If you’ve been considering completing your high school education as an adult, it can be frustrating finding a program that you can do around your work schedule and responsibilities. Even further, many programs that do allow adult students to complete high school level coursework online are designed to enable graduates to apply for jobs that require a high school diploma or leaving equivalency. That’s a great fit for someone who knows they want to grow their career through experience and on-the-job training once they earn their diploma, but what happens when you decide you’d like to further your education and pursue college level courses? Are the doors to post-secondary education permanently closed to you? If you’re considering continuing your education after completing High School with ICS Canada, you should know about something called “mature student” policies and what they mean for you.

What is a “mature student”?

The Ontario Colleges website defines a mature student as someone who is over 19 years old, who doesn’t possess a high school diploma issued by the provincial government or a GED and is interested in pursuing higher education.  

What’s a mature student policy?

Mature student policies are in place at many Canadian community colleges and universities. These policies are intended to allow applicants who have not earned a high school diploma through the provincial government the opportunity to be considered for college admission based on the skills and experiences they’ve had since leaving school.

Admission policies for mature students can vary from province to province - and often by institution, as well - regarding the student’s age. Some schools, particularly in British Columbia, may set the age of admission as high as 25 years old, though the general admission age in Canada is 19.

How do you apply as a mature student?

So, you can earn your high school diploma through a self-paced, online program like ICS Canada’s, but what are the next steps if you want to further your education? To apply under the mature student policy of most schools, you’ll be expected to do a few things. That includes:

• Successfully completing assessment exams in English Composition and Comprehension, and basic math skills.
• Enrolling in and completing remedial courses if the school has more advanced prerequisites for the program you’re interested in before being formally admitted.

If you’re looking to apply to a local college after completing your high school subjects with ICS Canada, make sure to contact the school you’re interested in to verify their mature student requirements.

You may be nervous about attending a traditional college as an older student... don’t be!

While your education and career journey has taken a different path than traditionally educated students, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in a traditional college setting. In fact, more studies are emerging to prove that adult learners can be more likely to finish than traditional students. As a mature student, you have work and life experience younger students haven’t had the opportunity to get yet. You’ve had time to consider what you want and you’re there to study. You’ve developed the self-discipline and a better understanding of what works for you through life experience, preparing you to tackle college confidently! You’ve got this.

If you’ve been holding off finishing your high school education because an online school won’t qualify you for the program you want to study in college, take some time to see if ICS Canada’s flexible, online program can help! You can take the next step toward your goals, on your schedule.