TORONTO – Alex Protomanni estimates he saved $15,000 when he earned two years’ worth of credits while transferring from college to university.
The Humber College business graduate had bad timing entering the workforce, and opted to return to school when he was unable to find work amid record-high unemployment rates.
"I was applying for the same jobs that people who were much more qualified than me were applying for, so no matter how many interviews I went to, I never got a call-back," recalls the third-year student at the University of Guelph-Humber.
Protomanni’s case is not an isolated one. It has become increasingly common for students to seek out both a college and a university education.
And with more than 500 separate credit transfer agreements between institutions, making the transition from one school to another can be a headache for some students.
The Ontario government hopes to remedy the problem with a $73.7-million investment over the next five years into creating a provincewide credit transfer system.
The investment will help colleges and universities work together to create credit transfer agreements, as well as provide on-campus support for students looking to switch schools, says John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Milloy says the government will be setting student mobility targets with each institution. If the school fails to meet its targets, it may not be eligible to receive government funding.
"I think it’s becoming very commonplace for someone to move from college to university or university to college," said Milloy, attributing the trend to the changing nature of the economy and the college system.
Students may seek out both the academic experience of a university as well as the applied, hands-on education provided by college, says Milloy.
Other students switch schools partway through their degree because they discover a new program they weren’t aware of earlier, want to work with a certain professor or need to relocate closer to family, says Sandy Hudson, the chairwoman of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario.
The average college student transferring to university could pocket more than $26,000 in savings if a co-ordinated credit system is implemented, according to research conducted by Colleges Ontario.
That figure includes tuition costs, living expenses and the cost of the student’s delay in entering the workforce.
Hudson points out that the move will also cut costs for the government, which pays institutions for every student. Students who transfer schools are often being funded twice, says Hudson.
Anne Sado, president of George Brown College and a spokeswoman for Colleges Ontario, says she is eager for the program’s implementation, but notes that willing partners will be needed to make it successful.
"It’ll take some rolling up of the sleeves, some willing partners and the financial support to make this happen," said Sado.
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