Private Career Colleges (PCC): Frequently Asked Questions for Students
Frequently Asked Questions for Students
Q. My private career college has closed. What do I do now?
A. When a private career college stops operating while students are enrolled in vocational programs, the Training Completion Assurance Fund (TCAF) helps provide eligible students with funding towards training completion, or full or partial refunds. The Superintendent of Private Career Colleges receives and assesses applications from affected students, and may provide support to those who are eligible depending on the amount of TCAF funding available.
Q. Am I eligible for a training completion or refund?
A. Only fee-paying students who signed a contract and are enrolled in approved programs at registered private career colleges are eligible to receive training completions or refunds through TCAF. Students who were enrolled in programs that are not approved under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 (PCCA) and students who were funded completely by a third-party (e.g. WSIB) are not eligible for refunds or training completions.
Q. How do I find out more information?
A. The Superintendent, along with ministry staff, may contact students by any appropriate method, and will rely on the contact information available at the affected private career college. Generally, the ministry contacts students by email.
At the time of the initial contact, it is unlikely that a training completion provider will have been identified. During the closure process and through email communication following that date, the Superintendent's staff will explain the process for arranging training completions and the rules around refunds.
If you have additional questions, contact the Private Career Colleges Branch at TCAF-TCU@Ontario.ca.
Q. Am I still eligible for a training completion if I have not paid all fees for the program?
A. Yes. However, students will be required to pay any outstanding fees owed under their contract to the training completion provider. The ministry will assess student information to determine whether any outstanding payments are due. If so, the Training Completion Agreement between the training completion provider and the ministry will specify the amount of fees that can be charged to a particular student. If the training completion provider is permitted to charge any fees to students, a student contract must be signed between the student and the training completion provider.
Q. What if I will incur additional travel and dependent care expenses as a result of a training completion?
A. The Superintendent may approve the reimbursement of reasonable travel and dependent care costs associated with a training completion. TCAF may only cover costs that are above and beyond what a student would have paid if she or he had been able to complete the original vocational program.
Q. What if no training completion option is available?
A. Where no training completion can be arranged, a student may be entitled to claim a refund of any fees that she or he paid to the private career college in respect of a vocational program. All refunds will be paid by cheque in Canadian dollars.
To claim a refund where no training completion is available, the student must submit a completed student claim form within six months of the Superintendent declaring the security forfeit. The Superintendent's staff will notify students via email when the security is declared forfeit.
Affected students are encouraged to contact the ministry at TCAF-TCU@Ontario.ca if you are unsure when you must submit your student claim form.
Q. How do I submit a claim for a refund?
A. Claims for refunds must be filed using the student claim form within six months of the day the Superintendent declares the institution's financial security forfeit. If you require a student claim form, please email the ministry at TCAF-TCU@Ontario.ca
Along with the completed student claim form, the student must submit receipts for any fees paid to the private career college and a signed copy of the student enrolment contract. The amount of the refund will depend on the amount of fees that the student can demonstrate she or he paid to the private career college, the amount of fees that were earned by the private career college, and other factors as determined by the Superintendent.
Q. If I receive OSAP, when do I need to start repaying my loan?
A. You are required to begin repaying your student loans six months after you cease full-time studies. You should contact the National Student Loans Service Centre at 1-888-815-4515 (within North America) or 1-800-225-2501 plus appropriate country code (outside North America) to confirm the dates your student loan payments are scheduled to start. Programs are available to help you with repayment. For more information on repayment obligations, visit the OSAP website at ontario.ca/OSAP.
Q. I am studying at Everest College under the Second Career program. What do I do now? Are there supports available for me to continue my training?
A. The ministry will contact Second Career clients directly to develop alternate training solutions.
At the time of the initial contact, it is unlikely that a training completion provider will have been identified. During the closure process and through email communication following that date, the ministry will explain the process for arranging training completions and the rules around refunds.
Second Career students may also contact Employment Ontario and speak to a counsellor at 1-800-387-5656
Q. I am an employee of Everest College. Are there are any supports in place for me
A. Employment Ontario will be available to assist displaced staff in navigating supports available through Employment Ontario and other agencies.
Staff of Everest College can call the Employment Ontario hotline at 1-800-387-5656 for assistance.
