Students With Disabilities Transitioning From College to University

Institutions of higher education offer various services to students with disabilities. This page contains relevant information pertaining to the transition of students with disabilities from college to university.

The services and tools presented here can be useful at any university level.

The transition from college to university starts before the first day in university. Colleges therefore offer services to support students in integrating into university life.

For support in familiarizing themselves with the various university programs or in preparing applications to university, students can consult the guidance counsellor at their college.

Guidance counsellors can help students to:

• obtain information on programs of study, occupations or the job market
• learn more about the admission requirements to university programs, the college R score and the selection criteria for certain programs
• clarify or validate information on the education system and on admissions
• negotiate the admission process and use the best strategies for gaining access to a program
• find information on university admission, grade point averages (GPA) for programs with admission quotas and the dates of open houses at the universities

Adapted services at the college level, sometimes called student accessibility services, can also provide support for students with disabilities in preparing for their transition to university studies. It is highly recommended that students contact the team responsible for these services as early as possible to discuss their study plan or the university program they have selected. This step serves to properly focus the individualized education plan by opting for appropriate learning strategies or by adapting accommodations associated with this program.

To learn more about services of this type offered at their college, students are advised to contact the adapted services staff directly.

Other resources are also available at the college level. They are set out on the page titled Transitioning from secondary school to college.