New agreement lets college business students transfer credits

Cornwall Ontario – Ontario’s 24 colleges have signed the colleges’ first-ever province wide agreement that grants recognition for entire previous years’ credits when a student in a business diploma program transfers to the same program at another college.

“Post-secondary students who transfer to another institution shouldn’t have to repeat courses they have already completed,” said Glenn Vollebregt, President and CEO of St. Lawrence College and co-chair of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT). “This new agreement will help eliminate duplication and cut costs for students.”

The agreement, announced by Colleges Ontario and ONCAT, applies to students in accounting, business administration, human resources and marketing programs.
This unique universal college agreement allows students to easily transfer among all college business programs across Ontario. The agreement means that business students who transfer at the end of their first or second year will receive full credit for their completed courses. Given the high enrolment of business programs, these pathways provide additional flexibility for a significant number of students.

“Ontario’s colleges and universities continue to strengthen their systems for transferring credits among post-secondary institutions,” said Glenn Craney, the executive director of ONCAT. “We are pleased that all of the province’s 24 colleges have signed this agreement which demonstrates their high level of commitment to institutional collaboration on student mobility.”

Expanding credit-transfer options and helping students make informed decisions about their post-secondary education is a priority for the Wynne government. Ontario is investing $73.7 million toward credit-transfer improvements between 2011 and 2016.

“Our government knows a strong credit transfer system will lead to a more effective and cost-effective post-secondary education for students across the province. That’s why we continue to work with our sector partners to make Ontario’s post-secondary education system more seamless, flexible and affordable,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Colleges Ontario is the advocacy organization for the province’s 24 public colleges. ONCAT was created to enhance academic pathways and reduce barriers for students looking to transfer among Ontario’s publicly funded institutions. More than 21,500 students transfer within Ontario each year. ONCAT’s support for those students includes producing the Course-to-Course Transfer Guide, which can be found at ONTransfer.ca. Ontario’s colleges are working to develop similar province wide agreements for other program areas.