CEGEP is the acronym for Quebec's Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, a type of post-secondary institution specific to the province. CEGEPs are meant to help students transition from high school to university or the workforce.

Read more at What is CEGEP.

A DES = Diplôme d'études secondaires. It's the French abbreviation for the Quebec high school diploma and is identical to the DSS.

A DES = Diploma of Secondary Studies. It's the English abbreviation for the Quebec high school diploma and is identical to the DES.

Read more about Quebec's high school diploma at What is CEGEP — Quebec's Education System.

A DEC = Diplôme d'études collégiales. It's the French acronym for a Quebec CEGEP/college diploma and is identical to the DCS.

A DCS = Diploma of Collegial Studies. It's the English abbreviation for a Quebec CEGEP/college diploma and is identical to the DEC.

Read more about Quebec CEGEP/college diploma at What is CEGEP — Diploma of Collegial Studies.

The R-Score is a score computed for each course taken by a student in CEGEP. R-Scores use correction factors to indicate a student's rank in their group: calculations take into account not only your academic performance in a college course, but also group strength (academic strength and performance of your classmates), allowing Quebec universities to better compare applicants for admissions purposes even if applicants attended different CEGEPs.

Read more about R-Scores at The R-Score.

Day Division refers to regular daytime students in the youth sector. Simply put, Day Division includes adolescent high school students, and generally all students who are not enrolled in continuing education (see the question directly below).

Continuing Education is meant for adults who've left the formal education system for several years at least, and consists of short or part-time programs and/or courses.

CEGEPs look at all of your secondary 4 and 5 grades. Core subjects, which are those with ministerial exams such as secondary 5 English and French, are usually given more importance. Multiple averages are also calculated—depending on the program, an overall average, math/science average, social science average, etc. will be taken into account.

Read more about CEGEP admissions at Applying to CEGEP — Admissions: Evaluating applicants.

Typically, no. CEGEPs only look at your high school grades, unless your program requires a letter of intent or you're applying for a scholarship/bursary (many require a letter of intent and/or your curriculum vitae), where you may mention extracurricular activities and other non scholastic experiences. Some colleges allow students to submit an explanatory letter if they feel that their academic record is not a true indication of their ability.

Read more about CEGEP admissions at Applying to CEGEP — Admissions: Evaluating applicants.

Prerequisites are the credits that must be obtained in order to be eligible for admission to a program. For example, students applying to a Science program must have acquired, or be in the course of completing secondary 5 math TS/SN (506), secondary V Physics (504) and secondary V Chemistry (504).

Cutoffs are the minimum grades required in order to be eligible for admission to a program. For example, students applying to John Abbott's Enriched Science program must minimally have an 85% overall average, as well as a grade of 80% in each science and math prerequisite course.

Read more about program prerequisites, cutoffs and additional requirements at Choosing a CEGEP and Program — Factors to consider: Program. You may also like our Program Comparison Tool.

When you submit your CEGEP applications, you evidently do not yet have your final secondary 5 grades. Conditional acceptance simply means that in order to keep your spot at a CEGEP, you must still meet program requirements at the end of the year (they will check your final results), including a secondary school diploma and all prerequisite courses with appropriate grades.

Read more about CEGEP Admissions at Applying to CEGEP.

As long as you are studying in a Quebec high school when you submit your applications, yes, you're considered a Quebec student. Note that qualifying as a Quebec student does not necessarily mean you qualify as a Quebec resident—see the following question in the Miscellaneous section for clarification: For immigrants/temporary residents: am I considered a Quebec resident by colleges?

Read more about the types of students and CEGEP applications at Application modules.

Depending on the CEGEP you're applying to, the application process will vary slightly. Start by accessing the corresponding official application module—each CEGEP uses their own, except SRAM-affiliated CEGEPs, which use the SRAM application module. Once you've logged in and begun an application, follow the instructions displayed to complete and submit it.

