For many students, a college certificate, diploma, or advanced diploma is step one in their post-secondary career. Many students choose to complement their Durham College studies by leveraging their education with a university degree.

Providing students opportunities to earn additional credentials following graduation is one way Durham College’s dedication to the student experience extends beyond graduation. Durham College aims to help students reach all of their post-secondary education goals by establishing agreements with a number of universities. Students can continue their studies on campus or across the city with UOIT or Trent, across Ontario or Canada, abroad in Ireland or Australia, or online with Athabasca University or Thompson Rivers University.  

Agreements allow students to transfer their Durham College credits to receive advanced standing ranging from several courses to more than a year with the receiving institution. In a recent news release, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario said these college-to-university pathways can also result in cost-savings for students looking to earn additional credentials.

“Today’s college students are changing the education experience – they are moving among programs, institutions, and career choices in unprecedented numbers.  Twenty-five per cent of college registrants who responded to a survey by Academica Inc., 2011 said preparing for university was a major reason they were applying to college. In some colleges, the number of students who are planning to continue their education after graduation from their current program is as high as 50 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of university graduates applying to college has increased more than 40 per cent since 2007,” said Judy Robinson, vice president, academic.

“At Durham College the student experience comes first and we are committed to developing academic pathways that allow students to match their interests and to achieve their academic goals without losing time or credit for previous learning.   Our goal is to improve overall access to further post-secondary education through robust credit transfer pathways between college to university, university to college and college to college.”

The Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) is working toward an improved province-wide credit transfer, which would allow students easier transfer of credits from one institution to another. These result in multilateral agreements allowing students across the province to earn a degree related to their diploma at a specific institution. For instance, Lakehead University currently offers several degree-completion opportunities for students across Ontario within Business Administration, Engineering, and several other diploma or advanced diploma programs.

Students interested in learning more about the many pathway opportunities are encouraged to visit the new Durham College Transfer Guide or visit the ONCAT website to learn more about the pathway opportunities available in Ontario at www.ontransfer.ca.