Confused about the education system in Canada

YoursTruly · 16-06-2012, 11:43 PM

Hey guys

I am from the states and will soon immigrate to Edmonton. I took two years off of school and is looking into schooling now, since I got my immigration in order. I will be a permanent resident and was wondering if anyone could explain to me how the education there works.

As a lot of people know the education system here is super expensive, so we have the option to go to city college to finish our general classes, and then transfer on to a University. I hear a lot of Canadians complain about how expensive the college up there is but OMG it is a lot cheaper than down here! I was wondering if I would be able to do the same thing as I would in the states. If that made sense. I really want to attend U of A, but want to start working on my general classes before attending, again is this possible? Thank you

))

YoursTruly

Paul Turnbull · 17-06-2012, 10:53 AM

I don't know about the college to university route however I'm pretty sure that as a permenant resident your tuition costs are the same as a citizen.

halocore · 17-06-2012, 12:42 PM

The U of A does allow transfer credits for some classes from other colleges and universities. A number of my friends did this route (most starting off first year at MacEwan and then transferring to the U of A after). Afraid I don't really know the process involved in doing that, but these two links might help you out.

http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/cal...ents/14.2.html
http://alis.alberta.ca/ps/ep/aas/ta/transfinfo.html

People complain about tuition here because Alberta's is about the highest in the country due to lower government subsidies (tuition in Quebec where all the students are protesting about minor increases is about 1/3 what it is here). But yes, compared to the US it is cheap.

FlyFlyAway · 18-06-2012, 05:47 PM

Welcome to Edmonton! There's no Canada-wide post-secondary system; each province has its own setup and it does vary significantly from East to West. You'll have no problem finding a 2-year school here in Alberta.

In Edmonton, I'd suggest we have four tiers. Not sure where you're moving from; hopefully the examples line up with your experience and what these schools offer.

Land Grant University: Edmonton has the University of Alberta - one of the best research universities in the world (along with about 50 U.S. schools).

Regional University: We're just getting into "second-tier" undergrad schools in Alberta. In Edmonton it's MacEwan University (formerly Grant MacEwan College). Not quite at the level of a Cal State (or even a Utah State), more at the level of a directional school (SE Podunk State), but their goal is to be a premier undergrad school and they're moving towards it quickly. Plenty of transfer options to the U of A along with many four-year programs. Based upon your post, you are probably starting your search here. Depends what "general courses" you're referring to: Psych 101, Macroeconomics 102, Math 103, Bio 104 can all be found here. MacEwan still offers a significant amount of evening/weekend courses, but their focus is more on full-time studies now, less on part-time.

Two-year Liberal Arts: Concordia University is a (very) small university with a limited set of course offerings. They do offer some 3- and 4-year degrees, but their strength IMO is their transfer program. It's a Christian university, but light on the religious focus and welcoming of all students. If you're looking for a small school for full-time studies, I would definitely look here. Careful on the transferability of courses, though - Concordia does not do transfer agreements AFAIK; instead it's on a course-by-course, university-by-university basis. If you're going from Concordia to the U of A, you'll do fine. If you end up moving elsewhere, or getting your degree 10 years from now, it could be more challenging. P.S. The tuition is cheap compared to a U.S. Liberal Arts campus. Another school in this vein is King's University - I would not suggest this is a high caliber university, but you should investigate as they have similar course offerings to Concordia.

City College: We have NorQuest, a rapidly improving school. Targets course upgrading, immigrant students looking for a first step into post-secondary education, and some career learning courses (secretarial, travel and tourism, etc.). Since Grant MacEwan College used to be the place to go for most/all university transfer programs, NorQuest never developed any. Maybe they have some now? Lakeland College is in the suburbs and does offer university transfer. Very City-College-like; we call them community colleges up here. Mostly part-time study at both institutions.

