FAQ Questions with Answers
Preamble
Since the suspension of Everest College, CCO has been collecting questions for clarification from CCO
member colleges, with respect to the training completion process for former Everest College students that
have been impacted by the suspension. CCO has compiled these questions and submitted them to the
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) in batches. CCO staff have had several
subsequent conference calls with MTCU officials in order to obtain answers to these questions.
CCO staff made notes about the answers provided by the MTCU to both the written questions submitted
and the supplemental verbal questions posed during the conference calls. CCO prepared draft
summaries of the calls and sought confirmation from the MTCU on the accuracy of the summaries. While
the MTCU was unable to conduct such reviews and provide confirmation in writing, CCO believes that the
information contained in this document accurately reflects the discussions.
Question #1:
With Everest College filing for bankruptcy, does the 15 day appeal still apply?
Answer #1:
Yes, the Trustee had 15 days to appeal. (CCO understands that the Trustee did file an appeal on March
5, 2015).
Question #2:
Could we have timelines so we can give proper guidance to the students that visit colleges?
Answer #2:
There are no firm timelines. The best reference at this time is the communication to students that was
sent out to all Everest college students by the Superintendent of Private Career Colleges on March 11,
2015.
MTCU Bulletin on Everest College
Q&A’s for Everest College Students
Financial Aid Q&A’s
News Release: Ontario Providing Financial Assistance to Former Everest College Students
Commencing during the week of March 2, 2015, the MTCU sent proposals out to more than 100 PCC’s
with respect to the possible provision of training completions. The PCC’s were given 48 hours to
respond; the majority of responses were due on or before March 10, 2015. As of March 12, 2015, the
MTCU had begun to send some students a list of training options and had entered into agreements with
11 training completion institutions with respect to programs accredited by third party bodies. Students
who have received their training completion options have 14 days to accept an offer.
Question #3:
If we transfer credits in, do we waive our normal policy of “25% must be done here”?
Some of the people have 1 week left, or had 1 day left… what do we do in those cases?
Answer #3:
Yes, the MTCU will be approaching PCC’s to help accommodate in a timely manner those Everest
College students who had less than 30 days left to complete their programs, including those who only had
practicums to complete or certification exams to write, which will necessitate waiving any policies on the
minimum percentage of a program that is to be taken at the training completion provider institution.
Question #4:
For Everest students that transfer to a new college, what credential will they receive – an Everest diploma
or the new college’s diploma? Since Everest is no longer approved, can Everest even issue a diploma or
can the MTCU do so in the name of Everest?
Answer #4:
The MTCU has found Everest College diplomas for approximately 240 Everest College students who had
completed their programs of study by the time of the suspension on February 19, 2015, but had not
received their diplomas. For those students, the MTCU has received permission from the Trustee to
issue those diplomas.
For Everest students who had not completed their course work by the time of the suspension, if they
complete their program at a training completion provider institution, they will receive the training
completion provider’s approved certificate or diploma. The students will not be able to choose between
receiving an Everest College credential or the credential of the training completion provider.
The transcripts for former Everest students who take a training completion with an alternate institution will
be issued by the training completion provider institution and will include advance standing from Everest
College training and the marks received from the training completion provider.
Question #5:
If an Everest student has OSAP loans that have not yet been released, can they be released to the
student for payment at another registered college completing the train out? Also, will the OSAP or default
transfer to the new college?
Answer #5:
Everest College students who had not received their second installment from OSAP will not have the
second installment released until after they have accepted a training completion offer and the PLAR (Prior
Learning Assessment and Recognition) has confirmed the amount of training left to complete. If there are
additional weeks to complete in accordance with the PLAR, there will be a re-assessment done by OSAP
and the second installment could be increased, if appropriate.
Regarding student loan default rates if the train out is approved by MTCU under TCAF, any student loan
defaults by former Everest students will be attributed to Everest College, and not to the training
completion provider. Otherwise, student loan defaults by former Everest students will be attributed to the
institutions providing the training completion.
Question #6:
For students that have negotiated loans with Everest College and have a prepaid unearned balance with
Everest, can those students transfer to another college and use the TCAF funds to apply to the train out
costs at the new college? This would be worthwhile and could minimize the liability if MTCU could issue
the student a letter outlining their credit from TCAF. Training completion colleges could use this to apply
to a student account to complete the training and have the student sign this over to the college.