Learn more about application modules and how to apply at Application modules.

Keep in mind that CEGEP applications are NOT first-come first-serve! Most students, including high school students, should apply for the Fall semester. In this case, application modules/systems open in mid-January and the deadline is March 1.

The Winter semester is mostly for CEGEP transfer students and adults in Continuing Education; application modules typically open at the end of September and the deadline is November 1.

Learn more about CEGEP applications at Application modules, or see some dates to remember at Important Dates.

The documents you're required to submit or send vary with each CEGEP and your situation. Depending on your status in Canada and your school, you may need to submit your birth certificate, certain report cards, immigration documents and the like. Be sure to have a credit card on hand if you're paying application fees online.

Find out more about required documents for CEGEP applications at Application modules.

Apply to multiple CEGEPs! Admissions can be quite competitive depending on the program you apply to; nevertheless, CEGEP is a key stage of education for students, so it's best to play it safe.

Read more about making smart choices when applying to CEGEP at Making smart choices.

SRAM is the Service régional d'admission du Montréal métropolitain, an organization affiliated with many public French and English CEGEPs. SRAM was founded in an effort to better regulate CEGEP admissions and developed a unique round system for their applications to prevent applicants from hoarding spots.

Read more about how SRAM evaluates applicants at Applying to CEGEP — Admissions: Evaluating Applicants, or find out how to apply to certain CEGEPs through SRAM at Application modules.

As stated in the name, SRAM-affiliated CEGEPs are colleges that are part of SRAM and that use their application module. The following English CEGEPs are affiliated with SRAM: Vanier College, John Abbott College, Champlain College Lennoxville, Heritage College.

Read more about how SRAM evaluates applicants at Applying to CEGEP — Admissions: Evaluating Applicants, or find out more about SRAM's application module at Application modules.

Congrats on submitting your applications! The main thing to do now is to wait for your results—check your application status periodically once CEGEPs start sending out responses. Once you've been admitted to the CEGEP you want to attend, confirm your acceptance at that, and ONLY that particular CEGEP (don't hoard spots!).

Learn more at After Applying.

CEGEP offers a wide selection of programs, though the options available vary with every college. Programs are categorized into two types, pre-university and career/technical programs (see "What's the difference between a two-year and a three-year program?"), and cover numerous disciplines ranging from arts and humanities to the sciences.

Read more about CEGEP programs at Programs.

No, though it is the most common option in Quebec. Some students choose vocational training programs, or choose to transition to university after a special Grade 12 program or after one year of CEGEP.

Read more about post-secondary alternatives at Alternatives to CEGEP.

In general for Quebec students, yes.

Read more about CEGEP and Quebec's education system at What is CEGEP.

In general, two-year programs are more precisely called pre-university programs, while three-year programs refer to career/technical programs. Both types lead to a DCS (CEGEP diploma).

Pre-university programs focus on a discipline, offering a somewhat rigid set of courses with enough flexibility for students to probe into other subject areas. These are generally two years in duration. If you wish to attend university after CEGEP, it is recommended that you choose a pre-university program.

Technical programs (also called career programs) are three-year programs designed to integrate students into the workforce directly after graduation. They provide technical training, offering specialized courses that concentrate on the chosen field. Note that some special programs like Double DECs may also take three years to complete despite being a pre-university program.

Read more about program types and names at Programs.

No CEGEP or program is one-size-fits-all, and because of this, there really is no answer to this question. Everyone has different interests, skills, values, and learning preferences—knowing yourself well is key to finding the college and program that's the best fit for you.

See the two questions directly below, or read more at Choosing a CEGEP and Program.

Depending on your situation, there are several factors to consider when choosing a CEGEP—location, finances, program options and extracurriculars are among some of them.

It's a good idea to visit the CEGEPs during open houses, sit in on classes with Student-for-a-Day, meet with your guidance counsellor and to consult college websites and viewbooks. (Remember to apply to multiple CEGEPs!)

