Table of Contents
Background
The Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service (ORPAS) is a not-for-profit, centralized application service for applicants to the 6 universities that offer rehabilitation sciences programs.
Admission personnel at the universities developed ORPAS. The Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) operates ORPAS to facilitate the application process for rehabilitation sciences programs and to reduce duplication in application processing. Each of the universities or programs is completely autonomous in reaching its own admission decisions, with ORPAS providing only the application processing service.
Applicants can apply for admission to all 6 of the universities, and their varied rehabilitation sciences programs, using 1 common application in which applicants can choose their language of preference. ORPAS transfers the data entered in the application to the universities that the applicant selects.
Each of the universities or programs has its own admission policy, including grade point average (GPA) requirements and reserves the right to determine whether degrees granted by postsecondary institutions are suitable for admission.
Applicants should be aware of the variations in the admission requirements and ensure that they qualify for consideration before indicating they wish for ORPAS to forward their application to a particular university. ORPAS processes and forwards applications to all requested universities or programs regardless of the applicant’s qualifications or the completeness of the application. There are no refunds.
Governance
ORPAS Working Group Terms of Reference
Preamble
Ontario rehabilitation sciences programs centralized their admission application processing services at the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) for the 2000 admission cycle. Beginning in 1999, an ORPAS implementation team composed of representatives from the Ontario Council of University Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences (OCUPRS) met to plan and coordinate the centralized application process. The ORPAS Working Group now wishes to formalize its structure to assess progress, review the application processes and services of the OUAC, and plan for the ongoing development of the service.
Title of the Committee
The committee is known as “The Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service (ORPAS) Working Group”.
Purpose of the Committee
- To advise the OUAC on the operation and development of the Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service,
- to coordinate activities that facilitate and improve the admissions and application processes and related information services of Ontario’s rehabilitation sciences programs,
- to share ideas on desirable application practices or procedures for the mutual benefit of all institutional members,
- to make recommendations on application processes and policies for referral to other committees as deemed appropriate by the committee,
- to explore and investigate rehabilitation science programs application processes and issues in other jurisdictions to inform and improve the Ontario process,
- to advise the OUAC on application fee levels,
- to review and approve the annual updates and revisions to all OUAC application materials and
- to discuss and pursue recruitment activities of benefit to member institutions.
Composition of the Committee
The ORPAS Working Group is composed of the senior administrative official(s) responsible for rehabilitation sciences programs admission at each Ontario university. The group is chaired by a Working Group member elected by the Working Group. The Chair shall serve for a term of 2 years with the opportunity to renew their term once.
Voting
Each distinct program has 1 vote in the consideration of any motions raised by the ORPAS Working Group. A motion is carried with a majority of votes, with the Chair casting the deciding vote in the event of a tie.
Chairship
The Chair of the Working Group is selected by the OCUPRS. The Chair normally serves a term of 2 years but may be re-elected, provided that no person serves as Chair for more than 2 consecutive terms.
Secretary
The Secretary of the Working Group is a representative from the OUAC. Minutes are distributed within 1 month of the meeting.
Resource Persons
Resource persons who attend meetings may include:
- The OUAC Executive Director
- The OUAC Director, Business Services
- The OUAC Manager, Graduate and Professional Programs
- The OUAC Assistant Manager, Graduate and Professional Programs
- The ORPAS Processing Specialist, Graduate and Professional Programs
- Other resource persons as invited by the Working Group
Procedural Matters
The ORPAS Working Group meets for regular meetings twice annually, once in the fall and once in the spring. Other meetings may be called by the Chair as required.
Approved by OCUPRS December 4, 2001.
Processing Services Provided by ORPAS
- Calculating undergraduate grade point averages (GPAs) and sub-GPAs
- Corresponding with applicants for clarification of the general application data
- Developing systems
- Following up on all rejected fees
- Forwarding the personal or autobiographical submissions in electronic format to the universities
- Maintaining a Frequently Asked Questions list for applicants
- Maintaining department listserv
- Maintaining electronic transcript request services for Ontario transcripts
- Managing telephone, email and live chat inquiries
- Performing annual statistical reporting
- Performing daily distribution of data to universities
- Performing internal and external system tests
- Preparing the ORPAS application and Application Guide
- Processing fee waivers, as required
- Processing fees for electronic transcript requests
- Processing fees, including university fees
- Programming systems for department processes
- Providing a manual decision tool for universities to key applicant offers without having to send a decision file
- Providing access to a portal where universities can run various reports containing application details
- Providing applicant online inquiry (document tracking) for receipt of transcripts and references
- Providing an email verification process for all new accounts to ensure that applicants enter valid email addresses
- Providing for electronic transcripts
- Providing tools for universities to process their own late exceptions
- Providing upload functionality via Secure Applicant Messaging
- Providing vouchers for university purchase that applicants can apply toward the cost of an OUAC application
- Receiving all applications and monitoring deadlines
- Receiving all postsecondary transcripts and monitoring them for authenticity
- Receiving letters of reference in support of the application – an online service is provided
- Receiving school-specific, personal or autobiographic submissions to support applications
- Receiving World Education Services evaluations, where required
- Recording and controlling responses to offers of admission for Ontario universities
- Sending applicant data to universities via data sheet PDFs
- Sending third-party PDFs (transcripts, references, miscellaneous) to universities
Fees
The ORPAS processing fee is $190 plus university fee determined by the university selection(s). All fees and payments are non-refundable. The amount submitted must correctly reflect the number of university selections made.
The university fees, collected by ORPAS but remitted directly to the universities, are collected to assist the universities in covering a portion of the costs associated with the admission assessment. Fees for withdrawn university choices are not refunded.
The OUAC periodically reviews the ORPAS fee. The universities set the institutional fees.
University Fees
The University of Toronto charges a $100 university fee, regardless of the number of programs selected.
The other universities charge university fees as noted:
- If applicants apply to 1 program per university, the program fee is $100.
- If applicants apply to any combination of more than 1 program per university, an additional $100 program fee is payable, to a maximum of $200.
Transcript request fees vary by university.
ORPAS will not forward applications to the universities until the OUAC receives full payment.
Payment is part of the final Submit process. The OUAC uses Flywire for Canadian and international payments. Applicants can use Flywire to pay Canadian dollar fees in their local currency from anywhere in the world, at anytime.
ORPAS must receive payment for applications by the stated deadlines.
Fee Transfer
The OUAC’s Finance Department prepares the fee levy for transfer to each university in the spring of each year. There is a 2.2% credit card recovery charged against the levy transfer, as well as the supplemental fee charge of $2 per fee.