Regulations

Updated on 2015.12.11

Section A: Registration and Placement
A.1 Tuition Fees
1.	All tuition fees for EIP courses must be paid in Canadian dollars.
2.	Payment of tuition fees can be made by certified cheque, money order, traveler’s cheque, credit card, or debit. Please note that we do not accept cash or bank transfers.
3.	A deposit of C$500 is required to provide students with a letter of acceptance and a certificate for visa purposes. Students pay a C$50 courier service fee for documents sent by courier at their request.
4.	Students must pay their tuition fees before the first day of classes. a. No students will be allowed to attend classes until their tuition is paid in full. b. Sponsored students will not be allowed to attend classes until the Second Language Intensive Programs office has received their financial guarantees, or the students have paid their tuition in full.
5.	The University of Ottawa does not offer financial aid to students in the EIP.
6.	The University of Ottawa will not issue T2202 or T2202A tax forms for the EIP.
A.2 Health Insurance
7.	All students must have health insurance. Guard.Me Health Insurance is mandatory (compulsory or required) for all EIP students not covered by the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) or by another insurance provider. The cost for Guard.Me Health Insurance is in addition to the tuition fees. It must be paid upon registration. Students must provide proof of other approved health coverage at the time of registration in order not to have to pay the mandatory Guard.Me health insurance fee.
A.3 U-Pass
8.	Students registered for the fall and winter sessions must buy the U-Pass for public transportation on OC Transpo. The cost for the U-Pass is in addition to the tuition fees. It must be paid upon registration.The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) manages the U-Pass. The Second Language Intensive Program only collects fees. For exceptions, consult the SFUO’s U-Pass page.
9.	Students who bridge into their University of Ottawa program in January can continue to use their U-Pass during the Winter session.
10.	Students leaving the EIP after the Fall session and not entering their University of Ottawa program will receive a refund of half of their U-Pass fee for the Winter session if they return their U-Pass card.
A.4 Refunds
11.	Students can get a tuition refund (less the C$500 deposit) if they withdraw (leave) within the first three days of the program. Refunds take 6 to 8 business weeks to process.
12.	The C$500 deposit is non-refundable (cannot be returned).
13.	The C$500 deposit can be transferred one time only to the following session if students cannot attend the session they applied for or if their visas are denied. Students whose visas are denied must show proof of denial in order for their deposit to be transferred to the next session. They must also request a transfer two weeks before the first day of classes.
14.	All refunds are processed in the form of a University of Ottawa cheque made payable to the students in question.
15.	Once placement testing has been completed, and if teachers and the program manager determine that a student’s level of English is too high for the advanced level or too low for the beginner level, a full refund of all fees paid to date (less a C$150 administrative fee) will be refunded to the student.
16.	Second Language Intensive Programs does not provide refunds for textbooks bought for courses.
17.	Second Language Intensive Programs does not provide refunds for health insurance.
Section B: Classroom Placement
18.	Students under 18 years of age must have a conditional offer from the University of Ottawa to be admitted to the EIP. Students under 18 years of age who do not have a conditional offer will need to provide high school transcripts (official school reports listing courses and grades received) with their deposit before being admitted to the EIP.
19.	To be guaranteed a place in the program, students must be full registered 7 days (1 week) before the first day of regular classes. To register, students (new and returning) must do the following: a. Complete the online registration form. b. Pay their tuition in full (including health insurance and U-Pass, if applicable). c. Returning students may be allowed to register until day five of regular classes if there is room in classes. Returning students who try to register after this deadline will not be placed in class unless under extraordinary circumstances.
20.	To be placed in a class, new students must do the following: a. Complete the online registration form. b. Pay their tuition in full (including health insurance and U-Pass, if applicable) or provide a financial guarantee. c. Complete the program placement test at the University of Ottawa during Integration Week (the week before regular classes). d. Attend all the activities during Integration Week (the week before regular classes). To be placed in a class, returning students must do the following: e. Complete the online registration form f. Pay their tuition in full (including health insurance and U-Pass, if applicable) or provide a financial guarantee.
21.	The Operations Coordinator in Second Language Intensive Programs is responsible for all class placements, and these decisions are final. The goal of these placements is to keep class numbers even and to promote diversity (the inclusion of students from different language and cultural backgrounds) in the classroom. For these reasons, students cannot request to move to different classes or to have different teachers.
22.	New students can be moved up or down a level in week one of regular classes. This is based on results of the following: a. The program placement test given at the University of Ottawa during Integration Week (the week before regular classes); and b. Performance in class during the first week of regular classes. Returning students cannot be moved up or down a level in week one of regular classes.
23.	Students who fail the same level twice will not be placed in the class for a third time. They must withdraw from (leave) the program.