Employment Ontario's Employment Service provides Ontarians with access to all the employment services and supports they need in one location.
The Employment Service network consists of 171 service providers with 323 delivery sites across Ontario. Each site is required to provide the full range of Employment Service components.
Q. What is the ministry doing to help students?
A. Over the next few days, the Superintendent, supported by Ministry staff, will work to assess student access to training completion opportunities or refunds, depending on student choice. The Superintendent and Ministry staff will do everything they can to facilitate training completions. The government is also committed to helping displaced workers and affected communities get back on their feet as soon as possible. Employment Ontario will be available to assist displaced staff in navigating supports available through Employment Ontario and other agencies.
Within the first 48 hours of the suspension of Everest College, 47 ministry staff provided over 40 information sessions to more than 2,000 students at the 14 Everest campuses. Ministry staff have received 262 emails which they are currently responding to and have conducted 124 telephone counsel sessions through the TCU hotline.
Over the next few days, the ministry will be assessing student access to training completion opportunities or refunds, depending on student choice. Using the contact information provided by students to ministry staff, and collected at Everest College campuses, ministry staff will began reaching out to affected students on Monday, February 23, to provide them with clear instructions on how to complete their Student Claim package in order to access TCAF and begin training completions, or claim eligible refunds. Ministry staff will do everything they can to facilitate training completions at other approved trainers.
Q. I am a graduate of Everest College.Does this affect me?
A. This decision does not impact students who have already graduated from the college.
Q. I am about to graduate from Everest College. Do I have to repeat my entire semester?
A. For most students, no. Training completion programs are designed to help students finish their studies. If a student only had a short period of time left to complete, the training completion will generally be proportionate.
There may be some vocational programs that have special requirements. The Superintendent is aware of these issues and will work with other regulators and training completion providers to ensure that training completion programs will help students obtain their qualifications.
Q. Do you have alternatives for students to complete their programs?
A. While the suspension remains in effect, the Superintendent will continue to arrange training completion options for most students. The number of options that can be arranged will be determined by the number of comparable programs which are available in the surrounding area, and the amount of interest in providing a training completion expressed by the training providers.
If the Superintendent is unable to arrange a suitable training completion option, or if it would cause undue hardship for a student to pursue a training completion, those affected students will be eligible for a refund as set out in the regulation. If some students decline the training completion options provided to them, those students will be eligible for a refund as set out in the regulation
Q. How soon will students be able to complete their training at other institutions/access financial help?
A. While the immediate suspension remains in effect, one of the Superintendent's priorities is to provide students with options to return to their studies as quickly as possible. However, the exact amount of time that will be required to provide students with options often varies depending on the complexity of the situation.
Students who have been affected by this are encouraged to assemble and maintain detailed records regarding their progress in their program, and any payments they may have made to Everest College in relation to that program. Using the contact information provided by students to ministry staff, and collected at Everest College campuses, ministry staff began reaching out to affected students on Monday, February 23, to provide them with clear instructions on how to complete their Student Claim package in order to access TCAF and begin training completions, or claim eligible refunds.
Q. What about students who took OSAP loans? Will they have to pay them back? Will their loans be forgiven?
A. Ontario limits student debt through the Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG). For private career college students, this means their OSAP debt will be limited to $7,300 for a two term academic year, or $10,950 for three terms, regardless of how much they borrowed. The Ontario government will ensure that all eligible students who have been affected by the closure of Everest College will receive Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG) entitlements.
All OSAP loans are debts owed by the student to Canada and Ontario. OSAP-related debts are not reduced as a result of the closure of a career college.
For students who choose a refund in place of a training completion, refunds issued under TCAF can be used by the student to pay down their debt.
The government is committed to helping affected students and will also ensure that the loans of OSAP students who complete their training at another institution will not enter repayment until six months after they have completed training at the alternate institution. For students who choose not to complete their training, loans will enter repayment six months after the date that they would have completed the program at Everest College. This ensures that students are not expected to begin payments on their loans any sooner than they otherwise would have had to.
Students choosing to pursue available training completion opportunities in other institutions who have not yet received the full amount of their OSAP money will receive these funds upon beginning their new training completion program.
Q. Why should I go through the Superintendent to make arrangements for training completion. Won't it be faster to do it on my own?
