eINFO Glossary of Terms

Important Information

Some words on this site may be unfamiliar to you. Check out this glossary to find definitions for the most commonly used terms.

Addenda: After eINFO "goes live" in late August, universities may continue to make changes to their information. These updates to the original information are known as "addenda". eINFO records all addenda items in a list, so that you can refer to it and know exactly what has changed since you last visited the site. Go to the "Important Information" section of eINFO to view a list of all addenda.
Additional Admission Criteria: Certain programs require you to provide additional information in order to be considered for admission. These additional admission criteria can include such things as evaluation forms, reference forms or autobiographical letters. In some instances, students must attend an interview or audition, or submit a portfolio. On eINFO, you will find this information in each program's "Details" section, under the "Quick Facts" section. Make note of any additional admission criteria that may be pertinent to your situation and follow up with your guidance counsellor if you require assistance.
Alternate Offers: If you are not admitted to the specific program to which you applied, the university may provide an offer of admission to an alternate program. On eINFO, you will find information about "Alternate Offers" in each program's "Details" section.
Award: An award is something given to recognize a person's merit and accomplishments, according to criteria outlined by the person or institution granting the award. An award may be monetary or it may be signified by certificates, trophies or other public acknowledgements. It does not require repayment.

Bursary: A monetary award that is granted to a student based on financial need. A bursary does not require repayment.

CAEL

Canadian Academic English Language assessment. See www.cael.ca for more information.

CanTEST

CanTEST is administered through the University of Ottawa to test English language proficiency. See http://www.olbi.uottawa.ca/en/cantest.php for more information.

Co-operative Education (Co-op)

An educational system in which students combine academic work and practical work experience in their field of study to earn credit toward a degree. Co-op education programs vary widely in how and when you apply to them, how the university implements them, and how you obtain a practical work placement once enrolled. Ensure that you research all aspects carefully.

On eINFO, the following co-op definitions are used:

“Not available” means that co-op is not offered with that program.
“Co-op program” means that the program is co-op only – you must complete a co-op work placement to achieve the degree.
“Co-op option available with this program” means that, when you apply to the program, you may choose whether or not you wish to complete a co-op work placement as part of the program.
“Co-op available with a different program code” means that this university does offer this program with co-op, but you will need to apply using a different code. Go back to the university’s list of programs and find the specific co-op program code.
“Co-op application available at the university after registration” means that you may complete a co-op work placement with this program; however, you must apply to the co-op option after you are registered at the university in this program.
“Co-op available by major” means that co-op is available with only certain subjects of major interest within this program. Visit the university’s website or contact the university directly to obtain further information about which subjects have a co-op component.
“Practicum or internship option available” means that, when you enrol in the program, you may choose whether or not you wish to complete a practicum or internship placement as part of the program.
“Co-op or internship option available” means that, when you enrol in the program, you may choose whether or not you wish to complete a co-op or internship placement as part of the program.

COPE

Certificate of Proficiency in English. See www.copetest.com for more information.

Degree: A degree is a formal, academic recognition that a student has successfully completed a university-level degree program. An undergraduate degree (also called a bachelor's degree or baccalaureate) can be entered directly from secondary school and generally requires three or four years of full-time university study to complete. An honours degree usually involves a higher level of concentration and achievement within the honours subject and may require additional credits. There are many different types of undergraduate degrees, but the most common are the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Science (BSc).

ELDA/COPE: English Language Diagnosis and Assessment (ELDA) is the name of a group of ESL experts who develop and administer English Proficiency tests. The ELDA Certificate of Proficiency in English (ELDA/COPE) tests three areas of language proficiency: reading, writing and listening. The results of these tests are currently accepted by the University of Toronto for graduate and undergraduate admission consideration. Transcripts can be sent to other institutions on request. See www.copetest.com for more information.
Enrolment: In the "Details" section of eINFO, "Enrolment" indicates the number of students who enrolled in the first year of that program in the previous academic year. This number will vary each year, according to the number and quality of applicants. It is not a "cut-off point" or enrolment limit - consider it a general guideline.

Grade Range: The "Grade Range" provided for each program indicates the admission average for that program in the previous academic year. This mark range will vary each year, according to the number and quality of applicants. It is not a "cut-off point" or enrolment limit - consider it a general guideline.
Grant: Funds that are given to a student for a specific purpose, such as specialized research or academic projects. A grant does not require repayment.

IELTS: International English Language Testing System. See www.ielts.org for more information.
Internship: A program that provides hands-on work experience in an occupation or profession, and is often a component of an educational program. It is a temporary position that may be paid or unpaid, part-time or full-time.
ITELP: International Test of English Language Proficiency. See www.brocku.ca/ilt/itelp/ for more details.

MELAB: Michigan English Language Assessment Battery. See www.lsa.umich.edu/eli/testing/melab/ for more information.

Non-Renewable: A non-renewable scholarship is awarded for one year only.

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD): The Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) is usually the basic requirement for admission to university.
OUAC Program Code: This two- or three-letter code is required in order to apply to a university program. Record the OUAC program codes for all programs that interest you. When you are ready to apply, go to www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101/ and input your list of codes.

Practicum: A component of a university course that consists of supervised practical work in a particular field of study.
Prerequisites: Courses that a student must successfully complete before they can register in a particular program. On eINFO, you can find prerequisites within each program's "Details" section.
Professional Program: A professional program is a program of advanced learning that leads to an occupation governed by a mandatory regulatory body. Practicing members of the profession must complete a licensing exam before they can actively practice and must keep their credentials current, through additional education mandated by the regulatory body. Professional programs include medicine, law, teacher education, rehabilitation sciences, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, nursing, etc.

Renewable: A scholarships is called "renewable" if the recipient can receive the scholarship for more than one year. Each year, the recipient must meet the university's stated criteria in order to continue receiving the scholarship.

Scholarship

Financial aid provided to a student in order to fund their academic studies. Unlike a loan, a scholarship does not require repayment. Scholarships are granted based on criteria outlined by the person or institution granting the award, including academic merit, financial need, extracurricular activities or other distinctions. You may have to apply for certain scholarships, and you may be automatically considered for others. On eINFO, the following scholarship terms are used:

"Application Required" means that you must submit an application in order to be considered for the award.
"Application Not Required" means that you will be automatically considered for the award when you apply to the university - no application is necessary.
"Renewable" scholarships are those that can be received for more than one year, if the stated criteria are met each year.
"Non-renewable" scholarships are only available for one year. However, schools that offer these scholarships often offer additional upper-year scholarships that are not listed on eINFO.

Subject of Major Interest

A subject of major interest is essentially a "major" or a specialization within a more general degree program. For example, a university might have a degree called "Arts". Your eventual degree would be a Bachelor of Arts. However, through that program, you could potentially study a number of subjects including History, Drama, Economics, English, French, Sociology, Philosophy, etc. Usually you will be asked to indicate your chosen "subject of major interest" when you apply for that program.

To view all subjects of major interest available through a given program, you must go to that program's "Details" page.

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language. See www.toefl.org for more information.

Undergraduate: A level of university study in which the student has not yet received a bachelor's degree.

YELT: York English Language Test. See http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/requirements/yelt for more information.

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