Bow Valley College teaches courses in Canadian English. To qualify for admission, all applicants must demonstrate their language proficiency, typically through their high school or college/university transcripts, or through a test of English language proficiency, depending on the individual program.
Requirements for most programs
These requirements apply to all post-secondary programs except Health Care Aide Certificate, Pharmacy Technician Diploma, Practical Nurse Diploma, Recreation Therapy Aide Certificate, and Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma, which have unique requirements listed below.
| Results | Minimum required score |
|---|---|
| BVC Academic English 1 | Not accepted |
| BVC Academic English 2 | Minimum grade of Grade B- |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks | 8 in each strand (listening, speaking, reading, writing) |
| Duolingo | 110 |
| TOEFL | 83 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 with minimum band score 6.0 |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE) A | 59 - 64 |
Or one of:
- successful completion of an Alberta Education English Language Arts course that is consistent with the specified academic admission requirements for the Career Program,
- transcripts demonstrating successful completion of three (3) years of full-time secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction,(view more information),
- transcripts demonstrating successful completion of one (1) year of full-time post-secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction.
Requirements for other programs
Candidates for Health Care Aide Certificate where English is a second language must meet the English language proficiency requirement in addition to the Academic requirement. Equivalencies are as follows:
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) | 7 in each strand |
| Duolingo | 95 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 overall, with no section score below 5.5 |
| TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) | 71 |
| Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) | 7 in each area of listening, reading, writing and speaking |
| Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) | 7 general, with no section score below 6.0 |
OR: Three (3) years of full-time secondary education at a Canadian high school where the primary language of instruction was English
OR: Two (2) years full-time study at a recognized post-secondary institution in Canada where the primary language of instruction was English
OR: By presenting a Canadian high school equivalency diploma (i.e. General Education Development test or GED).
These regulations are adapted from the Government of Alberta "HCA Curriculum (2019) Road Map" dated July 2022 and are not set by Bow Valley College.
The English proficiency requirements for the Health Care Aide for English Language Learners Certificate program are:
Stream 1 – Applying with English Language Arts 20-1 or equivalent
Applicant meets the English 20-1 or equivalent requirement for the health care aide program but does not have English language proficiency.
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) | 6 in each strand or a combination of 6 and 7 |
| Duolingo | 85 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | 53 |
| IELTS Academic | 5.0 |
Stream 2 - Applying with English Language Proficiency only
Applicant meets English Language Proficiency for the health care aide program but does not have English 20-1 or equivalent.
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) | 7 in each strand or a combination of 7 and 8 |
| Duolingo | 95 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 overall, with no section score below 5.5 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | 71 |
| Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) | 7 in each area of listening, reading, writing and speaking |
| Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) | 7 general, with no section score below 6.0 |
OR: Three (3) years of full-time secondary education at a Canadian high school where the primary language of instruction was English
OR: Two (2) years full-time study at a recognized post-secondary institution in Canada where the primary language of instruction was English
The English proficiency requirements for the Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma are:
| English Test* / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| BVC Academic English 1 | Not accepted |
| BVC Academic English 2 | Minimum grade of B |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks | 8 in each strand |
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 with minimum band score of 6.0 |
| PTE A (Pearson Test of English) | 59-64 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | 84 with no section score below 21 |
OR: Successful completion of an Alberta Education English Language Arts course that is consistent with the specified academic admission requirements for the Career Program
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of three years of full-time secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of one year of full-time post-secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
English proficiency requirements for Pharmacy Technician are changing, pending approval of the college's Board of Governors, to comply with 2024 National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities standards. These changes increase IELTS Academic requirement, remove the TOEFL exam, and introduce the Occupational English Test. Applicants for September 2025 will be evaluated on the following:
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Reading: 7.0 Listening: 7.0 Speaking: 7.0 Writing: 6.5 |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | Reading: B Listening: B Speaking: B Writing: C+ |
| BVC Academic English 1 | Not accepted |
| BVC Academic English 2 | Not accepted |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks | Not accepted |
| PTE A (Pearson Test of English) | Not accepted |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | Not accepted |
OR: Graduation from a Canadian high school with three years of study including three English language arts courses.
OR: Graduation from a Canadian college, university, or CEGEP with three years of study including three English language arts courses.
The English proficiency requirements listed in this section apply to the Practical Nurse Diploma program only.
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| BVC Academic English 1 |
Not accepted |
| BVC Academic English 2 | Minimum Grade of B |
| CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) |
8 in each strand |
| CELBAN (Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses) | Listening - 9; Reading - 8; Writing - 7; Speaking - 8 |
| IELTS Academic | Listening - 7.5; Reading - 6.5; Writing - 7.0; Speaking - 7.0 |
| TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) | 92 |
OR: Successful completion of an Alberta Education English Language Arts course that is consistent with the specified academic admission requirements for the Career Program
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of three years of full-time secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of one year of full-time post-secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
The English proficiency requirements for Recreation Therapy Aide Certificate are:
| English Test* / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| BVC Academic English 1 | Minimum grade of Grade B- |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks | 7 in each strand |
| Duolingo | For programs starting prior to May 2024: 85 |
| For programs starting May 2024 or later: 95 | |
| IELTS Academic | 5.5 with minimum band score of 5.0 |
| PTE A (Pearson Test of English) | 42-50 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | 71 |
OR: Successful completion of an Alberta Education English Language Arts course that is consistent with the specified academic admission requirements for the Career Program
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of three years of full-time secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of one year of full-time post-secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
English language test results are valid for two (2) years from the day of testing. Results that expire before the program start date cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
The Duolingo test and SAIT course marks are recognized by the Registrar's Office under special acceptance §5.1.3 of the Procedure 500-1-2 "Admissions Procedure."
To learn more about a specific English language test and where it is offered, you may visit these external pages:
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): https://www.ets.org/toefl
- IELTS (International English Language Testing Service): https://www.ielts.org
- Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): https://www.language.ca
- Duolingo: https://englishtest.duolingo.com
- Pearson Test of English (PTE): https://www.pearsonpte.com
- Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN): https://www.celbancentre.ca
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): https://www.celpip.ca
- Occupational English Test (OET): https://www.occupationalenglishtest.org
