Numerous international students in a state of urgency as Ontario college withdraws issued acceptance letters

Around 500 students find themselves in a state of uncertainty as their admission offers to Pures College of Technology have been retracted merely a month before the school’s commencement. Pures College places the blame for this predicament on its partner, Northern College, a public educational institution.

an email by Northern College, notifying them that their previously granted admission offers for the upcoming school year have been rescinded. Disturbingly, a portion of these students had already arrived in Canada and were taken aback when they were informed of the retraction of their offers.

In a statement sent via email to CBC Toronto, Pures College expressed its preparedness to welcome all international students who had been granted admission letters. Regrettably, its collaborative counterpart, Northern College, chose a different course of action.

Pures College stated, “Our partner, the public college, has opted to retract these admissions. Pures had already arranged the Fall semester itinerary for these students prior to the decision made by our collaborating institution.

Operating as a private college in affiliation with a public college, Pures clarified that it lacks the jurisdiction to render definitive determinations within the admissions procedure.

According to Northern College, the issue arose due to Canada granting a larger number of visas to international students than initially anticipated.

David Francis, the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Northern College, explained that it falls upon Northern College to forecast the volume of visas that will receive approval before the start of each semester. Consequently, the institution issues a greater count of acceptance letters than it can ultimately accommodate, working under the assumption that a portion of applicants might encounter visa rejections.

“As we look at program capacities, they are moving targets,” Francis commented.

Furthermore, Francis pointed out that numerous students submit applications to multiple educational institutions. As a component of their projections for each semester, Northern College anticipates that a portion of the students who have received acceptance offers will opt to enroll in alternate schools.

In correspondence with CBC Toronto, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada expressed its profound disappointment with Northern College’s handling of the matter. The statement also clarified that the authority to oversee individual institution’s acceptance letters does not fall within its jurisdiction.

Echoing this sentiment, Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities also conveyed a comparable viewpoint.

“As an autonomous institution, Northern College has sole authority over the admissions process,” the ministry said in a written statement.

Pures has affirmed its commitment to collaborate with its counterpart and students to address the situation.

Meanwhile, Francis mentioned that students will have the option of receiving refunds or being transferred to alternative educational institutions. However, there remains the possibility that some students might still bear the costs of canceled flights and accommodations.