Students who transfer from college to university save both themselves and the government money while achieving the same grades, according to a new study.
The study, published by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), analyzed data from 14 jurisdictions from outside Ontario to determine whether expanding the number of college-to-university programs in Ontario would be beneficial.
Currently, there are very few college-to-university transfer arrangements that have been made between the government and schools across Ontario.
One example of a college-to-transfer arrangement are the bridge programs offered by Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa (U of O) in areas like journalism and public relations.
Time requirements and credentials vary depending on the specific program. Students who take the public relations program spend two years at Algonquin College and two and a half years at the University of Ottawa and receive both a diploma and a baccalaureate, according to Ontario Universities’ Application Centre’s website.
HEQCO found that college-to-university was not a detriment to students’ education, and was also found to be 14 to 30 per cent less expensive than a four-year university undergraduate degree.
Pina Capuano, who is taking the program at U of O and Algonquin, said her tuition will be cheaper over four years overall. She also recommends a joint program to students coming out of high school.
“I loved college in comparison to university,” Capuano said. “It was a great stepping stone to get a sense of what school was like after high school, without the drastic change in learning styles that a lot of people experience going straight to university.”
Evan Ezesky started a program at Carleton University but switched after one semester in favour of an architecture program offered at George Brown College in Toronto. He plans to attend university again after finishing at George Brown.
He said that when it comes to applying to university after college, it will be up to their discretion to determine which of his courses transfer.
“Could be a semester’s worth, a year or maybe two. It could vary depending on how far in-depth the university feels your program went,” Ezesky said.
Ezesky said that regardless of financial and time benefits, he feels going to college before university has been advantageous to him as architecture is a competitive field.
“It saves money, as opposed to doing them separately,” Ezesky said. “But it’s also a leg up in that I’m getting as much experience and preparation as I can before entering the workforce.”
HEQCO is an agency of the Government of Ontario, mandated to provide policy recommendations to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to improve system quality, access and accountability.
In its report, the HEQCO recommended the Ontario government create two-year university transfer programs at colleges in arts and business, expand pathways from college career-oriented programs to university, and expand pathways from college career-oriented programs to college degrees.
HEQCO also suggest college and universities align their learning outcomes, as well as create a college-to-university transfer.
