Admissions

Admissions Requirements

General Admissions Requirements

  • Domestic applicants (i.e. Canadian citizen, dependent of Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, Convention Refugee, Live in Caregiver, Diplomat, Official visa holder) must be 16 years of age or older or a graduate of a secondary school. (Some exceptions apply.)
  • International applicants (i.e. individuals who meet the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada Guidelines established for international students to be eligible to study in Canada) must be 17 years of age or older by the date the program starts.

Note: See 301: Admissions policy and procedures for more information.

Program Specific Admissions Requirements

  • Admission requirements for programs are listed on Program pages. 
  • Applicants are responsible for providing all required admission documents for their programs/courses as outlined on the College’s website.  

Note: For information on how to meet English language proficiency requirements, see the English Language Requirements page. 

Program Admissions Types

Selective Admissions

Admission of students to a program or course based on a departmental assessment, in addition to the minimum entrance requirements; or to a program where additional admission requirements over and above the College’s general admission requirements have been approved by the Education Council and the Board of Governors. Admission to a program is determined through a review of applications by the Department based on established criteria. Registration for selective admission programs can either be through open registration or limited enrolment (meaning there are a limited number of spaces or seats available in a program or course).* 

Standard Admissions

Admission to a program is performed on a first qualified, first accepted basis.*

*Note: Both selective and standard admissions programs designate two seats for Indigenous learners. See 304: Indigenous Education Enrolment policy and procedures for more information. 

Student Admissions Types

Standard Student Admission

For applicants who meet the standard admissions requirements.

Flexible Student Admission

Flexible admissions provides multiple pathways for students to be admitted to VCC beyond traditional admission requirements. This includes students with non-traditional educational backgrounds as well as pathways that will assist students with becoming admissible to other programs. The flexible admissions types are:

  • Mature Student Admission: For applicants who have not graduated from high school and are:

a. At least 19 years of age on the first day of their classes at VCC;

b. Able to demonstrate English Language Proficiency;

c. Able to present English 12 with a grade of 'C', or equivalent;

d. Able to provide any additional information requested from the applicant (e.g. resume, assessment test results, etc.) dependent on their program of choice to better determine admissibility. 

  • Open Studies Admission: For the purpose of taking individual courses which are not part of selective enrolment programs (e.g. University Transfer classes.). The student will not be admitted to an actual program but will be able to take individual classes for credit. These credits could be applied if the applicant was admitted to a specific program here at VCC or are potentially transferable. To be admitted as an Open Studies student, applicants must meet the following criteria: 

a. Submit an application and be able to demonstrate English proficiency; 

b. Students will then be able to register for any course where they can demonstrate they meet the pre-requisites and which is available to Open Studies students, provided space is available in the class; 

c. Students will be required to provide necessary documentation to show they have the required pre-requisites.  

  • Individual Flexible Admissions: For applicants who may have a non-traditional education background. A standing committee will determine whether the applicant possesses appropriate background and knowledge to be successful in their program of choice. To be admitted as an Individual Flexible Admissions student, applicants must submit the following:

a. An application along with a written request for Individual Flexible Admission and be able to demonstrate English proficiency;

b. Applicants will submit all appropriate documentation in support of their application to demonstrate mastery of required skills. This may include but not limited to official transcripts, original assessment results and other supporting documentation. 

  • Transfer Student Admission: For applicants who may or may not present all high school based admission requirements but have gone on to successfully complete some post- secondary education (e.g. Open Studies). To be considered for program admission utilizing this pathway, applicants would have to present the following:

a. Applicants will have to have successfully completed a minimum of 15 credits of transferable post secondary course work with a GPA of 2.00 on these courses.

b. Of this completed course work, students must present successfully complete courses in areas where they may lack high school entry requirements (e.g. English 12 could be replaced with ENGL 1101 or BIOL 12 could be replaced with BIOL 1100) with appropriate grades.     

  • Visiting Student Admission: For students from another recognized post secondary institution to come take specific classes at VCC for credit but that will be transferred back to their home institution for credit towards their program there. In order to be considered as a Visiting Student, applicants must present the following:

a. A completed application noting they wish to attend as a Visiting Student;

b. A Letter of Permission from their home institution which stipulates the course(s) the student is to take at VCC which will be recognized by their home institution.   

Note: See 302: Flexible Admissions policy and procedures for more information.