Transfer agreements will have a start date and may have an end date or may have no end date, which is also referred to as being "open-ended". This time period is called the "Effective Date" of the transfer agreement and refers to the what transfer credit will be granted during that period of time.

If you complete a course or program within the effective date of the transfer agreement, then you will receive the transfer credit set out in that transfer agreement.

For example, if you complete English 100 at Emily Carr University of Art & Design (EC) in 2013, the course-to-course search will result in 2 agreements. The Effective Date for the transfer agreement with Capilano University (CAPU) is open ended and will apply for a student who has taken EC's English 100 anytime after May 2003 to present day. The transfer agreement with College of New Caledonia (CNC) applies to the student who has taken EC's English 100 between January, 2005 to August, 2015.