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.
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, Recreation Therapy Aide Certificate, and Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma.
| Results | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| BVC Academic English 1 | Not accepted |
| BVC Academic English 2 | Minimum grade of Grade B- |
| Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) | 50 |
| Canadian Language Benchmarks | 8 in each strand (listening, speaking, reading, writing) |
| Duolingo | For programs starting prior to May 2024: 95 |
| For programs starting May 2024 or later: 110 | |
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 with minimum band score 6.0 |
| 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?
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 overall |
| 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.
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?
- What is the PTE A (Pearson Test of English Academic) test?
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*
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) | 6 in each strand or a combination of 6 and 7 |
| Duolingo | For programs starting prior to May 2024: 75 |
| For programs starting May 2024 or later: 85 | |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | 53 |
| IELTS Academic | 5.0 |
Stream 2 - Applying with English Language Proficiency only**
| English Test / Program | Minimum Required Score |
|---|---|
| Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) | 7 in each strand or a combination of 7 and 8 |
| Duolingo | For programs starting prior to May 2024: 95 |
| For programs starting May 2024 or later: 110 | |
| 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
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?
- What is the PTE A (Pearson Test of English Academic) test?
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 | 8in 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
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 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 |
| 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 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | 91 with minimum scores, Listening - 21, Reading - 22, Writing – 25, and Speaking -23 |
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
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 Nurses programs 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
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?
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
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?
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, Health Care Aide Certificate and Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma program.