In addition we have a fantastic technical trades school (NAIT) with a few transfer options, and a pioneer online learning University that's been around before there was online learning (Athabasca University). Plus, many of those "general courses" are available online through any of the community colleges - it's called eCampus Alberta. If you're self-motivated and looking for part-time study, eCampus is worth looking into.

No major private universities here. Keep in mind that university tuition is just that - tuition. Books, lots of add-on fees, and residence are all separate. Our major universities don't have the emphasis on residence that U.S. colleges do, but it is available on a limited basis if you choose that direction. Many of your fellow students will be commuters, even at the U of A. In that sense, U of A is relatively cheap if you are looking to commute, although still about double that of MacEwan and about 50% higher than Concordia as a general rule. But at $15,000 for tuition, books, room and board at the U of A, I can find similar-priced U.S. undergrad schools. And make sure you have permanent resident status; otherwise you will pay international student fees and they are double or more what residents/citizens pay.

I don't think you'll have any problem getting credit for your U.S. High School courses. And if you made varsity at a typical large U.S. high school, you should definitely try out for varsity sports at any of the schools not named U of A. Commitment level is pretty light, good way to make some friends up here. U of A Athletics is a more traditional high-intensity, high-caliber program like a Division II school.

etownboarder · 22-06-2012, 11:04 PM

You'll want to check on what status the universities would give you in regards to your residency etc. international student? Or... Make sense?

Next you would apply and send in your transcripts from previous post secondary schools you've attended. You may have to submit course syllabi for these course you want to receive credit for. From there, it will take 2-6 weeks and they'll send you a report with the credit the institution is willing to grant you. You'll be allowed to transfer a maximum value of 60 credits (2yrs) of university level credits towards an undergraduate degree program.

Any other questions? Let me know. I do have a good understanding of a lot of the post secondary institutional bureaucracy you can expect at many Alberta universities.

16-06-2012, 11:43 PM	#1
YoursTruly First One is Always Free Join Date: Jun 2012	Confused about the education system in Canada Hey guys I am from the states and will soon immigrate to Edmonton. I took two years off of school and is looking into schooling now, since I got my immigration in order. I will be a permanent resident and was wondering if anyone could explain to me how the education there works. As a lot of people know the education system here is super expensive, so we have the option to go to city college to finish our general classes, and then transfer on to a University. I hear a lot of Canadians complain about how expensive the college up there is but OMG it is a lot cheaper than down here! I was wondering if I would be able to do the same thing as I would in the states. If that made sense. I really want to attend U of A, but want to start working on my general classes before attending, again is this possible? Thank you )) YoursTruly

17-06-2012, 10:53 AM	#2
Paul Turnbull Addicted to C2E Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Westmount, Edmonton	I don't know about the college to university route however I'm pretty sure that as a permenant resident your tuition costs are the same as a citizen. __________________ twitter.com/chigaze

17-06-2012, 12:42 PM	#3
halocore Partially Addicted to C2E Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Edmonton	The U of A does allow transfer credits for some classes from other colleges and universities. A number of my friends did this route (most starting off first year at MacEwan and then transferring to the U of A after). Afraid I don't really know the process involved in doing that, but these two links might help you out. http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/cal...ents/14.2.html http://alis.alberta.ca/ps/ep/aas/ta/transfinfo.html People complain about tuition here because Alberta's is about the highest in the country due to lower government subsidies (tuition in Quebec where all the students are protesting about minor increases is about 1/3 what it is here). But yes, compared to the US it is cheap. Last edited by halocore; 18-06-2012 at 08:48 AM..

