Admission Requirements

To be admitted as a student, the following prerequisites must be met: a) Academic Prerequisites

1. High School Diploma – verified by submission of an official transcript or;
2. General Education Development (GED) Certificate – verified by submission of official documentation and;
3. Two senior level (Grade 11 or higher) science and/or physical education credits

b) Mature Applicants

1. Students must be 21* years of age or older

If a mature applicant does not have a high school diploma or verifiable equivalent (GED) they must:

1. Submit any official transcripts relating to their completed high school courses
2. Submit proof of age, such as a copy of government issued identification
3. Successfully complete all applicable practical or academic prerequisites prior to being admitted to the college.
4. Pass a superintendent approved qualifying test
5. A brief onsite written assignment
6. Personal interview to determine suitability for the program

*if a student is under 21 years of age but at least 19 years of age and has been out of school for at least one full calendar year, the college may allow an application as a Mature Applicant, given all other criteria has been met.
c) English Language Requirements If an applicant's primary language is not English and based on documented observations and evaluations made throughout the Introduction to Massage course indicating substantial weakness in one or more of the areas of reading, writing, comprehending or speaking English fluently, applicants will be required to submit one of the following:

1. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.5 on the Academic Modules; or
2. TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language internet based test) with an overall score of 88 or better with a minimum score of 20 in each of the four components (listening, speaking, writing, reading); or
3. TOEFL CBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language computer based test) with a minimum of 230 including a minimum essay score of 4.5; or
4. TOEFL CBT with a minimum score of 250.
5. An English translation of any foreign credentials is required as well as Foreign assessment by one of the following assessment services:
   • World Education Services — wes.org
   • University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, Comparative Education Service — learn.utoronto.ca/ces
   • International Credential Assessment Service of Canada — icascanada.ca
   (Please attach photocopies of high school diploma or transcript, or other education documents, birth certificate and photo I.D. or valid passport)
6. International students must submit copy of valid Passport - Picture and Address pages.

d) Practical Prerequisites Each applicant must have a minimum level of experience in introductory massage. This can be obtained by: completing the Introduction to Massage course offered by the college or a course that equivocates to it.

Registration as a Student of Wellsprings College

Registration is the process whereby the applicant becomes enrolled at Wellsprings College. At registration, you officially become a student and your name is officially added to the class list. To commence the registration process, each applicant must:

1. Submit a completed application form
2. Register, pay for and successfully complete prerequisite courses as required
3. Submit official transcripts of grades from secondary through to post secondary education OR, gain entry as a Mature Applicant
4. Submit a copy of current resume
5. Submit 2 written character references, with at least one being from a health care professional, both are to be addressed and sent directly to the college
6. Acquire and submit a medical note from a physician indicating that applicant is “in good health and free from all communicable diseases and are physically and mentally capable of undertaking this program”
7. Provide 2 coloured passport (sized) photos for student ID card
8. Provide a copy of 1 piece of government issued identification
9. Provide a current (within 3 months) criminal record & vulnerable persons sector check obtained from a Canadian policing authority (e.g., Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, etc.) Mandatory for pre- clinical practicum clearance.
10. Provide a typewritten or word-processed essay in response to the following questions: Why do you want to practice Massage Therapy? What has been your experience with Massage Therapy? What do you have to offer the Massage Therapy profession?
11. Review and hand in a signed Student Enrolment Contract, accompanied by a $500 registration fee, non-refundable as per the Ontario Career Colleges Act. 2005

Once all of the above have been completed and the admission requirements have been satisfied, a student will be officially registered for their program and placed on the class list.

Failure to submit any required documentation within two weeks of the start of the program will result in a suspension from Wellsprings College.

Students with Special Needs

Wellsprings College will try to accommodate students who have documented special needs and who have identified such special needs during their admission process, which means prior to commencing classes at Wellsprings College. Special needs must be documented in a detailed assessment with specific recommendations by a medical doctor or licensed psychologist. The document must include the following:

1. General observations by the doctor or psychologist
2. A description of the impact on the student’s functions
3. Identification of standardized tests and assessments performed
4. Results of tests and assessments
5. Recommendations for the student and the rationale for each

Please be aware that Wellsprings College has limited resources for such accommodations and may not be able to meet such needs entirely. Special needs not disclosed during the admissions process may not be accommodated.

Exemptions

All current students of Wellsprings College who have successfully completed prior post-secondary education similar to the curriculum taught by Wellsprings College will have the option of applying for exemption or challenge equivalency exam of a course or courses. Students must inquire about exemption of courses prior to completing registration with Wellsprings College.

At minimum, official transcripts and or awarded documentation must be submitted to Admissions for a Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR) to be completed. The submission of this documentation, along with course outlines detailing the previous education completed, must be done prior to the first day of classes, to be considered for review and recommendation of exemption or challenge of examinations. Wellsprings College strives to complete PLAR’s within three business weeks, submission of incomplete or irrelevant documentation and information will cause a delay in completing any PLAR.

The Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition process will determine whether a student will be exempt from courses within Wellsprings College programs or will be required to challenge courses by completion of cumulative examinations issued, overseen and scored by Wellsprings College. In some instances a PLAR will result in determining that a student is not eligible for exemption from or challenge exam of any course within the Wellsprings College program.

All challenge exams must be scheduled with Wellsprings College one month in advance of the date it is to be written. All challenge exams must be completed and graded prior to the start of the term in which the course being challenged is scheduled. In the event that the challenge examination is not complete prior to the term commencing, the student must attend the course(s) until they have successfully completed the applicable challenge examination.

The fee for a challenge exam is $100 for the course being challenged. If the student achieves a passing grade on the challenge exam, their (yearly) tuition will be credited the challenge exam fee already paid plus the remaining cost of that course. If the student receives a failing grade, the fee paid for the challenge exam will be applied towards the tuition for that course and the remaining course fee must be paid by the student prior to commencing the course.

In the case of complete exemption, a credit amount equal to the course fee for the applicable course(s) will be applied to the overall tuition amount due for the applicable year of study.

Auditing Courses

Current students that have been exempt from or successfully challenged a course may audit the courses they have been exempted from. This may be required upon recommendation or may be requested at the discretion of the student.

The ability to audit any course is subject to space within the applicable course and all attendance requirements of Wellsprings College must be adhered to in auditing any course.

Any student wishing to audit a course must request the ability to do so while in the admissions process and must receive written approval from Wellsprings College prior to the commencement of the applicable course.

There is no cost associated with auditing a course and as such, students auditing courses may not complete examinations nor will they be awarded any grade or documentation for doing so.

Re-admission to Wellsprings College

A student who has withdrawn may re-apply and be re-enrolled into the program, unless Wellsprings College decides not to accept them. Applicants will NOT be re-accepted to the program if:

1. the student has been previously dismissed from Wellsprings for any reason
2. the student has withdrawn from the program on more than one occasion
3. there is an unpaid balance owing on the student’s account from previous attendance at the College
4. there is an unresolved legal issue in progress between the student and the College

If students who have withdrawn reapply within 12 months of their initial withdrawal date, they will not have to resubmit portions of their registration documentation again. Readmission after 12 months has lapsed will require complete resubmission of all required documentation.