CEGEP

CEGEP ( /seɪˈʒɛp/ SAY-zhep or /ˈsiːdʒɛp/ SEE-jep; French: Cégep; also CÉGEP, Cegep or Cégep) is an acronym for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, known officially in English as a "General and Vocational College". It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the education system in the province of Quebec in Canada. It is a loanword from French.

Although all colleges in Quebec are colloquially referred to as CEGEPs, only public colleges are officially referred to by that name. Both public (CEGEPs) and private colleges have the same function in Quebec. Although they may occasionally be compared to junior colleges, CEGEPs differ in that a Diploma of College Studies (or Diplôme d'études collégiales, DEC) is required for university admission in Quebec unless a student enters as a mature student which typically means a minimum age of 21 with other requirements. Pre-university programs are typically two years in duration, which explains why secondary school and undergraduate degrees are both one year shorter in Quebec relative to elsewhere in Canada. A student in Quebec cannot enter university with a secondary diploma from Quebec alone.

The purpose of a separate collegiate education level is to make post-secondary education more accessible in Quebec, as well as to provide proper academic preparation for university. There are both public subsidized and private colleges, with the public CEGEPs having little or no tuition fee. The CEGEP system was started in 1967 by the Quebec provincial government and originally consisted of 12 CEGEPs. Today, 48 CEGEPs exist in Quebec, of which 5 are English language-medium. There are also 50 private colleges, including 6 English-medium colleges. Today, there are some Centre d'études collégiales, a small public post-secondary education college very similar to a CEGEP. They are often a campus of another CÉGEP, like the Centre d'études collégiales à Chibougamau, part of the Cégep de Saint-Félicien.

Read more about CEGEP:  Education Path, Programs