General Admission Requirements and Procedures

1. General Admission Requirements

Persons wishing to follow programs of study leading to a degree or certificate must be formally admitted to the University.

Persons wishing to register in degree-credit courses without having been formally admitted to the University may do so as Special students. See Section 16, Special Studies (Non- Degree), for more information.

Minimum entrance requirements vary from program to program. Applicants should note that meeting the minimum requirements of a program does not guarantee them admission to the University. Applications from students whose grades do not meet the requirements in a given year or program will be considered individually. Students in this category may be asked to provide additional information to assist the University in determining where there are special circumstances that would permit their admission to Carleton.

This publication contains admission requirements for the 2003-2004 academic year only. Students wishing to apply for 2004-2005 should contact Admissions Services for information on requirements and procedures.

Individuals who are in any doubt about their eligibility for admission are encouraged to inquire at Admissions Services.

2. Accessibility for Students with Disabilities

Carleton University is committed to making reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities, and actively encourages application from students with disabilities. This commitment includes gaining an understanding of the circumstances of an individual's disabilities and adjusting services to all academically qualified individuals to compete on an equitable basis.

Students are encouraged to contact the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities for further information to enable them to assess the extent to which specialized services will be available.

Academic accessibility is intrinsically linked to physical accessibility. Carleton is committed to continually monitoring and upgrading physical accessibility to whatever extent is possible.

A Standing Committee of Senate monitors the needs and problems of students with disabilities in conjunction with their academic problems and makes recommendation for improvements.

3. Multiple Undergraduate Programs

Students who already possess an undergraduate degree, certificate, or diploma from another university or from Carleton University, may apply for admission to a second undergraduate program. In such circumstances, to be eligible for graduation with an Honours degree students must present a minimum of 5.0 credits earned at Carleton University including at least 3.0 credits that are both in the Major and at the 3000-level or above. To be eligible for graduation with a General degree students must present a minimum of 5.0 credits earned at Carleton University including at least 3.0 credits that are both in the Major and at the 2000-level or above.

To be eligible for graduation with any degree with a Concentration, Specialization or Minor, students must satisfy the additional requirement that they present a minimum of 2.0 credits earned at Carleton University in each Concentration, Specialization or Minor.

Due to accreditation requirements, the minimum number of Carleton credits for students in the Faculty of Engineering and Design is half of the number of credits required in the program.

To obtain an undergraduate certificate from Carleton University, students must present a minimum of 4.0 credits taken at Carleton including all required courses. For a second or subsequent undergraduate program, the appropriate minimum number of Carleton credits must be met.

4. English Language Requirements

The language of instruction at Carleton University is English. In their own interest, students whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they can cope with the language demands of an English language university, and they can do so by following one of two options:

Option 1
In order to be eligible for admission to an undergraduate degree program at Carleton University without any English as a Second Language Requirement, all international applicants and Canadian citizens and residents whose first language is not English or French are required:

1. to present transcripts to indicate that they have studied for the last three years (full-time) in a high-school, college or university in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom or any other country in which the primary language is English and where the language of instruction in the relevant educational institution was exclusively English; or
2. to present a Regular (R) placement category on the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment; or
3. to present a minimum score of 237 on the computer based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or 580 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Applicants whose first language is French must present transcripts to indicate that they have taken four years of anglais (English) in a Canadian secondary school in order to be admitted without an English as a Second Language Requirement.

Option 2
International applicants, and Canadian citizens and residents who do not meet the requirements stated in Option 1, are required to complete an approved assessment of English as a Second Language administered by the University’s School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. Depending on the results of this assessment, and based on the recommendations of the School, these applicants may be:

1. admitted to a degree program without further English as a Second Language Requirements; or
2. admitted to a degree program in which they will be required to complete the English as a Second Language Requirement. Such students will be permitted to register for a program of either full-or part-time studies, which will include one or more credit courses in English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes beginning in the first term of study; or
3. permitted to register as Special (non-degree) students on the condition that they enrol in appropriate credit courses in English as a Second Language for Academic purposes; or
4. permitted to register in non-credit intensive courses in English as a Second Language offered by the School.

To satisfy the English as a Second Language Requirement, students must earn a grade of B-or better in either Advanced English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes ESLA 1900 (21.190) or in Advanced English as a Second Language for Engineering Purposes ESLA 1905 (21.195).

Students are expected to complete the English as a Second Language Requirement within one calendar year of their initial enrolment in credit courses.Students are able to satisfy this requirement at anytime during the year by achieving a Regular (R) placement category on the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment or by achieving a minimum score of 237 on the computer based Test of English as a Foreign Language or 580 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language. In exceptional circumstances,permission to continue in a second fall/winter term registration in ESL courses may be granted by the appropriate Registrar (in consultation with the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.) Subsequent registration will be denied to students with the English as a Second Language Requirement if the requirement has not yet been met and if they do not show both continuous enrolment and continuous progress in ESL courses (as determined by the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies).

For further information regarding the English as a Second Language Requirement and admission, contact Admissions Services.

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