University of Guelph Establishes Admission Pathway with International School for Agriculture Program

As a world leader in agriculture research and education, the University of Guelph is committed to advancing agriculture science both nationally and globally.

As part of this, U of G is establishing a new admission pathway for agriculture science students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab, India. This pathway will allow students who begin their agricultural science degree at LPU to complete their bachelor of science (agriculture) at U of G. All students in the pathway will need to meet the University of Guelph’s admission requirements, as is standard in pathway agreements. The pathway will start in fall 2025 with an initial cohort of five to 10 students and it’s anticipated the number of students will gradually expand in the coming years according to program capacity.

“We’re thrilled to work with LPU, a highly regarded agricultural science university, to bring some of their best and brightest students to U of G,” says Dr. Stuart McCook, assistant vice-president (international). “This pathway is one of the ways we’re bringing global talent to our campus, and in turn sharing U of G’s specialized expertise to the rest of the world. This pathway will amplify our impact on worldwide sustainable agriculture.”

LPU is a globally recognized university, ranked by the Government of India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Its agriculture program is accredited by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. As part of the pathway development process, U of G faculty have rigorously assessed LPU’s agriculture program curriculum to ensure consistent academic standards between the two universities.

The admission pathway was developed by the Ontario Agricultural College, and approved by the bachelor of science (agriculture) program committee, the Board of Undergraduate Studies and the University’s Senate. It follows a similar model to the pathway for associate diploma in agriculture students at the U of G Ridgetown campus to obtain a bachelor of science in agriculture from U of G.

“The admission pathway will help make U of G a destination of choice for students from around the world and help foster a diverse and rich campus environment for learning and discovery,” says Dr. Byron Sheldrick, associate vice-president (academic). “Currently international students make up approximately five per cent of our student population and we will continue to take a responsible and thoughtful approach to the way we grow our international student population.”