College / University Tuition, and, Credits for Life Experience

[alemoo]

Hi everyone, I have a few questions.

#1 When my wife (Mexican national) gets her PR, she will be eligible to attend Canadian colleges and universities with the same tuition fees as I (Canadian citizen) would, correct?

#2 She doesn't have any post-secondary education so I'm sure she'd just have to take a mature student's test prior to acceptance. But what if the Canadian college / university didn't view her Mexican high-school as being equivalent to a Canadian high school? She would have to take some upgrading courses? I know in Ontario we have ILC (Independent Learning Centre), where you study from home and mail it in to be marked, and then they give you high school credits.

#3 How would her high school marks and her real-life work experience be evaluated/considered? Sometimes post-secondary institutions give you credits for life experience.

Thanks

 

[scylla]

Yes - once she has PR she will qualify for domestic student fees.

As for how her high school marks and her real-life work experience will be considered - this will vary greatly from program to program and from school to school. You'll have to research this information based on the types of programs and schools she plans to attend.

 

[Aquakitty]

It depends on the college/university you pick on if her credentials would be accepted, and on the programme she chooses. I'm pretty sure most schools would accept her high school, but depending on the programme likely she would have to do a bit of upgrading. Some colleges have "Accuplacer" tests or the equivalent, they go by that only to determine if she needs upgrading. This is a series of tests usually designed to determine math and language skills.

As for life experience credit, I think you are referring to PLAR (prior learning assessment). She'd have to know the subject matter of the course inside out, and/or be able to show portfolio work that satisfies the course. She might have to take tests or write essays for it, it's not an easy thing to do but it is possible. There is also sometimes credit given for some programmes if you've worked in a particular field relating to those courses, but that is again up to the institution.