Answer #6:
If they accept a TCAF-sanctioned training completion offer, Everest College students will not be required
to pay more than the amount of their original tuition fee contracted with Everest College in order to
complete his/her program. TCAF will cover the difference, if any, between the training completion fee
being charged by the training completion college and the remaining amount of the full tuition that had not
yet been paid by the student to Everest College.
Question #7:
Since Everest had a $3 million Letter of Credit, assuming the train-out is more, where will those funds
come from?
Answer #7:
On March 12, 2015, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities announced that the Ontario
Government had agreed to top up the funds available for the train-out of Everest College students by up
to $7.6 million, which should cover any training completion and/or refund costs in excess of the $3 million
financial security posted by Everest College.
Question #8:
Some schools are talking about transfers with no additional fees other than TCAF. Based on the Act,
colleges need to charge tuition as registered less any advanced standing. Will the Act still apply or can a
college discount to the TCAF amount?
Answer #8:
PCC’s are permitted to discount their tuition fees to whatever level they desire in order to accommodate
the students receiving a training completion. (Reminder – PCC’s cannot charge more than the fees
registered with the Superintendent for their vocational programs)
Question #9:
Many Everest College students are contacting us that were on placement and cannot continue. Some
had a few days left while some had a few weeks. I understand that they can't be on placement if there is
no liability insurance or WSIB. We can cover the WSIB, we are not so sure about the liability. Can we get
an answer on behalf of the industry? Some placement sites will be lost for these students if we cannot get
them back in shortly.
Answer #9:
By February 23, 2015, the MTCU had identified 345 Everest College students who had 30 days or less to
complete their programs at the time of the suspension on February 19, 2015, including those who needed
to complete their practicums, and those who only needed to write their certifying exams. In an effort to
help this stream of students as quickly as possible, the MTCU had been in contact with 192 of these
students by March 4, 2015, and efforts were being made to contact the rest. Those in practicums or
internships at the time of suspension were not allowed to continue due to no longer having insurance
coverage under Everest College.
Notwithstanding the fact that the training completion providers would be prepared to provide coverage
under their WSIB and general liability insurance so that students could complete their programs, the
MTCU advises that the students would still have to make a claim on TCAF and that any response to this
group of students was being done as part of the TCAF process.
Question #10:
Our college was contact by an Everest College Paralegal student that is currently on an internship which
has 33 hours left to go to finish the program. The MTCU instructed the student to stop attending the
internship and the student is frustrated with this advice.
Answer #10:
See question 9 and answer 9 above.
Question #11:
Will Second Career students follow the same process as other students? Will new Second Career
sponsorship letters be required for the train-out institution or can the training be completed under the
existing Everest Second Career sponsorship letter?
Answer #11:
Second Career students will follow the same TCAF process as other students with respect to training
completions. Everest College students funded through Second Career that were impacted by the
suspension should contact their Second Career counsellor for direction on the process regarding
sponsorship letters.
Question #12:
If it is multi-year program, will the second year OSAP application be under the Everest OSAP designation,
or under the train-out provider OSAP designation?
Answer #12:
This question has been deferred by the MTCU and a response will be forthcoming.
Question #13:
Can a student who was funded using OSAP, complete their train-out at a school that does not have an
OSAP designation?
Answer #13:
The MTCU must consult with the Canada Student Loans Program on this matter and a response will be
forthcoming.
Question #14:
Will OSAP students still be eligible for the Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG), given that the
Everest College closure was beyond their control? Will the student need to go through an OSOG appeal,
or will the closure automatically be taken into account when OSOG eligibility is assessed?
Answer #14:
Students who accept a training completion will be eligible to qualify for OSOG. Students who do not
accept a training completion and receive a partial refund could receive OSOG if the outstanding loan
exceeds the appropriate threshold. Those students who do not accept a training completion will not go
into repayment until after the original end date of the Everest College program.
Question #15:
The statement, “The Ontario Government will ensure that all eligible students who have been affected by
the closure of Everest College will receive Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG) entitlements”
leaves open the question of defining 'eligible.’ Many students have not completed the equivalent of 2
terms. Will they be eligible?
Answer #15:
See question 14 and answer 14 above.
