Admissions 101
Here is a pamphlet with information on the application process.
Please be aware that your GRADE 11 marks are important to post secondary admission. Often Post Secondary institutions will give you conditional admission based on your Grade 11 course marks.
Are you going to a school in British Columbia? Alberta students should provide information on courses taken in Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 when applying in BC.
Are you going to a school in the United States? You may need to write a SAT exam, a standardized test that many post-secondary schools in the United States require as part of the application process. Students applying to an American school should also be prepared to report Grade 9 marks.
General Admission Information
Steps 1, 2 and 3 are applicable to all post secondary institutions, and many institutions offer registration & financial aid workshops. Check the website of your institution for information. This information will help walk you through the process of applying for your program:
Step 1: Requirements
Students must meet minimum academic requirements for their program of choice. In addition, some programs may have competitive grade-average requirements. The competitive average varies each year, depending on the applicant pool. You should be able to view the final average range from the previous year on your institution's website. Report the subjects you are taking & your mark or anticipated mark for both Grade 11 & 12 courses in Apply Alberta. Once your application is submitted, updates must be made at your institution's site -- they will no longer look at Apply Alberta information. If applying to BC, report all courses taken in Grades 9 - 12.
Program and institution requirements vary widely, so you need to start your research early to know what will be required for your field of interest. For most universities, direct-entry programs require five core academic courses, varying by program.
Step 2: Admission
Apply early. Some institutions/programs are first applied, first qualified, first accepted. Students can apply in their Grade 12 year, using final Grade 11 marks as well as any completed Grade 12 marks. Updated marks can be submitted as they become available - directly to your university or college (if you enter your updates in Apply Alberta after submitting an application, your post secondary institution will NOT get the update). Often, students who do not yet meet eligibility requirements will be reassessed once they submit new final marks. Many applications for post secondary study open on October 1 each year.
Conditional Offers of Admission may be issued in anticipation of fulfillment of the admission requirements by the appropriate deadline. Once all conditions have been met, the registrar's office will issue confirmation that you now meet requirements.
Step 3: Accepting the Offer
Most students receive their admission offer, conditional or otherwise, in the spring. Students with highly competitive marks could receive an admission offer as early as October. You must be vigilant about checking your email and your post secondary account/portal. Students will need to accept their offer of admission and, in many cases, pay a tuition deposit by the given deadline.
Step 4: Attend a Workshop
Most universities & colleges will offer workshops to assist students with registration, and many have Financial Aid workshops as well. Once again, keep yourself informed and take advantage of these opportunities to ease your transition to post secondary.
Application Dates
Check the application opening dates for your post secondary school. Some applications open October 1 or earlier. Post secondary advisors tell us that students need to apply early to have the best chance of entry. While competitive programs admit students on the basis of the overall average of the courses required for admission, wait lists are organized by date of application.
Reporting Your Marks
When you are completing your ApplyAlberta form online, list all of the high school courses that are prerequisites for your program, whether they are courses that you have taken, are taking, or are planning to take. Your institution will not start processing your application unless they know that you are planning to meet prerequisites, so this step is critical. Please note that Grade 11 marks are also critical - some universities, such as the University of Calgary, will grant admission based on your Grade 11 marks, as reported on your Detailed Academic Report, which they can access once you apply to them.
When you go to update your marks, you must update the marks on the website of your institution. Post secondary schools upload your application from Apply Alberta only once, so if you update your marks only in ApplyAlberta, your college or university will not get that updated information.
- Check your institution's website & our calendar for application acceptance & deadline dates.
- Most university applications are now completed online. You will be applying for public Alberta Post Secondary Institutions through ApplyAlberta.
- Once you have applied, it is VERY important to stay on top of your application. Your institution will contact you periodically to request information. If you fail to send the information by the deadline given in the request, your application WILL be cancelled. Institutions may contact you by mail, email, or by posting requests on their student portal. Sign up for a student portal if requested to do so.
Alberta Post-Secondary Institution Links
|
Name |
Location |
Phone |
| Alberta University of the Arts | Calgary | 800-251-8290 |
| Red Deer | 403-347-6676 | |
| Ambrose University College | Calgary | 800-461-1222 |
| Athabasca | 800-788-9041 | |
| Banff | 403-762-6100 | |
| Calgary | 866-428-2669 | |
| Lacombe | 403-782-3381 | |
| Edmonton | 866-479-5200 | |
| Fort McMurray | 800-251-1408 | |
| Vermillion | 800-661-6490 | |
| Lethbridge | 800-572-0103 | |
| Edmonton | 780-497-5140 | |
| Medicine Hat | 866-282-8394 | |
| Calgary | 877-440-5001 | |
| Edmonton | 866-543-7218 | |
| Edmonton | 877-627-3377 | |
| Slave Lake | 866-652-3456 | |
| Northwestern Polytechnic | Grand Prairie | 888-539-4772 |
| Olds | 800-661-6537 | |
| Lac La Biche, Cold Lake & St. Paul | 866-623-5551 | |
| Prairie College | Three Hills | 800-661-2425 |
| Red Deer | 403-342-3400 | |
| Rocky Mountain College | Calgary | 877-968-6762 |
| Calgary | 877-284-7248 | |
| Calgary | 403-531-9130 | |
| Taylor University College and Seminary | Edmonton | 800-567-4988 |
| Edmonton | 800-661-8582 | |
| Edmonton/Camrose | 855-492-3113 | |
| Calgary | 403-210-7625 | |
|
Lethbridge |
403-329-2762 |
Other Canadian Post-Secondary Resources
Residence
Are you planning to live in residence? Do not wait for acceptance into a Post Secondary Institution. Apply for residence as soon as you have confirmation that your application for admission has been received. Check with your institution to find out if the residence application fee is refundable.
U.S. Post-Secondary Institutions
- Colleges and Universities in the U.S. - www.50states.com/colleges
- Common Application for over 300 colleges and universities in the U.S. - www.commonapp.org
- This site enables students to register and prepare for SATs - www.collegeboard.com
- USA School Search - https://www.internationalstudent.com/school-search/usa/
SAT Information
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