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Your list of potential universities may include institutions in the United States

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and Canada. The admission criteria of colleges in the two countries have quite a
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Admission officials in both countries place a high value on applicants academic

performance, as indicated by their high school grade-point average. Minimum
standards are often in place, disqualifying students with bad grades.

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In the United States and Canada, a students application packet must contain a
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The Canadian System

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A major difference between the two countries is that, in Canada, admission

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criteria are set on the provincial level (rather than by individual institutions).

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A students grade-point average as a senior in high school is the most

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important factor in gaining admission to a university. In some provinces,

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11th-grade GPAs also count. Most universities accept students with GPAs of 70

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percent, though some provinces set the bar higher. The grade requirement is

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often less demanding for in-province students than for those who live in

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another province.

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Universities in Canada, as well as the United States, mandate that students

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pass exams to prove their literacy or language proficiency. This generally

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involves fluency in English, though exclusively French-speaking students are

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accepted by postsecondary institutions in Quebec and New Brunswick.

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Apr 20, 2014

Applicants need to understand that the term college does not have the same
definition in both countries. When Canadians speak of a college, they are
referring to an institution similar to the community colleges and technical
schools found in the United States. Students who attend such colleges often are
pursuing two-year associates degrees or certificates in specific careers. While
Canadian colleges also offer bachelors degrees, none of them have masters

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programs. The word university is used for the same type of school in each

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nation.

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In their applications to Canadian universities, students must declare a program.

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The usual choices are sciences, the arts, and business. Within each category are

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Apr 18, 2014

multiple majors, but students are not expected to immediately choose one.

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A high school diploma or general-equivalency degree is a standard requirement
of universities in both nations. In Canada, though, students older than 25 years
of age (who have been out of school for at least two years) are eligible to apply
for admission, even without having graduated from high school. Officials
consider their intellectual maturity, interests, employment history, and financial

/how-torecessionproofyour-career/)
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need.

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A student at a Canadian university must perform at least 40 hours of community

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service or volunteer work as a condition of earning a degree. U.S. schools

Apr 16, 2014

impose no such mandate.

Unlike in the United States, applying to a university in Canada does not entail a
lot of competition with other students. There are a limited number of

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placements in any program, and some types of degrees are more highly sought
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the school of their choice.

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The U.S. System

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In the United States, the common application makes it simple to send

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information to admission officials at multiple universities. Students may apply

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to as many institutions as they like. Most colleges and universities admit

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students to the school, rather than to a degree program.

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What to Expect When You

The fact that each university determines its own admission criteria makes the

Make a Transition from...

application process a bit more complicated than the Canadian system. For

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instance, some schools accept only students with high GPAs. Applicants to U.S.

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universities must submit their SAT or ACT scores, for which an institution

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alsomight impose minimum standards.

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The portion of applicants accepted by a university varies widely in the United

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States, from less than 10 percent to near 100 percent. Admission staff

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sometimes waive some of the academic criteria for students who demonstrate

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financial need, athletic prowess, or other characteristics. A person of color may

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be accepted in part because a university is striving to meet student-diversity

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Students and their parents are advised to begin their university searches as

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early as the junior year in high school. They need to set their priorities,

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Understanding universities admission criteria is essential, especially when

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schools in the United States as well as Canada are being considered.

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