Courses at Bow Valley College are primarily taught in Canadian English. To qualify for admission, learners 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.
Open the drop-down items below to check the requirements for your specific program of interest.
Duolingo Language Test
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting temporary closure of many IELTS testing centres around the world, Bow Valley College is making an addition to the English language requirement options for admission to post-secondary programs.
Effective immediately for the Spring 2021, Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 intakes, Bow Valley College will accept the Duolingo Language Test with scores at or above the following levels:
| IELTS Score | Duolingo Score | BVC Program |
| 6.0 | 95 - 100 | Most programs* |
| 5.5 | 85 - 90 | Recreation Therapy Aide Certificate |
| Minimum band score of 5.0 | 75 - 80 | Health Care Aide for English Language Learners |
*except Pharmacy Technician Diploma and Practical Nurse Diploma.
You can take the test here: englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants
SAIT
SAIT graduates who complete SAIT’s English Language Foundations (ELF) Level 5 (Communications 5 - COMN155 and Speech 5 - SPCH 155) with a minimum mark 75% or B will be recognized as satisfying English language proficiency requirements for the purposes of admission to a BVC program.**
SAIT ELF Level 5 students can also present a COMN 155 score + a CLBA 8 test score in lieu of SPCH 155 or present SPCH 155 score and a CLBA 8 test score in lieu of COMN 155.
**except the Pharmacy Technician Diploma and Health Care Aide Certificate program.
Requirements by Program
The English proficiency requirements listed in this section applies to all post-secondary programs, except Health Care Aide Certificate, Pharmacy Technician Diploma, Practical Nurse Diploma, and Recreation Therapy Aide Certificate.
| 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) |
| IELTS Academic |
6.0 with minimum band score 6.0 (Winter 2020 onward) |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE) A | 59-64 |
| TOEFL | 83 |
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. Click for more information.
OR: Transcripts demonstrating successful completion of one year of full-time post-secondary education at a school where English was the language of instruction
Test validity
CLB, IELTS Academic, and TOEFL results are valid for two years from the day of testing. Results that expire prior to the Start Date of the program cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
English Proficiency Tests
- What is IELTS Academic?
- What is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- What is the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test?
- What is the PTE A (Pearson Test of English Academic) test?
The English proficiency requirements for Health Care Aide certificate are:
| Health Care Aide |
|
|---|---|
| English test* / program | Minimum required score |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) | 7 in each strand |
| Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) | 7 general, with no section score below 6.0 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 overall, with no section score below 5.5 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)* |
71 |
|
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 |
|
Test validity
English test results are valid for two years from the day of testing. Results that expire prior to the start date of the program cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
English Proficiency Tests
- What is IELTS Academic?
- What is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- What is the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test?
The English proficiency requirements for the Health Care Aide for English Language Learners Certificate are:
| HECA for ELL |
|
|---|---|
| English test* / program | Minimum required score |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB)* | 6 or 7 in each strand |
| IELTS Academic* | Minimum band score of 5.0 |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE A)* | 36-41 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)* | 53 |
*Important Notes
Test validity
CLB, IELTS (Academic), PTE A, and TOEFL results are valid for two years from the day of testing. Results that expire prior to the Start Date of the program cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
English Proficiency Tests
- What is IELTS Academic?
- What is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- What is the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test?
- What is the PTE A (Pearson Test of English Academic) test?
The English proficiency requirements for Recreation Therapy Aide Certificate are:
| Recreation Therapy Aide |
|
|---|---|
| English test* / program | Minimum required score |
| BVC Academic English 1 | Minimum grade of Grade B- |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks | 7 in each strand |
| IELTS Academic | 5.5 with minimum band score of 5.0 |
| PTE A (Pearson Test of English) | 42-50 |
| 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 |
|
Test validity
CLB, IELTS (Academic) and TOEFL results are valid for two years from the day of testing. Results that expire prior to the Start Date of the program cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
English Proficiency Tests
- What is IELTS Academic?
- What is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- What is the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test?
- What is the PTE A (Pearson Test of English Academic) test?
Proof of English Proficiency is required for all Pharmacy Technician Diploma applicants who have not:
- Graduated from a high school in Canada with three consecutive, first language English courses/credit
OR
- Completed an undergraduate degree from a university in Canada, where instruction was provided in English
The English proficiency requirements listed in this section apply to the Pharmacy Technician Diploma program only.
English test* / program |
Minimum required score |
| BVC Academic English 1 |
Not accepted |
| BVC Academic English 2 | Not accepted |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks |
Not accepted |
| CanTEST* |
Minimum score of 4.5 in speaking, 4.0 in writing, 4.5 in reading, and 4.5 in listening |
| IELTS Academic* | 6.5 with minimum band score of 6.0 |
| MELAB* |
Overall score of 81, with a minimum score of 3+ in speaking, 80 in writing, 83 in reading, and 80 in listening |
| PTE A (Pearson Test of English)* | Not accepted |
| TOEFL* | 91 with minimum scores, Listening - 21, Reading - 22, Writing – 25, and Speaking -23 |
Important Notes
*Test validity
CLB, IELTS (Academic), MELAB, CanTEST, and TOEFL results are valid for two years from the day of testing. Results that expire prior to the Start Date of the program cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
English Proficiency Tests
- What is IELTS Academic?
- What is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
The English proficiency requirements listed in this section apply to the Practical Nurse Diploma and Practical Nurse for Internationally-Educated Nursesprograms only.
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* | Listening - 7.5, Reading - 6.5, Writing - 7.0, Speaking - 7.0 |
| PTE A (Pearson Test of English)* | Not accepted |
| TOEFL* | 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
*Important Notes
Test validity
CLB, IELTS (Academic) and TOEFL results are valid for two years from the day of testing. Results that expire prior to the Start Date of the program cannot be accepted. Official results must be submitted.
English Proficiency Tests
- What is IELTS Academic?
- What is TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- What is the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test?
