International Students

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is a visa or study permit required to take courses at Virtual High School?
  No, a student visa or study permit is not necessary for enrolment at VHS. Our courses are fully accessible online, and all of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirements can be completed in any country. 
• What is the difference between a prerequisite and a prerequisite waiver?
  A prerequisite is a course that must be completed before a student can proceed to the next level in a subject area. If a student has not attended an Ontario curriculum high school before, they will need to complete a Prerequisite Waiver Application. Our Guidance Team will review the student’s academic documentation to determine if they have covered topics similar to those included in the Ontario curriculum in the selected subject area. If approved, a student may be granted a waiver to enrol in their chosen course. 
• When is an Equivalent Credit Assessment required?
  Students who plan to earn the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and wish to receive credits for courses that they completed at an international high school must submit an Equivalent Credit Assessment Application. This process allows our Guidance Team to appropriately place students into the Ontario education system as seamlessly as possible without having students repeat prerequisite material. Once an Equivalent Credit Assessment has been completed, the expectation is that all remaining OSSD requirements will be fulfilled through an Ontario high school. 

  Without an Equivalent Credit Assessment, any courses that a student has previously completed at a school in their home country will not count toward the OSSD.

• Can students just take exams to earn entire credits?
  No. The Ontario Ministry of Education requires each student to complete credits through a mixture of coursework and final assessments. There is no option to do a final assessment, such as an exam, on its own without the coursework as may be found in other international education systems. 
• How long does it take to process a Prerequisite Waiver Application or Equivalent Credit Assessment Application?
  We want to make sure that our students can get started on their courses as soon as possible, so we guarantee that Prerequisite Waiver Applications will be reviewed within 3–5 business days and Equivalent Credit Assessment Applications will be processed within 5–7 business days. 
• Are accommodations available for English Language Learners?
  Students who enrol at Virtual High School have the opportunity during registration to provide information about their English language learning proficiency. This information provides our teachers and guidance advisors with the background knowledge they require to adjust their teaching strategies and implement accommodations to support students.

  Please contact the Guidance Team at iep.support@vhs.ucourses.com with any inquiries related to English language learning support.

• Are there additional fees for international students?
  Yes, international students are charged a slightly higher tuition rate at the checkout point of the registration process. The tuition fee covers all costs associated with the completion of a VHS course. We also offer an International Student Bursary to help offset the cost of tuition for students seeking financial aid.

  There are a few additional services which some students may require depending on their circumstances. Additional fees may apply in the following scenarios:

  • Equivalent Credit Assessments
  • Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) account creation
  • Post-secondary document requests
  • Courier fees for document transfers
  • Course transfers
  • Course extensions

  We do our best to make sure that we provide the most cost-effective solutions for our students where possible.