Learn About Pathways & Transfer
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Learn About
Pathways & Transfer
What is transfer?
Transfer is an umbrella term that refers to the movement of a student from one postsecondary institution to another. It may be a program pathway or a course transfer.
What is a Program Pathway?
A Program Pathway is a defined transfer route from one postsecondary program to another program. Pathways are created by postsecondary institutions and are typically connected through related programs or fields of study (e.g. Accounting → Business Administration). Pathways may include multiple institutions (colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes), have specific admission and/or program requirements, and usually provide a student with a transfer of courses/credit between institutions.
Examples of program pathways: Articulation Agreements, Institution Policy Agreements, Admission Pathways
Read more in our Glossary of Terms.
What is Course Transfer?
Course Transfer is when a student is granted credit by one program or institution for courses taken at another program or institution. Courses that are evaluated as sufficiently similar are deemed course equivalent.
Search for Course Transfers in two ways:
- Courses that you have completed or are on track to complete, and
- Courses that you may be interested in taking elsewhere with a Letter of Permission.
What are the reasons you might consider transferring?
Students transfer for a variety of reasons, which could include:
- Personal circumstances
- Change of interest or professional goals
- Combining or upgrading credentials
Transferring may result in a student being awarded courses or credits from previously completed studies/program.
What are the benefits of transferring?
DID YOU KNOW… that thousands of students transfer every year? Students that know about transfer can:
Save Time
Students don’t have to start their program all over again.
Save Money
Students may not have to pay for related courses already completed.
Have Choices
Students can stay in a similar program or switch to a new area of study.
Where can you transfer?
A student’s transfer options are UNLIMITED! The Ontario Pathway & Transfer Guide has thousands of searchable program pathways and course transfer opportunities between publicly funded colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes in Ontario.
Things a student should consider when thinking about transfer:
- Costs (application fees, transfer fees, relocation fees, etc.)
- Right fit (institution, program, student services, student engagement)
Interested in transferring to Ontario from another province or territory, or transferring out of Ontario? Learn more about transferring to and from Ontario.
What are the steps involved in the transfer process?
Step 1: Search through the Ontario Transfer & Pathway Guide
REMEMBER: Program Pathways & Course Transfers
Step 2: Review transfer requirements
Search for your transfer institution of choice, review admission and transfer requirements, policies, costs, etc., on the Institution Profiles.
Step 3: Apply
Apply through the postsecondary institution application portal for the transfer.
| Ontario Postsecondary Institutions | Application Portal |
|---|---|
| Colleges | https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/en |
| Universities | https://www.ouac.on.ca |
| Indigenous Institutes | https://iicontario.ca |
Prepare/gather required documents that may be needed for the application:
- An official transcript from your current school/previous school.
- Some programs may require additional documents, forms, portfolios, or performance assessment.
- A course syllabus may be required for credit to be considered at an institution.
CHECK OUT the Course Syllabi Index to search for how to request/retrieve this document from your previous institution to use in your application.
How are Course Transfers and Program Pathways determined?
They may be dependent on:
Similarity
Do the different programs/courses cover the same material (or the same subject matter)? Do the programs/courses give you similar skills and knowledge?
Relevance
How relevant (or related) was your previous learning to your new program? For example, an art course might not seem relevant to your social work degree, but you might be able to apply it as an elective or non-major credit.
Grades
What grades did you receive for your program/courses? Some institutions have a minimum grade point average (GPA) for granting transfer credits.
Time
When did you take the program/courses? Some institutions make sure that what you learned is recent and consistent with their curriculum.
Hours
How many hours were required in your previous program/course? Some institutions grant transfer credit for programs/course(s) of the same length in hours.
Have any questions? – CONTACT US