Read more at Choosing a CEGEP and Program.

Program requirements like prerequisites and cutoffs are perhaps the most important factors, as you'll want to make sure you're eligible for the programs you apply to for a good chance of getting accepted. Always check program requirements before applying!

Other things to factor into your decision include the program type (pre-university/technical) and your interests—the best fit for you is a program that aligns with your traits and likes.

Read more about choosing a program at Choosing a CEGEP and Program — Factors to consider: Program.

A profile is essentially a more specific path of a program, just like science branches out to different subjects (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are all part of the term "science"). Not all programs have profiles; profiles are often just referred to as programs for simplicity (most just say "Health science program" rather than "Health science profile").

For example, the Social Science program has numerous profiles like Psychology, General Social Science, Commerce, and Child Studies—and since they're all part of the Social Science program, students in any of these profiles will graduate with a DCS in Social Science.

Read more about CEGEP programs and profiles at Programs — Program Overview.

These two profiles of the Science program are nearly identical—the main difference is in the required courses. Pure & Applied Science requires 3 math, 3 physics, 1 biology and 2 chemistry courses, and students have 3 elective courses. Health Science requires 3 math, 3 physics, 2 biology and 3 chemistry courses, and students have 1 elective course.

Wondering how various pre-university programs are different from one another? Want more details on the differences between these two science profiles? Try our Program Comparison Tool!

Honours programs are great for avid learners! They offer more enriched course material, more learning opportunities outside the classroom including extra labs, activities and seminars. In general, Honours students write the same final exams as those in the regular program, so there's no need to worry about getting penalized as an Honours student. Honours programs are sometimes called Enriched programs.

Note that while your diploma will not state that you took an Honours program (same diploma as students in the regular program), many CEGEPs provide Honours students with an attestation that can be included in university applications.

Generally, looking up the CEGEP or organization name in a search engine and selecting one of the first results will do. QUÉtudes-info has also compiled a list of important CEGEP links and documents at CEGEP links that you may find helpful.

Find official college and organization sites and more at CEGEP links.

Not exactly. Out-of-province students who completed their high school studies outside of Quebec will need to check equivalency charts to determine whether they are admissible to a program, since provinces have different education systems. Moreover, certain CEGEP programs aren't available to international students, who must obtain an attestation of academic equivalency in order to be admissible to CEGEP.

For more information, consult official websites: CEGEP links.

As QUÉtudes-info does not have any information on CEGEP finances, you'll need to visit the official college sites. If you hold a temporary visa and are unsure whether you're required to pay a non-Quebec resident fee for CEGEP, see the question directly below and/or consult the Attestation of Québec Resident Status form.

Find important CEGEP links such as official sites and documents at CEGEP links.

Firstly, if you're not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Aboriginal person in Canada, you must pay the additional tuition fees prescribed for foreign students. (These criteria and tuition amounts are determined by the government.)

Secondly, there are 14 situations in which you may qualify as a Quebec resident. If you claim Quebec resident status and have it recognized by your CEGEP, you will be exempt from any non-Quebec resident fees. See Part B of the Attestation of Québec Resident Status form here to verify your status: https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/public/services/finance_department/quebecresidenceformenglish.pdf.

Also see official college websites for more information on student fees: CEGEP links.

The Program Comparison Tool isn't working? Your device and/or browser might not support something called the datalist element, which is used in the tool's code to allow users to select a program (you need to choose a CEGEP first to activate the program select menu!).

For the best user experience, we recommend using a modern electronic device to browse our site—a laptop or desktop is highly recommended, or at the very least, a mobile device with a wider screen (tablets).

Is there a mistake and/or bug? Please let me know here or create an issue on GitHub, and provide as many details as possible.

Hi there! You can send me a message through the contact form on this website.

You can also find me on GitHub as cw118, along with the QUÉtudes-info repository: https://github.com/cw118.