ARUCC Groningen & Student Mobility Project

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Advancing Student Mobility through Trusted Data Exchange

- Creating Change that Matters for Mobile Learners -

ARUCC and its project partners, the Pan-Canadian Council on Admissions and Transfer (PCCAT), the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO), and the Canadian Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (CanPESC) User Group, are working collaboratively to create transformative change for Canadian post-secondary students, institutions, and partners. At its core, the Project seeks to create change that matters for learners and Canadian post-secondary institutions.

The Project focuses on improving official academic document and data sharing and exchange to advance learner access and mobility into, between, and beyond Canadian higher education.

The plan involves two parts:

Creating a way for learners to view, curate, and share their credentials and documents whenever and with whomever they want
Creating national level, official document and data exchange capacity for Canadian post-secondary institutions to enhance services provided for students - This involves establishing direct connections to trusted institutions and organizations across Canada and around the world.

How does the Project intend to do all this?

By developing a National Network for Canadian learners, post-secondary institutions, and transcript hubs that supports official, permission-based, academic document and related data sharing and exchange.

In 2015, ARUCC became a signatory to the Groningen Declaration Network which seeks to achieve student mobility through international data mobility. PCCAT and other Canadian institutions and organizations joined as signatories in 2019. This Project represents one way that ARUCC and its partners are realizing the goals of the Groningen initiative and supporting the mobile learners of today and tomorrow.

Explore the Project's pdf social mobility brochure and Case for Change site for more information. Visit our Consultation site on a regular basis to stay updated about the Project.

ARUCC Design Work V7 main overview of the project

Project Principles

Maintaining a student focus and supporting student mobility into, between, and beyond Canadian higher education institutions
Focusing on priorities and activities that advance improvements and enhancements to student mobility through digitization and trusted data portability
Ensuring the network remains informed by research, consultation, and outcomes that are evidence-based and future focused
Respecting provincial and territorial regulatory frameworks and institutional and provincial/territorial autonomy and authority
Complementing the work of the existing provincial student application centres and data exchange hubs supporting Canadian post-secondary institutions
Encouraging collaboration with core partners including PCCAT, CUCCIO, and CanPESC

Moving Forward with the Project - Current activities:

Establishing the legal and purchasing framework to support the RFP process

These activities include establishing and working with a new national RFP Review Committee to support the work of the Project Steering Committee. It is being co-chaired by Charmaine Hack (Registrar, Ryerson University; ARUCC’s past president; Chair of the Project Steering Committee) and Brian Stewart (Deputy CIO, University of Alberta; member, Project Steering Committee; Chair, Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers). The Committee includes leaders from across Canada with expertise in a range of areas including purchasing, registrarial business processes, IT system design and data architecture, data privacy, identity management, service agreements and warranties, licensing, and more. ARUCC directors are formally represented on both the RFP Review Committee and the Steering Committee.

ARUCC, its partners, and the Project Steering Committee are pleased to announce the hiring of the legal firm, Field Law with offices across Canada including in Alberta, the location of ARUCC’s head office. Field Law is a national firm with close to 200 lawyers with expertise in a range of areas including in IT, large-scale system contracts, and emerging technology.

Gratitude is extended to these many individuals for their support of this important project.

Questions about the RFP process prior to launch should be directed to the Project's Executive Lead, Joanne Duklas (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Continuing the governance consultation
Continuing to engage the higher education community and government in the project
Continuing fundraising efforts
Continuing to seek out endorsements for the project

Looking Back

Spring/Summer 2019 - The national Technical Advisory Commitee (TAC) completed its work of reviewing and finalizing the technical aspects of the RFP for the National Network. Our thanks goes to the more than 10 experts from across Canada and internationally who participated in this effort. TAC members remain on call to support the project as it continues forward.

Fall/Winter 2018/19 - Project endorsements arrive from Universities Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada, the Canadian Federation of Students, and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance - Close to 80 provincial, national, and international institutions, organizations, and government entities now endorse the national network.

December 2018 - the national bilingual survey captures feedback from Canadian higher education experts to inform a broader understanding of current practices, constraints, and opportunities for a national network

June 2018 - ARUCC members unanimously endorse creation of the national data exchange network

Have Questions or Need More Information?

Contact any member of the Steering Committee or the Executive Lead, Joanne Duklas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Interested in having your institution or organization endorse or provide funding support for the Project?

We have created a one-page project brief to help you with this: available online