Terms and definitions

Applicants must meet admission requirements in order to be considered eligible for admission to a program. Meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission into a program.

The subject requirement(s) and supplemental requirements as identified by each program.

The specific subjects required for admission. Note: Co-op courses do not meet admission requirements and are not used in the calculation of academic strength.

Include, but are not limited to, mandatory information meetings, portfolios, interviews, resumes and questionnaires.

Academic strength is calculated by averaging the submitted marks of required subjects. If more than one mark is received for a required subject, the highest mark will be used in the calculation.

Applicants with the highest academic strength are considered for admission or further applicant assessment. The minimum academic strength varies from year to year and acceptance to a program is dependent on the number of applications received, the academic strength of the applicants and the program capacity. During the selection process, marks may be reviewed on an individual basis. As a result, applicants with low grades in the required subjects may not be considered.                  

Note: For all certificate, diploma and advanced diploma programs, marks for required courses will be awarded a 10-mark bonus as follows:

• Any U Level high school course
• Any U/C or M level high school course
• Any high school courses at the advanced level from the old Ontario curriculum - Advanced Level, OAC
• Any post-secondary course delivered through recognized institutions

Courses delivered through Conestoga College Preparatory Studies which have been deemed to be taught at the U, U/C or Advanced level will be awarded the 10-mark bonus as follows:

• Preparatory Chemistry
• Preparatory Physics
• Preparatory Biology

Bonus marks will NOT be applied to academic strength calculations for any degree or post-graduate programs.

If a subject has been repeated, only the highest grade will be used in the calculation of academic strength.

If mid-term marks from relevant subjects are available at the time admission decisions are made, they will be used in the calculation of the academic strength. In some cases, decisions will be delayed until a mid-term grade is received. Grade 11 marks from the relevant subjects may be used temporarily in the academic strength calculation until mid-term marks of the required level are available. Please see important information in "Oversubscribed Programs" below regarding the use of mid-term grades and Grade 11 marks when calculating academic strength in oversubscribed programs.

Some programs require that applicants are assessed using other selection criteria. These may include such things as questionnaires, information meeting attendance, portfolios, specific skills demonstration and/or additional assessment of required subjects.

If you do not meet the English, Mathematics, Chemistry and/or Biology requirements for the certificate or diploma program of your choice, you can write pre-admission assessments to determine your academic readiness for a program. Note: Pre-admission testing is not available for degree programs.                

Testing is available in Mathematics, English, Chemistry and Biology only.                

This letter is mailed when an applicant is accepted for admission to a program. An offer of acceptance will appear on the applicant’s ontariocolleges.ca application. Most offers of acceptance for fall semester programs are not mailed prior to the end of March.

An offer of acceptance must be confirmed before the deadline indicated on the offer of acceptance letter or the applicant may lose the space in the program. Offers of acceptance should be confirmed online at ontariocolleges.ca or by contacting the ontariocolleges.ca Customer Contact Centre at 1-888-892-2228.

Conditional offers of acceptance may be made to applicants who are in the process of completing program-required courses. A conditional offer means a place in the program is being held, however, the offer must be confirmed before the deadline indicated on the letter. Selection benchmarks and all other conditions must be satisfied before the offer is finalized. Offers of acceptance will be rescinded if the Registrar does not receive final transcripts showing successful completion of the requirements before registration.

A wait list is established when the number of acceptable applicants exceeds the number of spaces available in the program. As space becomes available in the program, confirmed wait list applicants are moved into the program based on academic strength and the date on which ontariocolleges.ca received the application. Wait list offers must be confirmed on the Student Portal under "Wait list Confirmation". After you have submitted your wait list confirmation, your wait list offer will no longer show on the portal and you will receive an email confirming your acceptance of a position on the wait list.                            

If the wait list offer is conditional, the applicant should continue his or her studies in order to meet the program benchmarks and subsequently be qualified for admission into the program should an offer of admission be granted.

Some programs require students to have certain medical and health criteria. Confirmed applicants receive a package of information by mail or email. Students must submit completed forms by the deadline indicated and meet all medical criteria. These are necessary for clinical/field placement. Failure to meet criteria could result in cancellation of the admission offer.

Standard program English language requirements

For all diploma and certificate programs, except those listed below in program exceptions, applicants with transcripts from institutions where the language of instruction is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency with a minimum test score on one of the following language proficiency tests or equivalent scores from another internationally recognized English language test:          

• IELTS overall band of 6 with no band less than 5.5
• TOEFL iBT 80 (Effective January 2024 - no individual skill less than 20)
• CAEL 70 with minimum 60 writing, no sub-test band score less than 30
• PTE Academic 53
  
• CELAP (Conestoga English Language Assessment and Placement) - 75 or higher
  
• only for program 7389 (0389)
• Duolingo English Test* minimum score of 105
  
• Cambridge Exams minimum score of 170, with no individual skill less than 165
  

Program exceptions for English language requirements

Applicants must be able to receive instruction and respond in English (except for English Language Studies applicants).

Applicants with transcripts from institutions where the language of instruction is not English who are applying to:

• all graduate certificate programs
  
• Except Teaching English as a Second Language. See the TESL admission requirements for language proficiency scores.
• applied degree programs
  
• Advertising and Marketing Communications
• Bachelor of Science - Nursing (Honours)
• Fitness and Health Promotion
  
• Food Processing Technician (Optional Co-op)
  
• Hearing Instrument Specialist diploma program
• Journalism
  
• Massage Therapy diploma program
  
• Nutrition and Food Service Management
  
• Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant
  
• Practical Nursing diploma program
• Public Relations diploma program
  
• Respiratory Therapy advanced diploma program
  

must demonstrate English language proficiency with a minimum test score on one of the following language proficiency tests or equivalent scores from another internationally recognized English language test:    

• IELTS overall band of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0
  • For the Hearing Instrument Specialist and Massage Therapy programs, applicants must have an overall band of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 except the speaking band which must be 8.0
    
  • For the Medical Laboratory Science and Technical Communications programs, applicants must have an overall band of 7.0, a writing band no less than 6.5, and no band less than 6.0.
    
