At St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Canada, HD in Computer Programming and Analysis is offered as a higher diploma in Computer Sciences programme. The programme runs for 3 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 17,428 per year (CAD 2,776 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Higher Diploma
Field:Computer Sciences
Duration: 3 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 2,776 / year
International tuition: CAD 17,428 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The CPA program follows an experiential learning approach to education by offering courses that parallel the software development practices used in the modern workplace. Throughout the program CPA students apply concepts learned in the classroom to solve programming problems. They learn to work in project teams, in which they design, develop, and test larger-scale applications. After gaining programming and problem-solving skills, students experience real-world work environments by participating in our third-year work placement program. The CPA program is a three-year program in which students learn a wide variety of skills, ranging from basic programming practices, problem-solving, software design, critical thinking and application development. Over the duration of the program, students will learn to write programs for desktop, web, mobile, and mainframe platforms. Students learn many programming languages, including C#, C++, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, and Java, and are taught the skills to learn other languages. We are one of a handful of colleges in North America offering mainframe courses in COBOL, CICS, JCL and TSO.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: St. Lawrence College's Computer Programming and Analysis advanced diploma requires an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with the majority of Grade 11 and 12 courses at the C, U or M level, including Grade 12 English at the C or U level and Grade 11 Math at the C or U level. Applicants with transcripts from outside Canada are directed to the college's transcript-evaluation process, and those missing a prerequisite may enroll in the college's Career/College Prep program. International students must obtain a co-op work permit and are encouraged to apply early; a special May intake is offered for international students only. The program page does not state its own language-proficiency scores; applicants whose first language is not English are assessed against St. Lawrence College's institution-wide scale for Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma programs: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5), TOEFL iBT 4 overall (78 under the pre-January-2026 scale), PTE Academic 55, CAEL 60, or Duolingo 110 (no sub-score below 85).
Application Details
Start Date:January and September
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca: for programmes starting September 2027 the application opens 26 September 2026, the equal-consideration date is 1 February 2027, and later applications are assessed first-come, first-served while seats remain; St. Lawrence College names Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Communicative Disorders Assistant, Medical Laboratory Science and Practical Nursing as highly competitive, requiring transcripts and proof of enrolment by the same 1 February date to be ranked. International applicants apply through SLC's own International Application Service and are assessed on a rolling basis; the college publishes no fixed international closing date, and each Letter of Acceptance carries its own accept-and-pay deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
