Introduction
Columbia College has programs starting throughout the year, and admission to programs is determined on an ongoing basis. Applicants wishing to attend a program on a specific start date must submit their application forms and supporting documents as far in advance as possible. Program personnel normally begin reviewing applications for a specific start date as early as six months in advance of that start date. The start dates for each program are listed in its specific section of this calendar.
In order to begin taking courses in a program at Columbia an individual will first fill out an application. Once the application is received by the college the student will be taken through a series of steps referred to as the selection process. Those applicants who are considered most suitable candidates will be admitted. Once the successful applicant is admitted they will proceed through registration procedures. Each of these four areas are outlined in more detail below.
1. Application
A student’s application must be submitted on the proper application form available from the Administration Office, Student Admission Advisor, the last page of this college calendar, or our website (www.columbia.ab.ca). Every blank space in the application form must be completed in full or marked N.A. (not applicable) if no appropriate answer can be given. Applicants are currently not required to pay an application fee when applying to a program at Columbia College.
2. Selection Process
Columbia’s goal is to select the most suitable candidates for each program. Columbia’s Student Services Admission Advisors will begin the selection process once they receive a completed Admission Application.
The selection process normally includes the following steps:
- Establish a student file and thoroughly review all documents including the application form to ensure they are complete, accurate and meet the specific program requirements
- Advise the applicant of all documents required and steps involved in selection process and observe his/her efficiency and effectiveness in responding to requests/requirements;
- Assess the applicant’s suitability to the field of employment, attitude, motivation level, and work ethic;
- Assess the applicant’s academic knowledge, skills and abilities;
- Assess the applicant’s maturity, level of interest, energy level, commitment to his/her future occupation, willingness to work hard and learn, and become an effective team member;
3. Admission Status
The most suitable applicants will be notified of their admission status as soon as possible. The normal processing time for admission is one to three weeks after all required documents/information have been received by the College and all steps in the selection process have been completed.
Columbia College reserves the right to refuse admission to any individual.
Once a student has been admitted, if required, it may take an additional three to six weeks to secure funding from the government.
Applicants will be advised of their admission status as follows:
Provisional Acceptance
Applicants who are provisionally accepted are individuals who must still meet certain admission requirements. This status does not guarantee a seat in a program or course until all admission conditions are met, the Contract of Tuition is signed and required registration fees paid.
Accepted
The most suitable applicants who meet all academic and other program requirements may be deemed accepted. A seat will be reserved for these individuals once their contracts are signed and required fees paid.
Waiting List
When the number of accepted applicants has reached the maximum number that can be accommodated, the remaining most suitable applicants, who have met all acceptance requirements, will be placed on a waiting list. When space becomes available they will then be considered for acceptance status. Waiting list applicants who are not accepted for the current session are not required to re-submit new application forms to be considered for acceptance in the subsequent intake unless they ask to be withdrawn from future enrolment.
Declined Applicants
Applicants who are not admitted.
Cancelled Applicants
Applicants who advise that they do not wish to enroll in the selected program or course.
4. Registration Procedures
An applicant who has been admitted to a program/course will be considered a registered student once he/she has paid the applicable fees and has signed a Contract of Tuition form. This means that he/she will be expected to begin attending classes on the date stated on his/her program contract. Seats will be reserved for all students who have signed tuition contracts and paid applicable fees unless a student has been specifically advised that he/she is being placed on a waiting list. Some registered students may be advised, at the time they are arranging their finances and signing their tuition contracts, that they will be put on a waiting list.
Columbia follows a first accepted, first admitted registration process. This means that candidates who submit applications earlier and are formally admitted sooner will be able to move on to the registration process faster. In other words those who have completed the registration process earlier will have a greater chance of being assured a seat in a program.
When several students complete the registration process in the same period of time Columbia will move to prioritizing registration on the following basis:
- first priority – students active in the College at the end of the previous semester, pursuing a full program of study continuing from one semester or year of study to the next;
- second priority – students newly admitted or readmitted to the College on a full-time basis, and have paid the applicable registration fee;
- third priority – students active in the College at the end of the previous semester but who are not pursuing a full-time program of study;
- fourth priority – students newly admitted or readmitted to the College but who are not pursuing a full-time program of study;
- fifth priority – visiting students admitted to the College with a letter of authority from their home institutions;
- sixth priority – seniors, audit students, and other students not officially admitted to the College.