Admissions Committee Terms of Reference
Membership
The Committee will be composed of approximately 12 members, at least 2 of whom are members of Council. The remaining members will be drawn from a broad cross-section of the post-secondary system as well as at least one member from the secondary school system. Members will be chosen for their expertise and/or interest in post-secondary admissions. An Associate Director from BCCAT will attend as a non-voting resource person and the Executive Director may also attend meetings.
The term of membership is three years subject to renewal for one additional term if mutually agreed.
Purpose
Within the context of a decentralized system of autonomous institutions, the Admissions Committee will examine issues pertaining to capacity, demand, and student mobility and recommend policies and practices that facilitate the admission process for direct entry and transfer students within the BC post-secondary system. The Committee will provide expert advice and report to Council.
The work of the Admissions Committee is intended to be of benefit to institutions for enrolment planning, government for system planning, and students for education planning.
Objectives
- Recognizing individual institution’s governance and decision-making processes, to recommend areas in which institutions might agree to cooperate in developing admissions policies and practices that would simplify admissions processes, remove systemic barriers, and/or assist students in their planning.
- In cooperation with the Research Committee of Council and the Student Transitions Project Steering Committee, to initiate, approve, monitor, and disseminate information on research projects related to admissions, access, and student mobility, including inter?institutional studies on capacity and demand involving direct entry and transfer students.
- To provide advice on how all institutions might share information on enrolment planning and forecasting and on how available spaces are apportioned for direct entry and transfer students, based in part on system-wide data collected on capacity and demand.
- To examine admissions-related trends and issues and provide information on best practices with respect to the transition of secondary school students into and among post-secondary institutions in the BC Transfer System in order to inform transition planning, facilitate transition processes, and remove barriers.
- To collect and disseminate comparative information about the post-secondary system, its institutions, and their admissions policies and practices, and recommend ways in which it can be provided to students, educators, and the general public, building upon the wealth of information already provided at the system level (e.g. Education Planner and the BC Transfer Guide) and by individual post-secondary institutions.
- To recommend changes that might be made to policies and practices to accommodate students accessing learning in an online environment, often from multiple institutions and/or through BCcampus.
Last revised and approved by Council: March 7, 2008.
