Making the Cut

It doesn't matter how old we are, or what we do in life, no one likes being cut from the team. Whether it's by an individual or an organisation, we don't want to be made to feel as though we just don't measure up.

It seems that the Ontario government has made it rather difficult for private colleges and universities to either confer a degree or, " provide a programme or part of a programme of post-secondary study leading to a degree to be conferred by a person inside or outside of Ontario" (PSECE Act, 2000). While I agree with its standards, the administration of those standards bothers me a fair bit. I mean, yes, if there are sketchy private schools out there (which there are) wanting to have the privilege of conferring degrees, we should make it more difficult for them, but don't lump the reputable private schools in with the rest of them!

When the Post-Secondary Education Choice Excellence Act first came into play in Ontario in 2000, Dianne Cunningham was the Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities, and she wrote a very promising non-descript letter to all educational institutions intending on applying for degree conferring status. She stated that the Act would provide the "foundation for a new, dynamic degree-granting environment in Ontario - consisting of our excellent public universities and other institutions, both established and new". Furthermore, she added, "I welcome your interest in providing new degree opportunities to Ontarians and hope you will follow through on your application".

Hmm...so why wouldn't a private school follow through on an application when such a letter from the Minister sounded so very promising?

Well, almost within the same breath, the very government that encouraged private institutions to apply for degree conferring status then stated that "private organisation applicants...are not entitled to treatment that is as favourable as the treatment that may be accorded, in like circumstances, to public organisation applicants".

That's why.

And not only that, but for every proposed programme, the application fee alone is $5000. I should point out here that this cost is not exclusive to private institutions, but pertains to any institution wishing to apply. The crux of the matter is that private schools will be held to a much higher standard in that the assessment of the campus will be more rigorous (and take much longer) than that of public institutions. The Act then states that the costs of these assessments will "likely range between $5000 and $15,000 per programme for uncomplicated proposals".


Since the legislation has been passed, there have been private universities within Ontario that have been given the green light to confer certain degrees, but each of these universities has some sort of religious affiliation. The government doesn't want to get involved in all of that; they want to maintain the separation of church and state, so it is much easier for them to grant them the status. There is only one private career college in Ontario that has been allowed to offer degree programmes in the past 10 years since the legislation has gone through. There are many others that would like to attempt  putting through an application, but there is a fear that the government will not allow it anyhow, so why put the money out to try?


It's like having the coach encourage you to try out for the team, watch you practice for months, and in front of everyone, announce that you're cut...and then take your lunch money.

So, to sum up: the Ontario government will permit any learning institution to apply for degree conferring status, whether they are publicly or privately funded. They will also be boldly and unabashedly biased against you if you are a private institution; they see you as the weakest link in the potential team. So, if that does not deter you from trying out for the team (all of you poor little private schools out there), they would also like you to know that they will charge you an arm and a leg just for the privilege of having them watch you try out, by scouring through every detail of your college/university, and then they will (most likely) tell you that you do not live up to whatever standards they deem necessary...just because you're not a publicly funded institution.

Basically, to all of you private institutions out there wishing to bring your college up to the next level, thanks for playing, but...no dice. What if the same attitude had been adopted south of the border? Just think of the schools that would have been left out: "Sorry Yale, NYU, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, and MIT...you're privately funded, so you're cut. *Shrugs shoulders* Maybe next year, kids."

So, I ask you, dear government, will you please give the smaller kids a fair chance to play the game? You may just be pleasantly surprised by how far the team may go...