18-06-2012, 05:47 PM	#4
FlyFlyAway Partially Addicted to C2E Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Edmonton	Welcome to Edmonton! There's no Canada-wide post-secondary system; each province has its own setup and it does vary significantly from East to West. You'll have no problem finding a 2-year school here in Alberta. In Edmonton, I'd suggest we have four tiers. Not sure where you're moving from; hopefully the examples line up with your experience and what these schools offer. Land Grant University: Edmonton has the University of Alberta - one of the best research universities in the world (along with about 50 U.S. schools). Regional University: We're just getting into "second-tier" undergrad schools in Alberta. In Edmonton it's MacEwan University (formerly Grant MacEwan College). Not quite at the level of a Cal State (or even a Utah State), more at the level of a directional school (SE Podunk State), but their goal is to be a premier undergrad school and they're moving towards it quickly. Plenty of transfer options to the U of A along with many four-year programs. Based upon your post, you are probably starting your search here. Depends what "general courses" you're referring to: Psych 101, Macroeconomics 102, Math 103, Bio 104 can all be found here. MacEwan still offers a significant amount of evening/weekend courses, but their focus is more on full-time studies now, less on part-time. Two-year Liberal Arts: Concordia University is a (very) small university with a limited set of course offerings. They do offer some 3- and 4-year degrees, but their strength IMO is their transfer program. It's a Christian university, but light on the religious focus and welcoming of all students. If you're looking for a small school for full-time studies, I would definitely look here. Careful on the transferability of courses, though - Concordia does not do transfer agreements AFAIK; instead it's on a course-by-course, university-by-university basis. If you're going from Concordia to the U of A, you'll do fine. If you end up moving elsewhere, or getting your degree 10 years from now, it could be more challenging. P.S. The tuition is cheap compared to a U.S. Liberal Arts campus. Another school in this vein is King's University - I would not suggest this is a high caliber university, but you should investigate as they have similar course offerings to Concordia. City College: We have NorQuest, a rapidly improving school. Targets course upgrading, immigrant students looking for a first step into post-secondary education, and some career learning courses (secretarial, travel and tourism, etc.). Since Grant MacEwan College used to be the place to go for most/all university transfer programs, NorQuest never developed any. Maybe they have some now? Lakeland College is in the suburbs and does offer university transfer. Very City-College-like; we call them community colleges up here. Mostly part-time study at both institutions. In addition we have a fantastic technical trades school (NAIT) with a few transfer options, and a pioneer online learning University that's been around before there was online learning (Athabasca University). Plus, many of those "general courses" are available online through any of the community colleges - it's called eCampus Alberta. If you're self-motivated and looking for part-time study, eCampus is worth looking into. No major private universities here. Keep in mind that university tuition is just that - tuition. Books, lots of add-on fees, and residence are all separate. Our major universities don't have the emphasis on residence that U.S. colleges do, but it is available on a limited basis if you choose that direction. Many of your fellow students will be commuters, even at the U of A. In that sense, U of A is relatively cheap if you are looking to commute, although still about double that of MacEwan and about 50% higher than Concordia as a general rule. But at $15,000 for tuition, books, room and board at the U of A, I can find similar-priced U.S. undergrad schools. And make sure you have permanent resident status; otherwise you will pay international student fees and they are double or more what residents/citizens pay. I don't think you'll have any problem getting credit for your U.S. High School courses. And if you made varsity at a typical large U.S. high school, you should definitely try out for varsity sports at any of the schools not named U of A. Commitment level is pretty light, good way to make some friends up here. U of A Athletics is a more traditional high-intensity, high-caliber program like a Division II school.

22-06-2012, 11:04 PM	#5
etownboarder Addicted to C2E Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Old Strathcona	You'll want to check on what status the universities would give you in regards to your residency etc. international student? Or... Make sense? Next you would apply and send in your transcripts from previous post secondary schools you've attended. You may have to submit course syllabi for these course you want to receive credit for. From there, it will take 2-6 weeks and they'll send you a report with the credit the institution is willing to grant you. You'll be allowed to transfer a maximum value of 60 credits (2yrs) of university level credits towards an undergraduate degree program. Any other questions? Let me know. I do have a good understanding of a lot of the post secondary institutional bureaucracy you can expect at many Alberta universities.