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 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 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: 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.

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 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

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

 


Prospective student contact information

Welcome Centre
South Campus (First Floor)
345 6 Avenue SE, Calgary AB, T2G 4V1
Phone: 403-410-1402 or 866-428-2669
Email: info@bowvalleycollege.ca
Hours of service


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