Question #16:
Will the Everest students be included in the train-out provider’s prepaid unearned revenue (assuming
some portion is paid in advance), and thus will the train-out provider be required to pay TCAF fees related
to the Everest College students?
Answer #16:
Yes, any prepaid unearned revenue (PUR) received by the training completion provider institution in
respect to former Everest College students will need to be included in its calculation of PUR and the
calculation of financial security and premiums to be paid to TCAF.
Question #17:
Will the MTCU be responsible for collecting outstanding Accounts Receivable from students, or will the
train-out provider collect any outstanding Accounts Receivable that is to be applied towards studies
directly from students?
Answer #17:
The matter of the collection of outstanding accounts receivables from students will be detailed in the
contracts that the MTCU will enter into with individual training completion providers.
Question #18:
In the event that there is no career college in the area with a similar program, can a train-out provider
deliver the former Everest College program? Will the MTCU accelerate the approval of that program for
delivery by the train-out provider? Will train-out providers have any access to Everest curriculum?
Answer #18:
The MTCU has been able to match programs for approximately 90% of the Everest College students, and
training completions utilizing existing approved programs at approved PCC’s will be the priority. Alternate
solutions will be considered on a case by case basis.
Question #19:
Can students choose to take a program at the train-out provider that was different than the program that
they were taking at Everest College and still access the TCAF funding support?
Answer #19:
No.
Question #20:
If a student does not perform well on a PLAR assessment, will TCAF provide sufficient funding for the
student to re-take course material that they previously took at Everest College?
Answer #20:
Yes
Question #21:
If a train-out solution is offered to a student but the student chooses not to take the train-out option, will
that student still be entitled to a refund from TCAF?
Answer #21:
Everest College students who refuse to accept one of the training completion options offered through
TCAF would be entitled to receive a refund of any funds paid to Everest College that had not been earned
by Everest College. (For example, if a student had paid $7,000 for a program with a $10,000 tuition at
Everest College, but Everest College had only earned $5,000 by providing 50% of the course by the time
of the suspension on February 19, 2015, that student would be entitled to a refund of $2,000 if he/she
refused to take a training completion offered through TCAF).
Question #22:
Given the potentially limited TCAF funds available, will claims for training completion be given priority over
claims for refunds? Will claims for direct training be given priority over student claims for transportation
and other ancillary costs that TCAF has funded in the past?
Answer #22:
Training completions are always given priority. However, the recent announcement by Minister Reza
Moridi of an additional $7.6 million being available to assist former Everest College students should
resolve any concerns about limited funds in this case.
Question #23:
Will any students who withdrew from their program prior to the closure, but had not yet received a refund
from Everest College, be required to submit a claim to the bankruptcy trustee? Will OSAP submit a claim
to the bankruptcy trustee on behalf of any students whose refund was due to be returned to OSAP? Will
MTCU submit a claim to the bankruptcy trustee on behalf of any Second Career funded students? Will
the TCAF process cover the cost of any unpaid refunds to students who had withdrawn from Everest
College prior to the closure?
Answer #23:
The MTCU is still reviewing the matter of refunds owing to Everest College students, and, in the case of
OSAP funded students, is having discussions with the Federal Government and the Canada Student
Loans Program. A decision will be forthcoming.
Question #24:
MTCU has not yet indicated if we can apply acceptance criteria. We have already been visited by Everest
College students that failed our admissions test; this increases the risk for defaults and poor KPI results.
Answer #24:
The MTCU has deferred responding to this question until March 16, 2015.
Question #25:
Has MTCU provided guidance on International Students? Based on the memo below, an acceptance
letter will be required for an extension. Can colleges issue an acceptance letter?
"Following the events of the last few weeks, some of NACC´s members may be soon accepting
international students who formerly attended Everest College.
NACC had a discussion with representatives from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to
get some clarification about international student visas.
To note:
International Students that previously studied at an Everest College location and are pursuing
their studies in another career college can apply for an extension through CIC's online
portal. The link can be found on this web page: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/studyextend.asp
Online applications are processed faster by CIC officials than mailed applications.
Students will need to provide the reason for the extension. In this case, it will be the closure of
Everest and the transition to another career college.
The chosen post-secondary institution needs to be on the list of career colleges designated to be
able to receive International Students.
