A UPEI student complained that they were unfairly denied admission to the Co-op Program. Despite the student’s high academic performance and demonstrated skills, UPEI offered positions to applicants with lesser qualifications who, the university concluded, were able to benefit more from the program. The student believed this was unfair.
While UPEI had the discretion to offer the placements that it did, publicly available information about the program suggested that entry was merit-based. To provide clarity for future applicants, UPEI updated its website to clarify that factors other than merit can determine acceptance into the co-op program.