equal consideration in the application process. Applications (or changes to program choices) received at OCAS after this date will continue to be processed and are considered on a first-come, firstserved basis until the program is full. Note that applications to Highly Competitive Programs must be received by this date in order to be considered. As these programs receive a high volume of applicants, all seats may be filled by February 1 st.

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12 Step 1: Create an Account Need Help? Watch the Tutorial

13 After You Apply applicants check their online application to verify that academic data is correct (available to check hours following receipt of application payment) NOTE: applicants must inform their Guidance Counsellor of any concerns or changes required to academic data Students submit any supporting academic documents to OCAS (e.g. English Language Assessment Scores for ESL learners, out-of-province high school transcripts)

14 After You Apply...cont d Applicants may make additional changes OCAS will transmit application data (as it is received) to the college/program selections indicated Applicants should receive communications from the colleges to which they applied (if you don t and are concerned, check spam/junk mail folder and/or contact the college directly!) Applicants complete any additional program eligibility requirements as necessary (e.g. portfolio submission, interview, essay, attendance at an information session, test, medical certification, sign up on applicant portal, etc.)

15 Strategies for College Applicant Success Research your program choices carefully before applying to be sure you are eligible. Making frequent changes to your program choices can affect the smooth processing of your application Apply as early as possible for highly competitive programs! Deadlines are important! Don t miss them. Consider applying to colleges outside the GTA Consider applying to programs for winter or spring start dates, rather than the traditional fall start date

16 If you receive Special Education Support Ontario s Colleges offer a wide range of supports for students with disabilities and special learning needs take the time to research this: Contact the Disability Services departments at the colleges to which you have applied as early as possible to inform them of your needs! This is especially important if there are performance steps in the selection process for program admission e.g. interviews, tests, auditions, etc. You will need to provide verification of your disability information for them be sure to clarify what information is required to qualify for support

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18 Accepting an Offer of Admission You view your offers online and confirm your acceptance of an offer using your online account. You could receive more than one offer of admission. You must confirm acceptance of an offer on or before the expiry date indicated by the college May 1st, 2015 is the deadline to confirm acceptance unless an earlier date has been specified by the college! You may change your confirmation of acceptance, but can accept only one offer at a time (your current acceptance will automatically cancel your previous acceptance)

19 Following Acceptance Following confirmation of acceptance, the college will contact you with registration information Contact the Financial Aid Office of your college to initiate application for: OSAP College Bursaries College Awards June 15 th, 2015 is the earliest date the colleges can require payment of tuition fees

20 Contact Guidance if you require assistance with the process! Want support to get your application started??? Guidance will be available next week in ROOM 231 Periods 2 & 4 December 1 st 5 th Best of Luck to all Applicants!