A. The Training Completion Assurance Fund, or TCAF, exists to help eligible students by arranging for them to complete their training at another institution, or arrange refunds as set out in the regulation.
All students who were enrolled in approved vocational programs are eligible for training completion or refunds as set out in the regulation.
Currently, ministry staff are reaching out to institutions to determine best options for students to complete their training. For TCAF funding to be used towards a training completion, the Superintendent will provide each student with their training completion and refund options, and students will be asked to choose which approved training completion program they would like to enrol in, or opt for their eligible refund claim.
To be assessed for eligibility under TCAF, students must submit completed Student Claim Forms and all necessary supporting documents to the Superintendent. Every affected student is encouraged to submit their Student Claim package as soon as they are able.
Students can get more information on accessing and completing the claim forms by contacting the ministry at TCAF-TCU@Ontario.ca.
Students should assemble and maintain detailed records regarding their progress in their program, and any payments they may have made to Everest College in relation to that program.
It is the Superintendent's role to arrange training completions. Students who make their own arrangements may inadvertently affect their eligibility for funding from the Training Completion Assurance Fund.
Students who are seeking training completions or refunds through the TCAF should ensure the Superintendent has their contact information.
Students should contact the ministry if they need an information package or have any further questions.
Once they receive their training completion options from the ministry, students must advise the Superintendent of their choice of training completion, in writing, within 14 days.
Q. I signed up to complete my training at another program on my own. Will TCAF pay for it?
A. The Training Completion Assurance Fund, or TCAF, exists to help eligible students by arranging for them to complete their training at another institution, or arrange refunds as set out in the regulation.
All students who were enrolled in approved vocational programs are eligible for training completion or refunds as set out in the regulation.
Currently, ministry staff are reaching out to institutions to determine best options for students to complete their training. For TCAF funding to be used towards a training completion, the Superintendent will provide each student with their training completion and refund options, and students will be asked to choose which approved training completion program they would like to enrol in, or opt for their eligible refund claim.
To be assessed for eligibility under TCAF, students must submit completed Student Claim Forms and all necessary supporting documents to the Superintendent. Every affected student is encouraged to submit their Student Claim package as soon as they are able.
Students can get more information on accessing and completing the claim forms by contacting the ministry at TCAF-TCU@Ontario.ca.
Students should assemble and maintain detailed records regarding their progress in their program, and any payments they may have made to Everest College in relation to that program.
It is the Superintendent's role to arrange training completions. Students who make their own arrangements may inadvertently affect their eligibility for funding from the Training Completion Assurance Fund.
Students who enrol in a new program independent of the training completion process may limit the number of options available to them through TCAF, and may incur costs that might otherwise have been covered by TCAF.
Students who are seeking training completions or refunds through the TCAF should ensure the Superintendent has their contact information.
Students should contact the ministry if they need an information package or have any further questions.
Once they receive their training completion options from the ministry, students must advise the Superintendent of their choice of training completion, in writing, within 14 days.
Q. I signed up to complete my training at another program on my own. Will this affect my OSAP eligibility?
A. Students who choose to arrange their own training options outside the TCAF process are at risk with respect to further OSAP assistance, and they lose many of the advantages of the more formal TCAF placement process. In cases where students arrange their own training options, MTCU will reassess their current OSAP application with a study end date of February 19, 2015. Any funds that have been disbursed to or on behalf of the student, that they are not entitled to, will become an overaward on their account. Students are entitled to only one overaward, before they are restricted from further OSAP funding. In addition, students who want additional OSAP funding for the training option they arrange will be required to submit a new OSAP application, rather than have their existing application reassessed automatically.
Q. If I'm an OSAP student, can I take my refund from TCAF and use it to arrange my own train-out?
A. Refunds for students who opt for a refund, rather than a training opportunity offered under TCAF, are sent directly to the National Student Loan Service Centre to reduce their outstanding student loans; refunds are only made directly to OSAP students in cases where the refund exceeds their student loan. This would mean that most students who arrange their own train-out would be directly responsible for paying any tuition charged by their new institution.
For more information:
Students can contact the ministry by e-mail at TCAF-TCU@ontario.ca or at 1-888-449-4478.