  • For the Applied Research program, applicants must have an IELTS (Academic) with an overall band of 7.0, a writing band no less than 7.0, and no band less than 6.0.
    
• TOEFL iBT 88 (Effective January 2024 - no individual skill less than 22)
  
• For the Hearing Instrument Specialist program, the minimum score is 93, with Speaking 27
  
• CAEL 70, no sub-test band score less than 60
  
• For the Hearing Instrument Specialist program, a minimum of 80 is required for Speaking
  
• PTE Academic 58
  
• For the Hearing Instrument Specialist program, a minimum of 84 is required for Speaking
  
• CELAP (Conestoga English Language Assessment and Placement) - 82 or higher
• only for program 7389 (0389)
• Duolingo English Test* minimum score of 115
  
• Cambridge Exams minimum score of 180, with no individual skill less than 170
  

Pharmacy Technician applicants must meet the NAPRA language proficiency requirements for licensure as a pharmacy technician in Canada. See the NAPRA Language Proficiency Requirement Policy (pdf) for details.

*Note: The Duolingo English Test will continue to be accepted as proof of English proficiency for the Winter, Spring, and Fall 2025 intakes.

Where eligible applicants exceed the number of program spaces, priority order for consideration is: (a) Ontario permanent residents, (b) permanent residents of other Canadian provinces/territories, and (c) applicants from other countries. 

A program is considered oversubscribed when the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of offers being sent. Most oversubscribed programs do not accept applications later than February 1 (for fall programs), July 15 (for winter programs), and November 1 (for spring programs). Many oversubscribed programs are full after the first round of admission decisions is made. This means that admission decisions are based on the marks available in early February. This may be a combination of final grades in required courses, mid-term grades in required courses, or marks from relevant grade 11 courses. If the program is full prior to the college receiving second semester mid-term grades, we will NOT re-calculate the academic strength based on the second semester grades. However, we will use available second semester grades to determine the position on the wait list of applicants who have received a wait list offer. 

• Bachelor of Science - Nursing (Honours)
  
• Carpentry and Renovation Technician (Optional Co-op)
• Commercial Flight Operations
• Construction Techniques
  
• Electrical Technician - Industrial (Co-op)
  
• Electrical Techniques
• Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician
  
• Medical Laboratory Assistant/Technician
  
• Medical Laboratory Science
• Paramedic
  
• Pharmacy Technician
  
• Powerline Technician (Co-op)
  
• Practical Nursing
  
• Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training
  
• Respiratory Therapy
  
• Veterinary Assistant
  
• Veterinary Technician

Students living outside of Ontario are not eligible for oversubscribed programs.

A mature student is one who is 19 years of age or older as of the first day of classes without an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), or equivalent. If you possess an OSSD, regardless of your age or number of years out of high school, you will be considered on the basis of your OSSD and mature student status does not apply. If specific subject requirements are indicated, all applicants must possess those subject requirements regardless of whether they are applying as mature students; however, college, university and upgrading equivalencies may be used if applicants do not possess the appropriate subject requirements or wish to improve their grades.

Mature students must demonstrate their potential to work at the post-secondary level in one of two ways:

• by successfully completing equivalency testing in English and/or mathematics; or
• by completing a program of academic upgrading at a level appropriate to the program of choice.

Applicants who have been out of high school for several years should contact our academic upgrading office to assess, review and refresh academic skills to be well-prepared for success at the post-secondary level. Participating in academic upgrading also provides applicants with the opportunity to increase their marks for competitive college programs. The college offers several ways for applicants to enhance their basic skills and improve their chances for admission on either a full-time or part-time basis. The Academic and Career Entrance certificate (ACE) is recognized as a Grade 12 equivalent for the purpose of admission at all Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology for apprenticeship training and by many major employers. For program and course information, contact the College Information Centre at 519-748-5220, ext. 3656.

Conestoga welcomes applications from home-schooled applicants. Home-schooled applicants must meet the appropriate admission requirements, including subject requirements and any other college or program-specific criteria. Home-schooled applicants must provide the appropriate pre-requisite courses on official transcripts from an accredited Ontario school and meet the required admission average(s). Where appropriate, the home-schooled applicant may present test results to meet specific subject requirements. Home-schooled applicants may obtain an Academic and Career Entrance certificate (ACE) by successfully completing the required courses.

Students are required to apply for readmission when they have been absent from their program for one term or longer, or when the student has withdrawn or been discontinued. Upon readmission, students are placed into the current program of study which determines graduation requirements. Students are subject to the college and program policies and procedures in place at the time of readmission.

The application for readmission will be reviewed by the Academic team based on space eligibility, academic eligibility, and the student’s progress related to readmission requirements. Depending on the reason for interruption of studies, this review may include, but is not limited to, an interview and examination of any of the following:

• Health records and current health assessment
• Transcripts – All post-secondary transcripts must be submitted
  
• Diagnostic and/or academic testing
• Documents related to any self-directed learning activity that has occurred since interruption of studies

Students applying for readmission to Level/Term 1 must do so through ontariocolleges.ca. Students applying for readmission to a level beyond Level/Term 1 must do so using the Advanced Standing Application Form. Applicable fees will be charged. 

For more information, refer to the Readmission Procedure (pdf).