English CEGEPs in Quebec: The New French Requirements
Dawson, Vanier, John Abbott — since August 2023, whether you take a French or an English exit exam to graduate depends on a document called the eligibility certificate, not on which CEGEP you attend.
Anyone can enroll — but not everyone graduates the same way
At the CEGEP level, any student eligible to study in Quebec can register for an English-language program (AEC or DEC) — there's no eligibility test to simply enroll. What changed with Bill 96 is what happens between enrollment and graduation, and it depends entirely on one document: the déclaration d'admissibilité (eligibility certificate for English-language instruction).
The exit exam: French or English depends on the certificate
This is the detail that catches people off guard: attending Dawson, Vanier, or John Abbott doesn't by itself determine which language exam you'll need to pass. The eligibility certificate does.
Who qualifies for the eligibility certificate
Broadly: children who would have qualified for English-language schooling under Quebec's Charter of the French Language — generally because a parent (or the student themselves) completed the majority of their own elementary or secondary schooling in English in Canada. This is decided long before CEGEP, usually during elementary or secondary school, through your school board or school. Getting the certificate on file — even when it isn't strictly required for your situation — protects related rights: receiving communications and government services in English, passing on English-schooling eligibility to your own children later, and it can matter for university applications afterward.
Enrollment caps at English institutions
English CEGEPs and colleges now operate under an enrollment cap on the total number of students they can admit, and must prioritize students holding the eligibility certificate when allocating spots. In practice, this means a student without the certificate applying to an English CEGEP is competing for a comparatively smaller number of remaining places than before — worth factoring into your application timeline and backup plans.
If you're a recent mover from another province
Children who attended an English-language school in another Canadian province in the school year immediately before moving to Quebec are generally eligible for the certificate themselves (and can pass eligibility to siblings) — this is one of the more commonly used provisions for interprovincial movers. If this describes your situation, apply for the eligibility certificate as early as possible; processing isn't instant, and having it on file before CEGEP applications open avoids scrambling later.
For the rest of your move
If you're moving to Quebec from elsewhere in Canada more broadly, our guide to the tax and cost-of-living shock and our SAAQ driver's license exchange guide cover the rest of the administrative transition.