Discussions

I moved to Brandon a month and half ago and thought of taking a conversational French (no-credit) course at Brandon University (BU). So, submitted my application along with a copy of my post-grad degree certificate from another Canadian University and got the below reply from the admissions office in BU:  
 
"We also require an official transcript showing evidence of your undergraduate degree. A high school transcript showing evidence of graduation is also required as part of the admission process"  
 
After a long struggle, I received a copy of my under-grad degree certificate from the University in my home country and submitted, for which I got the below reply from BU:  
 
"Our office received a transcript showing evidence of degree from (X University) and notification from (Y University) that you earned a Bachelor of Technology: however, no transcript showing all courses completed was included. We require a transcript from the institution"  
 
I tried explaining by sending the below email to BU:  
 
"I just want to kindly inform you that we wouldn't get a degree certificate without completing all the courses. Only when we complete all the course requirements, we would be able to graduate. The very fact that both those Universities issued me the degree certificate is because I have completed all the requirements associated with those respective degree programs"  
 
Then, I got the following reply from BU:  
 
"We require the documents requested in my email to you yesterday in order to assess admissibility to Brandon University"  
 
Since it’s a public University, I’m wondering whether it makes any sense at least to the public of Brandon. Thanks for your inputs.

cause they can.  
considering you are applying for a non degree, stand alone course seems pretty silly to me.  
 
too many tick boxes on their application form that have to be filled in regardless.  
 
i would go directly to the admin office rather email.

So which box did you tick on the form?  
 
I'd say try and apply under section 3.1.8 of the calendar "Audit Admission" Auditing gives no credit, no exams are written, and I believe tuition is reduced.  
 

3.1.8 AUDIT ADMISSION  
Auditing students are those who plan to take classes for personal and professional reasons for which no credit is being sought and  
for which the student is not required to write final examinations.  
Students intending to take courses for credit must supply the Admissions Office with the necessary documents to have their  
admission status upgraded.  
Students must meet the following conditions to be eligible for Auditor Student Status:  
1. they must be a Canadian citizen or Permanent resident:  
2. they must provide photo identification with a birth date and current surname:  
3. they must complete the application form and submit the required fee.  
 

Sorry, having dealt with other post-secondary institutions in Canada, this policy seems to be the norm. "Official" transcripts come straight from the post-secondary institutions in sealed envelopes. It could be a policy for a variety of reasons such as wanting to see your grades or that Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates from the potential student could be photoshopped. I'm not saying it's not a pain in the butt to meet their registration requirements but I'm fairly certain going to speak to them in person isn't going to get you anywhere. The policy won't be bendable for certain students and not others.

Goshdarn - Thanks, but I don't know what difference that would make if they stick to this kind of so called "policy".  
 
Blue Guru - Thanks, the conversational French course I applied for has no-credit and no-exam. The instructor of that course allowed me to take the course, but the problem is with the admission office.  
 
Campfire3 - Thanks, but I already provided BU with my degree certificates in sealed envelopes (directly from my home University) to show evidence of my bachelor degree. Now BU wants me to prove that I completed all the courses through transcripts, and I don't understand how would someone get a degree certificate without completing the course requirements.

Check out the night courses from ACC. They don't have all those requirements for a non credit course.

i agree there system is a little flawed, i know someone who applied for credited courses but because he had taken courses elsewhere he almost missed getting in that year because of the transcript issue, when he asked their reply was that without it he might not get credit for the courses already took, which i understand but reality is that none of that matters to enroll in first year courses and credit isnt needed until its required for a degree or prerequisite, he was willing to take the chance of not getting credit in order to not delay schooling for a year and honestly for the couple credits he got it would have been easier if he had never taken them....but its their system and you have to jump through their hoops  
 
you situation seems even sillier but you do what you must

BonjourBrandon said "Goshdarn - Thanks, but I don't know what difference that would make if they stick to this kind of so called "policy".     Blue Guru - Thanks, the conversational French course I applied for has no-credit and no-exam. The instructor of that course allowed me to take the course, but the problem is with the admission office.     Campfire3 - Thanks, but I already provided BU with my degree certificates in sealed envelopes (directly from my home University) to show evidence of my bachelor degree. Now BU wants me to prove that I completed all the courses through transcripts, and I don't understand how would someone get a degree certificate without completing the course requirements. "

I would suspect it's because in order to assess equivalency, they need to know the particulars of the courses you had to take to earn your degree.  
 
For example, you state you have a Bachelor of Technology. What does that mean? As far as I know, no such degree exists in Manitoba, so there's no way for them to know what you did to earn that degree.  
 
There are really no standards, especially internationally, for what the course of study is for any particular degree. That's why a medical degree, for example, isn't usually easily transferable between countries without a lot of assessments required.  
 
But I agree, it seems silly for a non-degree, non-credit course. However, maybe there's just covering their bases in case you decide to turn around and claim credit for it?

I don't know why the rules are that a transcript is required, but apparently it is. Is there a reason that the university that issued your Bachelor's degree can't just send the transcript that BU requires?

Merp - Thanks. Since I already took Conversational French level-1 in U of Manitoba and level-2 in St.Boniface University, I thought of joining intermediate course of BU. Unfortunately, ACC doesn't offer this level.  
 
