Home » Admissions » Admission FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Program Openings

How can I find out if there are openings in the program that I am interested in?
A Program Openings document is available for you to review before you apply. View this document.

If the program is full, should I still apply?
If you apply and are qualified for a program that is full, you may be placed on a Waitlist. If a seat becomes available at a later date, you will be contacted by mail to let you know you have been accepted.

Application Process

How and when does NSCC process applications?
NSCC Admissions processes your application as soon as we receive it. To serve you better, we begin accepting and admitting qualified applicants for all programs on a 'first received, first qualified' basis. This assessment usually begins in November and continues until a program fills. It is important that you apply early to avoid missing the opportunity to be admitted to your chosen program. We will review your application when it is complete and notify you of the results as quickly as possible.

How much time do I have to confirm my seat in a program?
Once accepted, you are required to confirm your intention to enroll by sending us a confirmation fee within three weeks of the date of your acceptance letter. This fee is applied against your tuition once you have registered. Please note: we do not accept post-dated cheques; the charge for NSF cheques is $20.

If I decide not to attend NSCC after I have confirmed, what happens?
If you choose not to attend NSCC after confirming, you will lose your confirmation fee. If you decide to reapply to NSCC in the following year, you cannot transfer your confirmation fee from the previous year.

If you do not pay the confirmation fee within the designated time, you risk losing your seat in the program.
If you are not accepted into a program, you will receive a call from your local campus inviting you to discuss other available options.
If you want to change programs, please contact NSCC Admissions as soon as possible. Your application will be re-evaluated and, if you qualify and there are openings in the program, you will be admitted. Your application fee and your confirmation fee will be transferred to the new program.
If you move, or change your mailing address, please contact NSCC Admissions immediately with your new contact information. We want to ensure you receive all communications from our office.

How can I make a change to my application?
If you need to make a change, simply contact the Admission team. To avoid errors, please do not send another application.

I applied to NSCC last year. I want to apply again this year. Do I need to submit another application?
We do not carry over applications from year to year. If you want to apply for a subsequent academic year, you must submit a new application and fee.

Waitlist

My admissions letter says "Waitlist Offered - Class Full". What does that mean?
This means that even though you've met the requirements for the program, we’ve offered all available seats in the program to applicants who applied before you, so you’re on a waitlist.

How long is the waitlist, and how far down am I on the list?
Our Admissions process does not allow us to give waitlisted applicants a position number. The applications are assessed based on:

The date the application was received,
The date the application was made complete,
The residency of the applicant, and
The diversity standing of the applicant.

Because of this, we don’t have a concrete 'list'. While we understand that this makes planning difficult, we ask that you please do not contact us about the size of the waitlist or your position as we will contact you immediately if we can offer you a seat.

If I don't get into my program this year, will I be able to get in next year?
Our waitlists are active through the year, but become inactive the second week after classes begin. Our waitlists do not carry over to the next academic year. We advise that you put in a new application for the next academic year, or add a second or third program choice to your current application - neither of which will affect your current waitlist status.

So, I can apply now for a program 2 years from now?
YES! We encourage you to apply early for those programs that tend to fill early. You will receive a decision on the application the November before your program starts.

When will a seat become available in my program?
While we can’t predict if a waitlist will move, vacancies can open up in a program if an applicant:

does not accept an offer of admission,
does not provide details to fulfill a conditional acceptance,
fails to confirm his/her seat,
misses a tuition payment deadline,
opts to accept a job or a spot in university/college elsewhere,
or simply does not show up during the first week or two of classes.

Students change their plans quite often, so if you are on a waitlist, please do not lose hope in attending the program. There is usually a lot of movement on waitlists, especially in July and August, when we ask all waitlisted applicants whether or not they'd like to remain on the list. If their plans have changed, they traditionally withdraw themselves to make room for applicants who are still interested.

When I applied for a program the Program Openings indicated ‘Open’, how come I’m on a waitlist?
To the best of our knowledge there were still seats available as of that day but there were several applications there were unprocessed as we have applications coming in every minute, from 13 different campuses. The program openings document is not in real time.

Contact Us

Tel: (902) 491-4911 (in Metro)
Tel: 1-866-679-6722 (toll-free)
TTY: 1-866-288-7034 (toll-free)
e-mail:

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Thursday – 8:00AM - 6:00PM
Friday – 8:00AM - 4:00PM
Saturday - Sunday – Closed

Comment Bubble Was this page helpful?