School District 18 is pleased to welcome students from various countries around the world to study in our schools. Students come to us in a variety of different ways; as new permanent residents, as children of parents with Work or Study permits, Exchange Students, or as tuition-paying students wishing to take advantage of our International Experience Program, or through the Provincial Nominee Program.

Regardless of how you arrive in Fredericton, New Brunswick, it is wise to be informed about the many aspects of our school district and city. You can do so by searching throughout our District website for information and location of all of our schools. Further, visiting the City of Fredericton website will give you a greater insight into our beautiful city.

Special Considerations

ACCEPTANCE - Acceptance is not guaranteed, so please apply early. All requested documents must accompany the application before it will be considered for acceptance. Not all schools will have the capacity to accommodate International Students and not all grade levels will be available. The second semester may have far fewer available seats than the first semester.

GRADE PLACEMENT - It should be clearly understood, before making application, that students will be placed in the grade level that corresponds to their age as of Dec 31 in the year in which they arrive, regardless of what grade level they are in or have accomplished in their own country. Many parents and children are nervous about immigration and feel the need to have placement in one grade lower. Our experience has shown that age appropriate grade level placement provides a very positive social environment with children of similar age and that the initial nervousness and concerns disappears very quickly. Exceptions will be granted to those students who should be in Grade 11 or 12 but lack the language skills to be successful with the high school "credit" programs necessary for acceptance into university. These students will be allowed to be placed in grade 10 courses or in some cases a split grade 10-11 considering their marks in other subjects.

KINDERGARTEN - Attendance in Kindergarten is compulsory for all children who reach the age of five years on or before September 1 of the given school year. Children who reach the age of five years between September 2 and December 31 of the given school year, inclusive, are eligible to begin Kindergarten in September, but attendance is not compulsory. Parents of these children may defer the entry into Kindergarten of these children until next September

SCHOOL PLACEMENT - Students are placed in schools that serve the area in which they will be living. Students will be accepted to the school that is requested on the application. However, if lodging is found in another area of the city the student will be required to attend the school in the area they have chosen to live. If, when a student arrives, no seats are available at their neighbourhood school, the district 18 reserves the right to transport that student to another school.

SCHOOL REGISTRATION - Newcomers and International Students are to register for school at School District 18 offices on Prospect Street, located at Fredericton High School. Once the student has a “School Permit” they can visits the school for course selection and schedules. Most schools will provide you with a list of school supplies required. Please bring passports, all immigration papers, Letters of Acceptance, and translated school documents when you come to register for school. We will require your local address, postal code, and telephone number, proof of medical insurance, and immunization papers. Immunization must meet New Brunswick standards.  . For those who struggle with English, you may wish to bring a representative as a translator at time of Registration. Arriving in Fredericton, approximately2-3 weeks before school begins will allow for registration and language assessment to occur before a student begins school.

LATE START - Students must begin classes at least 10 days from the start of the semester. Especially High School students, who may be in jeopardy of not having classes available to them if they start any later.

HEALTH INSURANCE - International Students are required to have supplementary health insurance that would cover prescriptions and medical expenses in case of injury. School District 18 will not be libel for these expenses during while an International Student is studying in our schools. Establish an appointment date for registration.

ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAMS - Upon registration, students will be assigned an appointment for English Language Assessment. Where indicated, ESL tutoring will be provided so that students can better advance in language development and be prepared to do academic work at their grade level. Students do not have the option of not taking ESL unless they have proven success with acceptable language standards. Typically, the ESL support will be approximately 30-60 minutes a day for an entire semester depending on the age of the child and will be delivered in small group format where possible. Additional language support will continue as long as on-going assessment of the student’s needs indicate the student requires more assistance. High School students must first pass a proficiency test to be allowed to enter into regular credited English courses in grade 11 or 12. It is important to have students be successful in grades 11 and 12 in preparation for university.

High School Graduation

Students expecting to graduate from a New Brunswick High school must complete all of the requirements for graduation for the Province of New Brunswick. Students must successfully complete grade 10 in order to advance to garde11 and 12 credits necessary for graduation. http://www.gnb.ca/0000/pol/e/316AA.pdf

Students who arrive at 17 or 18 with English skills too poor to challenge for grade 11 and 12 credits will be required to complete grade 10 first and based on District 18’s Language Assessment tests may be required to do additional ESL first. The entire process to graduation may take3-4 years. Older Students may wish to consider graduating from High School in their Home countries.

Please provide a current transcript, translated into English so that schools may evaluate each individual circumstance.