24.	Students who attend the EIP and then miss a session can return and continue to advance through the levels. If students miss more than three sessions, they must repeat the placement process, including the program placement test, and may be required to repeat or go down a level.
25.	Students with conditional offers to the University of Ottawa must start the EIP during the start dates of their offers of admission. a. Students who have start dates in the fall on their conditional offers must start the EIP in the fall and no later. These students may start the EIP earlier (in the spring or the summer session) if there is time. b. Students who have start dates in the winter on their conditional offers must start the EIP in the winter and no later. Only students who have start dates in the winter on their conditional offers can start the EIP in the winter.
26.	The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) reserves the right to remove students from any program or course at any time should it be determined that their conduct (behaviour) is disruptive (troublemaking) for teaching staff and is interfering with their classmates’ academic performance. Admission to any future sessions may be refused for the same reasons.
Section C: Academics
27.	Attendance will be counted from the first day of the program. Students must attend at least 85% of the program. Students who miss more than 15% of the program receive an automatic failure. a. Students who arrive after the start of class or after the end of the break will be marked absent for half a class (0.75 hours). b. The 15% of permitted absences includes missing a class or being late for any reason (illness, doctor’s visits, embassy visits, etc.). There are no excused absences. c. Students may be excused for religious holidays recognized by the University of Ottawa. This day will not be counted as an absence. Students must advise their teachers in a letter or by email at least 1 week in advance.
28.	The passing grade is 70%. Students who score 85% or above will be permitted to skip a level.
29.	Students must be in attendance for all midterm and final exams. Absences will only be excused for medical reasons and require a doctor’s note. Travel is not considered to be an acceptable reason for missing an exam.
30.	Academic Fraud (cheating) is not tolerated at the University of Ottawa. Engaging in academic fraud can result in severe consequences. Please read the University’s policy on plagiarism. www.uottawa.ca/plagiarism.pdf
31.	After week 1, students wishing to withdraw (leave) from a session must submit a written request to the office. Otherwise, they will receive an automatic failing grade. The office will only give permission to withdraw from a session in special circumstances.
32.	Students enrolled in the EIP are expected to behave in a mature, respectful, and cooperative manner at all times. This includes attending class regularly and on time, turning off cell phones during class, using only English in class, and behaving in a respectful manner towards classmates, teachers, and administrative staff.
Section D: Bridging
33.	Students require a minimum overall grade of 70%, a minimum grade of 70% on the final writing exam, and a minimum attendance of 85% at level 400 to bridge into undergraduate programs.
34.	Final writing exams for the bridging program are evaluated by OLBI’s Language Testing Services. Based on the results of these exams, bridging students may be required to complete one or both of the following courses during their first year of undergraduate programs: a. ESL 2121: Reading and Writing Skills for Second Language Learners b. ESL 2361: Writing Skills for Second Language Learners: Advanced Level 1
35.	Graduate students must contact advisors in their programs for information on bridging requirements.
Section E: Communication
36.	Students wishing to meet with the Manager or the Academic Services Coordinator must book an appointment through the Operations Assistant or front-line staff at least 24 hours in advance.
37.	The staff at Second Language Intensive Programs will make every effort to respond to emails and telephone messages in good time. All emails and telephone messages have a two business day response time.
38.	Students enrolled in the EIP must speak only English in the classroom. They are also strongly encouraged to speak English at the administrative office, the Julien Couture Resource Centre, and during socio-cultural activities.
Section F: Progress Reports, Forms and Requests
39.	The office has ten business days after the final day of the session to send final progress reports and certificates. All reports and certificates are sent by mail to the student address on file. Students are responsible for informing the office about changes of address.
40.	Second Language Intensive Programs will not submit students’ reports or transcripts (official reports on the record of a student, listing courses and grades received) to other universities.
41.	Mailed documents that are returned because of an incorrect mailing address will be given only to the students themselves, in person, or by sending the documents to a new address. Students with returned mail will be contacted by email and will be given one month to respond. a. Returned mail and/or letter can be picked up exceptionally by a family member or a friend at the written request of the student. A name must be given in advance and the person’s ID will be checked.
42.	Standardized letters can be produced within two business days and free of charge. Students can send their requests by e-mail.
43.	Requests for forms or letters MUST be made by the students, not by anyone else.
44.	Special requests require at least 24 hours and cost C$15 cash only upon pickup.
45.	Additional transcripts are available at a cost of C$5, cash only, and are given only to the student.

A.1 Tuition Fees

A.2 Health Insurance

A.3 U-Pass

A.4 Refunds

Contact Information

Office Hours

Designated Learning Institution Number (DLI)