Health Sciences

Admission

The following Health Sciences programs have special English language requirements. If your program is not listed here, please refer to the admissions requirements for your program and check the All Other Programs page for options.

Students who are applying to VCC’s Health Care Assistant program must meet specific English language requirements, as set by the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry. 

  1. Applicants who provide evidence of three years of full-time instruction in English* must also provide evidence of one of the following:
    • Completion of Grade 10 English with a minimum ‘C’ grade, or
    • Completion of college courses at a Grade 10 English level or higher, with a minimum ‘C’ grade, or
    • NG Accuplacer with the following scores:
      • Reading: 230
      • Writing: 230
      • WritePlacer: 4
  2. Applicants who do not have evidence of three years of full-time instruction in English must provide evidence of one of the following:
    • Canadian Language Benchmarks Placement Test (CLBPT) or CLBPT Remote taken within the last 1 year with the following scores. Note: VCC must verify your results with your assessment centre. Only verified results will be accepted.
      • Listening: 7
      • Speaking: 7
      • Reading: 6
      • Writing: 6
    • Canadian Language Benchmarks report card (CLB) dated within the last 1 year indicating completion of the following levels and recommended class placement levels. Note: VCC must verify your results with your report card provider. Only verified results will be accepted.
      • Listening: Completed – 7; Recommended class placement – 8
      • Speaking: Completed – 7; Recommended class placement – 8
      • Reading: Completed – 7; Recommended class placement – 8
      • Writing: Completed – 7; Recommended class placement – 8
    • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP General or CELPIP Online) taken within the last 2 years with the following scores:
      • Listening: 7
      • Speaking: 7
      • Reading: 6
      • Writing: 6
    • International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic, IELTS General, IELTS Academic Online, IELTS One Skill Retake (if using IELTS One Skill Retake, you must also submit the original score report) taken within the last 2 years with the following scores:
      • Listening: 6.0
      • Speaking: 6.0
      • Reading: 5.5
      • Writing: 5.5
      • Overall: 6.0
    • Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL or CAEL Online) taken within the last 2 years with the following scores:
      • Listening: 50
      • Speaking: 50
      • Reading: 50
      • Writing: 50
      • Overall: 60
    • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT, or TOEFL iBT Home Edition) taken within the last 2 years with the following scores:
      • For tests taken prior to Jan. 21, 2026:
        • Listening: 20
        • Speaking: 20
        • Reading: 18
        • Writing: 18
        • Overall: 76
      • For tests taken on or after Jan. 21, 2026
        • Listening: 4
        • Speaking: 4
        • Reading: 3.5
        • Writing: 3.5
        • Overall: 4
    • Occupational English Test (OET, computer-based exam. OET@home and paper are not accepted) taken within the last 2 years with the following scores:
      • Listening: 280 (C)
      • Speaking: 280 (C)
      • Reading: 250 (C)
      • Writing: 250 (C)
    • Pearson Test of English (PTE) taken with in the last 2 years with the following scores:
      • PTE Academic:
        • Listening: 40
        • Speaking: 40
        • Reading: 35
        • Writing: 35
        • Overall: 40
      • PTE Core:
        • Listening: 50
        • Speaking: 59
        • Reading: 42
        • Writing: 51

Applicants must provide a transcript and/or a BC personal education record as evidence of completion of a minimum of three years of full-time secondary (inclusive of grade 8) or post-secondary instruction in English. It is expected that the student has taken full time studies with a minimum of 18 credits per academic year (60% courseload). Documentation should indicate completion of a minimum of six semesters with a minimum of 54 credits in total. If an applicant completed all their education in Canada but is unable to provide records of three years of full-time instruction, the recognized HCA program may contact the Registry. In such situations, a Missing Records Attestation Form will be required.

Students who are applying to VCC’s Pharmacy Technician program must meet specific English language requirements.

Please choose the option below that applies to you.

Students who have graduated from a three-year high school, college, or university program located in Canada and taught in English, and who completed three consecutive English language courses (English as an additional language courses are not accepted):

  • English Studies 12 with a minimum ‘B’ grade, or equivalent 

When to use an equivalency: If you graduated from a three-year high school, college, or university program located in Canada and taught in English, and completed three consecutive English language courses, but you do not have English Studies 12 with a minimum ‘B’ grade, you can use an equivalency.