Newcomers

PERMANENT/TEMPORARY RESIDENTS - Individuals holding a Permanent or Temporary Resident Card are considered Newcomers and will be allowed free access to the public school system. Where possible we would ask that you call District 18 Office for an appointment to register. In some cases you may wish to bring a member of the Fredericton Multicultural Association or a translator to assist you. If possible, you are strongly recommended to enter school at the natural start points at the beginning of Semester One, Sept 1 or Semester Two, Feb 1. Arriving at another time in the semester does not guarantee you placement in your neighbourhood school and may require you being placed in another school. Also, many High School classes may be full which would result in you not receiving a full course load due to insufficient seats. If you are able to notify the school district, in advance, of your arrival it would assist in our placement of the student.

International Students

PERMANENT RESIDENTS - Individuals holding a Permanent Resident Card are considered Newcomers and will be allowed free access to the public school system. Regardless of how you have acquired the Permanent Resident Status, you are asked to call District Office for an appointment to register. In some cases you may wish to bring a member of the Fredericton Multicultural Association to assist you. If possible, you are strongly recommended to enter school at the natural start points at the beginning of Semester One, SEPT. 1 or Semester Two, Feb 1. Arriving at another time in the semester does not guarantee you placement in your neighborhood school and may require you being placed in another school. Also, many High School classes may be full which would result in you not receiving a full course load due to insufficient seats. If you are able to notify the school district, in advance, of your arrival it would assist in our placement of the student.

PARENT WORK PERMIT/STUDY PERMIT - Children of parents who have authorization to work or study in Canada are considered International Students but tuition may not be charged in certain cases. This waiver of tuition may be granted to children of parents who are attending degree granting programs at accredited institutions such as University or Community Colleges. Enrollment of a parent in a private language school will not waive the tuition for their children when attending District 18 schools. Complete the application form and submit to School District 18 International Students office.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE - Foreign Exchange students are sponsored by a variety of agencies or service groups. There is no tuition. Please note that no English as a Second Language development program will be offered to these students. They must be proficient in English sufficient to meet the academic requirements of the grade level in which they will be studying. Additionally, the names of students wishing to enter New Brunswick as well as the exchange student leaving New Brunswick must be registered, by the agent, with the provincial Department of Education. Additionally, an application form for Exchange programs is to be done through International Student Exchange agents and submitted to School District 18 International Students Office.  

International Students

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
The International Experience Program is for students who wish to come to our schools solely for the purpose of education and living a truly International Experience completely different from their native country. This is a fee for service program which calls for a semester by semester payment of tuition.
 Students who are in grade 10-11-12 and who have a functional capacity to take classes in English and receive credit without the assistance of any ESL programming are invited to apply. In the incident where an applicant does require ESL programming there would be an additional charge.
Acceptance is dependant upon availability of seats. Applying for Acceptance to semester one, beginning in Sept., will provide greater flexibility than Semester 2 requests application form
New immigration policy allows for students to attend school on Visitors Permit rather than Study Permit as long as the program they attend  is 6 months or shorter.

PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM
 Students whose parents are registered in the province of New Brunswick’s Provincial Nominee Program  but wish to  attend school before they receive their Permanent Residence are considered INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS and  must complete an application form to be accepted in to school and pay tuition.

Students DO NOT require the assistance of an Educational Broker to complete this transaction.  Simply complete the application form, provide the necessary documents and pay the tuition upon invoice. Then all immigration and travel, custodial and living arrangements are your responsibility.

However, if you use the services of an Educational Broker, Settlement Worker, or Custodian, School District 18 will reserve the right to deal only with the applicant, the broker, Settlement worker or the custodian, but not all four.
                         
International Students are required to pay tuitions in the amount of $10,062 CAD for the academic school year

Tuition for One Semester is $5,031 CAD.

A non-refundable $200 administrative fee will be added to the invoice upon acceptance.                
                                             
WHEN CAN I APPLY?

Semester One:   (School starts on the first Tuesday after Sept 1)       
                          We accept applications beginning:  March 15th
                          Application deadline:  May 30th

Semester Two: (School begins late January or early February)
                          We accept applications beginning:  September 15th
                          Application deadline:  November 15th 

The application could take between 2 - 3 weeks to be processed.
                       
HOW TO APPLY.
Step 1:
Complete the application form (Microsoft Word RTF ) and send it via courier, e-mail, or fax to the address indicated on the form (IT MUST BE TYPED).
attach the documents requested on the form and send by Courier or fax.

Step 2:
Our office will notify Applicants of any missing documents to support the application OR an invoice will be issued for immediate payment.

Step 3:
Applicant must send, via courier, a cheque or money order made payable to the MINISTER OF FINANCE in the full amount of the  invoice to School District 18.

Step 4:
Upon receipt of payment School District 18 will issue , by fax with a copy to follow by courier or mail, a Letter of Acceptance, Letter to Immigration and an Official Receipt.
         
HOME STAY                      
 School District 18 does not provide any form of Home Stay program. Individuals or Brokers must look after that service themselves.  However, District 18 may be able to provide the names of private home stay coordinators if requested.

For more information or questions about International Students and programs, please contact us at: ED18.international.students@nbed.nb.ca