A letter of acceptance from the new institution will be needed.
Students whose visas are close to expiring may continue studying as long as they have applied
for an extension, even if the extension has not been approved yet. Students cannot let their visa
expire prior to applying for an extension.
*** It is important to remind members that they cannot provide immigration advice to international
students. Please see the link on this CIC webpage for information on who can provide such
advice: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/rep-who.asp"
Answer #25:
The MTCU has been in touch with CIC about International Students at Everest College who are in
Ontario on a study permit, and the MTCU officials are directing all International Students from Everest
College to contact CIC. A potential training completion provider PCC should not issue a letter of
acceptance to an International Student until the student has accepted a TCAF training completion offer.
Question #26:
I have a former Everest College student who is on a student visa. It is scheduled to expire in June 2015
and it is uncertain if her program will be completed before her visa runs out. She is understandably
upset. Can you please advise if there are any provisions for visa extensions in this instance, and what
the student should do to apply for same? She is already on local television telling her story and I would
love to have a win for the sector having her say how helpful we have been in aiding her.
Answer #26:
See question 25 and answer 25 above.
Question #27:
Would it be possible to clarify what is meant by “social responsibility” on the TCAF proposal forms being
completed by PCCs that reads as follows:
“Proponents are encouraged to price responsibly to demonstrate high levels of social responsibility in
utilizing the TCAF monies prudently and effectively.”
Answer #27:
PCCs are encouraged to provide their best and fair price when responding to the proposals.
Question #28:
When mapping programs and PCCs in Toronto, was there a geographical boundary set between North
York and other parts of Toronto?
Answer #28:
The MTCU used geographical radius criteria when identifying potential training completion providers.
After reviewing all responses, the MTCU may determine that it may be necessary to take a second look at
expanding the radius in order to arrange training completions for additional students.
Question #29:
Will the Everest College students be included in the train-out provider’s KPIs: OSAP default rate,
graduation rate, and job placement rate?
Answer #29:
Regarding student loan default rates if the train-out is approved by MTCU under TCAF, any student loan
defaults by former Everest College students will be attributed to Everest College, and not to the training
completion provider. Otherwise, student loan defaults by former Everest College students will be
attributed to the institutions providing the training completion.
Regarding KPIs (key performance indicators), all Everest students who complete their training at an
alternate institution will be included in the calculation of the training completion provider institution’s KPI
(graduation rate, graduate employment rate, graduate employment in field of study rate, graduate
satisfaction rate, and employer satisfaction rate).
Question #30:
Can CCO close OSAP files for students who originally applied at Everest College, but had not received
any funding prior to the suspension? Can CCO process OSAP applications from former Everest College
students who have already decided to enroll at another OSAP-designated PCC?
Answer #30:
There were 184 Everest College students who had submitted OSAP applications and their attendance
had never been confirmed. For the present time, those applications are on hold, and the students cannot
close their files, until the hold is eventually lifted.
For cases where the enrolment had been confirmed, no funding had been released and the student has
requested that CCO close the application so that the student can open another application for a new
PCC, CCO can bring such cases to the attention of the Director of the Student Financial Assistance
branch on a case-by-case basis.
Question #31:
Will former Everest College students be eligible for assistance under TCAF if they refuse the training
completion options offered by the MTCU, and are interested in completing their training elsewhere, rather
than accepting a refund?
Answer #31:
The MTCU would take a second look at cases where a student does not want a refund, does not want to
accept any of the training completions offered and is interested in completing their training elsewhere.
Question #32:
If a PCC that offers a program, such as the NACC PSW program, that it believes matches a program that
had been offered by the Everest College campus located in the same city has not been contacted about
submitting a TCAF proposal, how can they appeal the fact that they appear to have been overlooked?
Answer #32:
There is no appeal process. The MTCU used a consistent set of criteria when mapping programs and
matching potential training completion providers.
Question #33:
Are MTCU staff providing the following instruction to Everest College students:
“You cannot work to support yourself or your family, while you are waiting or you will be in violation of the
TCAF requirements and not be eligible for funding”? If so, why?
Answer #33:
The Ministry has no policy that would preclude former Everest College students from working while they
are waiting to accept a training completion offer. Working during that waiting period will not have any
impact on a student’s eligibility for funding under TCAF.