Admissions: Removing Barriers While Preparing Students for Success 

—From the desk of Brier Albano, Vice-President, Students and External Relations 

If recruitment is how students discover Selkirk College, admissions is where intent turns into commitment. It’s the stage where a student has said, “Yes, I want to apply,” and we respond by helping them move forward with clarity, confidence, and as little friction as possible. 

Our Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Framework defines admissions as the administrative process that takes place from the moment a student applies until they receive an offer of admission. While this sounds technical, the experience behind it is very human. Admissions is often a student’s first real test of how supportive, responsive, and understandable an institution will be. 

Over the past year, we’ve seen meaningful improvements in this area. Processing times and response times have and will continue to improve through a specific focus goal (WIG) in the Registrar’s Office, helping students get answers faster and reducing the uncertainty that can come with waiting (thanks RO!). These changes matter. When students feel informed and supported early, they are more likely to stay engaged and continue their journey with us. 

But speed isn’t the only goal. The larger focus of our admissions work is streamlining—making sure we ask students for what they truly need, when they truly need it. Historically, admission requirements can evolve over time, often with good intentions, to ensure readiness, meet accreditation needs, or support student success. Over time, though, these requirements can unintentionally create barriers, confusion, or delays. 

That’s why work has begun—and will continue through 2026 and 2027—to review and refine our admission processes program by program. The questions guiding this work are simple but important: What does a learner genuinely need in place before they are admitted in order to succeed? And just as importantly: What can wait until later? 

This approach recognizes that preparation and access are not opposites. We can ensure students are academically and practically ready without overloading them with requirements upfront. For some programs, that might mean rethinking documentation timing. For others, it might involve clearer communication, better alignment between admissions and academic areas, or reducing exceptions and manual workarounds. 

From a SEM perspective, strong admissions practices are a key contributor to overall enrolment health. When admissions processes are clear, predictable, and proportionate, students move forward with fewer delays and less frustration. When they’re not, the challenge may show up later as lower yield, late registrations, or students who disengage before classes even begin. 

That’s why we don’t view admissions in isolation. It’s one stage in a connected system, and improvements here support everything that follows: enrolment, retention, and ultimately student success. 

As this work continues, the goal is not to lower standards but to remove unnecessary barriers, improve consistency, and create an admissions experience that reflects Selkirk College’s values: practical, supportive, and student-centred. When admissions work well, students don’t notice it at all—they simply feel welcomed, prepared, and ready for what comes next. 

Next week, we will explore stage three of the SEM cycle, yield, when students follow through on their commitment!