Applying to CEGEP as a Mature Student or Adult Learner in Quebec

Two Ways Into CEGEP: Standard and Alternate Admission

Most CEGEP applicants come straight from Secondary V with a Secondary School Diploma, also called a DES. If that is not your path, Quebec's college admission rules still leave room for you. The official college admission requirements set out several alternate routes colleges can use to admit you without a standard diploma.

The 24-Month Break Route

If you interrupted full-time studies for a cumulative period of at least 24 months, a college can admit you without a Secondary School Diploma, provided it judges your instruction and work experience since then sufficient to handle college-level courses. This is the main route adult learners use to enter CEGEP years after leaving high school. The college evaluates your file individually. There is no fixed test score or checklist that guarantees admission, so contact the CEGEP's admissions office directly and ask what they want to see from your specific background before you apply.

If You Hold a Vocational Diploma or Are Close to Your DES

A Diploma of Vocational Studies can also open the door to CEGEP, provided you completed the required Secondary V language of instruction course, the Secondary V second language course, and Secondary IV mathematics. If you are close to finishing your DES, with six credits or less remaining, some colleges will admit you while you finish those last credits alongside your first CEGEP courses.

Filling the Gaps Once You Are In

Colleges run remedial and success-focused activities for students admitted through an alternate route, aimed at filling specific course gaps or building study skills that recent high school graduates picked up more recently. Ask your college what support exists, such as tutoring, an upgrading course, or a study skills workshop, before your first semester starts rather than after you start struggling.

What Colleges Look For in Your Adult Admission File

Since alternate admission runs on individual judgment, present your file the way you would a job application. List every course, certificate or training program you completed since leaving high school, even short ones. Describe any work experience in terms of skills used, not only job titles: report writing, budgeting, supervising others, working with technical software. A clear, specific reason for choosing this particular program at this particular time also helps. Admissions staff read many files each cycle, and a specific, well-organized one stands out against a vague one.

Continuing Education Instead of the Regular Full-Time Route

If a full 2 or 3 year DEC does not fit your life right now, most CEGEPs also run a continuing education division offering part-time courses and shorter Attestation of College Studies programs. These admit and register you directly through the individual college rather than through the province's centralized SRAM process used for regular full-time DEC programs, and often accept applications on a rolling basis rather than a single yearly deadline.

Financing Your Return to Study

Adult students often qualify for the same government aid full-time students use, through Quebec's student financial assistance program , though the exact loan and bursary amount depends on your income, dependents and program length. Apply as soon as you have an admission offer, since processing takes time and aid amounts change each academic year.

Before You Apply

• 📩 Contact the admissions office at your target CEGEP and ask specifically about the alternate admission route for adults, not only the general application page.

• 🎓 Gather proof of any courses, training or relevant work experience from your time away from school. Colleges weigh this directly in their decision.

• ⏱️ Ask whether you will need an upgrading course before your program's core courses, and build that into your timeline.

• 🏠 If you need to work while you study, ask about part-time or continuing education options before committing to a full-time DEC.

Adult admission to CEGEP runs on individual judgment more than a fixed formula. The more concrete evidence of readiness you bring, courses completed, work history, a clear program reason, the easier that judgment call becomes in your favor.