Traveller - Thanks, but I really don't know what to do now.  
 
Abbysmum - Thanks. May be, my under-grad means nothing here, but it has nothing to do with me trying to take a no-credit language course. Just to make it clear, the post-grad proof that I provided to BU in a sealed envelope is my PhD degree certificate with transcript from McGill. Moreover, that transcript clearly confirms the completion of my under-grad and masters degree under the previous education section.  
 
Curlysister - Thanks. I paid $XX.XX/- for the application fee at BU. Since BU pushed for the evidence of my under-grad (UG), I asked my folks at home country. They got it after a long struggle (apparently the system in my home University is much like BU Then my folks FedEx it to me, for which I paid $XXX.XX/-. Now BU is asking me to provide more proof to prove the previously submitted proof, and I'm thinking whether its worth my time/effort/money.

What courses did you take? What electives did you take?  
 
They require a full listing of the COURSES you took and not just that you completed the requirements because there are so many options beyond the basic requirements.  
 
I had to dig up the two years of courses I took at the University of Calgary in the 1970s before they would let me start my program here in 2012.

curlysister said "I don't know why the rules are that a transcript is required, but apparently it is. Is there a reason that the university that issued your Bachelor's degree can't just send the transcript that BU requires? "

Universities charge for the transcript service.  
With a degree from 2 Universities, the OP should be aware of how things work.  
On the other hand, for a none credit course it does sound silly.  
 
Edited by loeog, 2016-03-04 07:31:25

I do understand that there is a charge. I may have misunderstood - I thought the OP requested just the confirmation of having a degree, not a transcript. It's been a while since I requested transcripts, but are there different request types? Or do different Universities send different information? I thought that if a 'transcript' was requested, the Uni would automatically send the full list of courses with grades, as well as the degree(s) earned. But perhaps different Universities don't do that?

Many degrees have electives and requirements that change over time. So even though you have shown them that you obtained a degree, they still can't be certain which courses you took to get that degree.

the problem is because the op was not a resident of Canada when he completed his degrees or is still not a permanent resisent. My mother took a course at B.U. and did not have to provide this information and I myself was entered on a mature student basis without any info from previous educational institutions.

Jaxon said "the problem is because the op was not a resident of Canada when he completed his degrees or is still not a permanent resisent. My mother took a course at B.U. and did not have to provide this information and I myself was entered on a mature student basis without any info from previous educational institutions. "

I was born in Canada, attended a high school in Manitoba and already had a BU student number from taking Campus Manitoba courses with a BU residency in grade 12 and was required to send in the same documents the OP was required when I tried to transfer some UofM courses so I could finish my degree locally.  
 
In response, admissions wouldn't even verify which courses actually met transfer requirements.. only that "5" of the 15 applied for had.  
 
I have to agree with goshdarn in that they do it simply because they can.

curlysister said "I do understand that there is a charge. I may have misunderstood - I thought the OP requested just the confirmation of having a degree, not a transcript. It's been a while since I requested transcripts, but are there different request types? Or do different Universities send different information? I thought that if a 'transcript' was requested, the Uni would automatically send the full list of courses with grades, as well as the degree(s) earned. But perhaps different Universities don't do that? "

There are official transcripts that come embossed with the university's official seal and usually sent directly between institutions. They are paid for by the student and have to formally requested. These are the documents typically needed to become a graduate or undergraduate student.  
 
There are also unofficial transcripts, which are basically printouts of a student's courses and grades. They are free or inexpensive, but they will not cut it for university admission.  
 
In this case, perhaps they want the undergraduate transcripts because the student is applying to study undergraduate courses? And if the plan is to continue with post-secondary ed, why not get the official transcript thing smoothed out now?  
 
Edited by Word Bird, 2016-03-04 21:30:27

I have no intentions to make BU look bad and I would never disrespect any educational institution. Its just about the policy in Universities like BU that makes people like me lose interest in learning.  
 
Just to clarify any misconceptions:  
1) I'm a PR of Canada  
2) I have a PhD from McGill and I have already provided BU with my transcripts in sealed envelope  
3) All I wanted is to improve my conversational French  
 
If U of Manitoba can let me take French level-1 course and St.Boniface University can let me take French level-2 course, why not BU let me take the French level-3 course?

BonjourBrandon said "I have no intentions to make BU look bad and I would never disrespect any educational institution. Its just about the policy in Universities like BU that makes people like me lose interest in learning.     Just to clarify any misconceptions:   1) I'm a PR of Canada   2) I have a PhD from McGill and I have already provided BU with my transcripts in sealed envelope   3) All I wanted is to improve my conversational French     If U of Manitoba can let me take French level-1 course and St.Boniface University can let me take French level-2 course, why not BU let me take the French level-3 course? "

I don't get the big deal? They aren't denying you the course, they just want you to provide the paperwork REQUIRED. So, if you want to take the course, send the proper papers! Doesn't matter what other schools wanted, you're applying at BU. Either send in what they need or don't. The choice is yours but to blame BU is ridiculous.  
 
Edited by BudLimeLover, 2016-03-05 00:27:05