Information for career college students and operators
Find what students and operators need to know about attending or operating a career college in Ontario.
For students
Career colleges
What you need to know about attending a career college in Ontario.
Students’ rights and responsibilities
Know what to expect and what you need to do when signing up for programs offered by registered career colleges.
Career college closures
How to get a tuition refund or arrange to continue training at another institution if the career college you attend closes.
Graduation and satisfaction rates
This information can help you make decisions about career choices, education, training and employment. The measurements, known as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), are from surveys completed by students and employers.
Data available for each year from 2014 to 2021:
Student protection
The Superintendent of Career Colleges can issue notices and orders to colleges not operating their business in accordance with the law, as well as unregistered institutions operating unlawfully.
Find a record of businesses issued with a compliance notice or order.
For operators and administrators
Registering a career college
If you want to operate as a career college in Ontario, you must first complete a pre-screening application with the ministry. The pre-screening helps you find out if your institution requires registration and which programs require approval from the Superintendent of Career Colleges. Once registered, there are requirements career colleges need to meet each year to maintain a registration.
Operating a career college
Find out what’s required to operate a career college in Ontario and to maintain approval from the Superintendent of Career Colleges.
Getting a program approved
Read about the process to get and maintain approval of vocational programs that career colleges deliver.
Policy directives
Read the policy directives the superintendent issues to establish career college performance standards, training program standards and exemptions to the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.
Communicating with the ministry
Career colleges must use the Program Approval and Registration Information System (PARIS) to input information and monitor their email for communications from the ministry. Every career college is responsible for ensuring that their email address submitted in PARIS is up-to-date.
Career colleges: Register for an operator's log-in if you don't have one.
Students: Register for a student log-in to submit and get updates on your communications.
Training completion
The Training Completion Assurance Fund helps students with the costs of finishing a training program if a career college closes.
Premiums and security
Learn about the financial requirements for operators set out in the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.
Learn about:
Reports and regulations
Learn more about the Training Completion Assurance Fund and its regulation. (Reg. 414/06)
Read the TCAF 2018 Annual Report
Training completion providers
Learn how the ministry chooses training providers to complete programs for students when a career college suddenly closes.