Students who have not graduated from a three-year high school, college, or university program located in Canada and taught in English may meet VCC’s Pharmacy Technician English language requirements by completing one of the following:

VCC Requirements English 12
‘B’
IELTS Academic/IELTS Academic Online
(IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted)
Scores are valid for 2 years.		 Listening: 7.0
Speaking: 7.0
Reading: 7.0
Writing: 6.5
The Occupational English Test (OET)
(paper, computer, and remote formats accepted)

Scores are valid for 2 years.		 Listening: B
Speaking: B
Reading: B
Writing: C+
(B = 350-440;
C+ = 300-340)

Students who are applying to VCC’s Access to Practical Nursing or the Practical Nursing programs must meet specific English language requirements.

Please choose the option below that applies to you.

Students who have completed three years* of full-time, face-to-face secondary or post-secondary education in an English-speaking country where English is the primary language of instruction may meet VCC’s English 12 ‘B’ and English Language Proficiency requirements by completing one of the following options:

*For example, a student who successfully completed 9 credits of post-secondary study in each of 2 terms in one year, and repeated this over 3 years may meet VCC’s standard for 3 years of full-time study. English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are not considered in the three-year calculation. Please contact an Academic Advisor if you have questions about meeting the three-year requirement.

VCC requirements English 12 ‘B’
VCC Provincial level ABE English 12 (ENGL 0981 and 0991) Minimum 72%
Technical and Professional English 12 (ENGL 0992) Minimum 72%
Academic English 12 or equivalent Minimum 73%
Completion of 3 credits of undergraduate English at a recognized post-secondary institution where English is the primary language of instruction. Minimum 64%

Students who have not completed three years of full-time, face-to-face secondary or post-secondary education in an English-speaking country where English is the primary language of instruction may meet VCC’s English 12 ‘B’ and English Language Proficiency requirements by completing one of the following courses AND one of the following assessments:
VCC Requirements English 12 ‘B’
VCC Provincial level ABE English 12 (ENGL 0981 and 0991) Minimum 72%
Technical and Professional English 12 (ENGL 0992) Minimum 72%
Academic English 12 or equivalent Minimum 73%
Completion of 3 credits of undergraduate English at a recognized post-secondary institution where English is the primary language of instruction. Minimum 64%
VCC ESL Pathways 9
Listening and Speaking 9 (ELSK 0915)
AND
Reading and Writing 9 (ESLK 0920)
AND
ESL Experiential Learning 2 (ELSK 0905)
[If completed before May 2023: ELSK 0915 & ELSK 0920]		 Satisfied
VCC ESL Pathways 8
Listening and Speaking 8 (ELSK 0815)
AND
Reading and Writing 8 (ELSK 0820)
AND
ESL Experiential Learning 1 (ELSK 0705)		 Satisfied
AND
Assessment English 12 ‘B’
CELBAN
Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses
In-person or online computer-based exam and virtual interview. Scores are valid for 2 years.		 Listening: 9.0
Speaking: 8.0
Reading: 8.0
Writing: 7.0
IELTS Academic/IELTS Academic Online/IELTS Academic One Skill Retake
Scores are valid for 2 years.		 Listening: 7.0
Speaking: 7.0
Reading: 6.5
Writing: 6.5
Overall: 7.0
Occupational English Test (OET)
Paper or computer-based exam. OET@home is not accepted.
Scores are valid for 2 years.
Scores from two tests can be combined if:
the tests were taken within 12 months, and
Listening and Speaking scores are no less than C+, and
Reading and Writing scores are no less than C		 Listening: 350 (B)
Speaking: 350 (B)
Reading: 330 (C+)
Writing: 320 (C+)

Indigenous Territory Acknowledgment

VCC is located on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples who have been stewards of these lands since time immemorial. As a place of learning, we are grateful to be here while committing to respecting and honouring Indigenous knowledge, cultures, and communities.