Admissions Policy

This Policy and related Procedures inform applicants of the principles, requirements and processes for admission to Vancouver Community College (VCC; the College) and to specific programs/courses. VCC will admit qualified applicants, both domestic and international, in a consistent, transparent and timely manner according to approved admission requirements of the College and/or program/course.

This Policy applies to all applicants and to all programs/courses offered by VCC.

Admission requirements are approved by Education Council and the Board of Governors in accordance with Section 23.1 of the College and Institute Act.

The College has related policies that may enhance or support enrolment decisions for student applicants who are Indigenous and/or have a disability and/or have non-traditional educational backgrounds.

1. VCC provides equality of access to the College and its programs/courses regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, criminal record, marital status, family status or disability.


2. VCC is committed to an admissions process that is fair, transparent, accessible, and timely.


3. The Registrar's Office is responsible for establishing, in consultation with Schools and Departments, institutional and program application periods.


4. The College will establish program/course admission requirements that seek to optimize student access and success; requirements can be academic and non-academic in nature.


5. Admission requirements and course pre-requisites should be reliable predictors of student success.


6. Admission requirements for programs are listed in the Program Content Guide (PCG). Pre-requisites for courses that are not part of a program are listed in the Course Outlines.


7. Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and others determined eligible by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to study in Canada are eligible to apply for admission. 


8. The Provincial Government establishes funded institutional enrolment targets for domestic students.


9. International students are required to meet IRCC regulations for studying in Canada. The College admits students on a first-qualified, first-admitted basis whereby students must satisfy all admissions criteria to establish eligibility and are then offered places by date of eligibility. Exceptions may include:
   
   
   
   1. programs/courses that use selective admissions processes to rank order qualified applicants; and
   
   
   2. returning students who apply to be readmitted (insert students) into a program at an advanced level, subject to availability of space.
   
   
   
   


10. To ensure that the College is not rejecting well qualified students because they have a non-traditional educational background, the College may use flexible admissions processes. 


11. In consultation with relevant internal and external parties, reasonable limits may be placed on international student enrolment on a program-by-program basis. Relevant external parties may include regulatory bodies such as the Industry Training Authority and/or Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada.


12. VCC encourages the admission of international students where such admissions do not displace domestic students, where unused capacity exists, or where the capacity can be increased.


13. Applicants are responsible for providing all required admission documents for their programs/courses as outlined on the College's website.


14. The College will provide a review mechanism for applicants who are not satisfied with an admissions decision.

Academic Admission Requirements

A list of courses, certifications or skills that students must present to be admissible to a program. These requirements are set to ensure that admitted students have the necessary knowledge and background to be reasonably assured of program success.

Other Admission Requirements

Program specific requirements other than academic admission requirements such as Criminal Record Check, proof of immunization, and CPR certification. Applicants should be aware of any non-academic requirements prior to entering a program. Refer to PCGs for a list of all program specific requirements.

Applicant

A person who has applied to a course or program and paid an application fee.

Cohort Program

A program of study in which students (cohort members) start a program together, collaboratively participate in the same courses and graduate together.

Conditional Acceptance

Acceptance offered before all admission requirements are met. Conditions must be met prior to commencing study.

English Language Proficiency

The ability to function in an instructional environment where the language of instruction is English, as dictated by the program or course. This is demonstrated through completion of previous education in English, an upgrading course or an assessment test. This is to ensure that the applicant has the ability to understand and communicate in English so that they are reasonably assured of having the capacity to be successful in their studies.

Equivalent

An alternate course or program of study that is similar to an academic admission requirement which can be presented instead of stated course requirements.

Flexible Admissions

Alternative admissions processes that are based on identifying, assessing and recognizing skills, knowledge, or competencies that have been acquired through previous education, work experience, non-credentialed training, independent study, volunteer activities, and hobbies. To ensure consistency and fairness, standardized evaluation practices will be used to assess an applicant's qualifications.

Insert Applicants

Refers to former VCC students who have been previously accepted into a program and who had to leave the program for health, lack of progression or other reasons; or students transferring with Prior Learning Assessment or transfer credit from another recognized institution. VCC students in non-cohort programs are not considered insert students when returning to their program of study and they must complete within the duration listed within the Program Content Guide.

International Student

Students who meet the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada Guidelines established for international students to be eligible to study in Canada. With a few exceptions, international students must have a valid study permit if they are taking a course of studies that will last for more than six months.

Official Transcript

The record of a student's academic history. To be considered official, transcripts must be in an institutionally sealed envelope and endorsed by the issuing institution or sent via secure electronic delivery by the issuing institution.

Pre-requisite

A course or other requirement necessary for registration into a specific course. It means that a student must have taken the course noted to ensure that they have the level of understanding and competency in order to complete the course which they are registering in.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Assessment by valid and reliable means and by a qualified specialist, of what an individual has learned outside of courses and programs. Assessment will normally result in credit (assigned or unassigned) being granted to satisfy the graduation requirements or pre-requisites of a program offered by the College.

Program Content Guide (PCG)

A curriculum document that contains the essential features of a program of study, such as: program name, purpose, number of credits, duration, program learning outcomes, admission requirements, grading system, course list, instructional strategies, evaluation of student learning, and the credential received upon completion.

Registered Student

A person who has been recorded within the Banner Student Information System as having been placed in a seat in a full-time or part-time credit or non-credit course offered by VCC.

Registration Area

The areas of the College responsible for registering students:
- Registrar's Office (RO)
- Continuing Studies (CS)
- International Education (IE)
- School of Instructor Education (SIE)

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.

Transfer Credit

The granting of credit for a course successfully completed at another formally recognized educational institution and/or through a professional organization or other agency and/or by recognized foreign credential assessment and/or by formal recognition of course equivalency in a VCC approved course outside the program area. Credit for such learning will be formally acknowledged and noted on a student's formal transcript.

Underage Applicants

For the purposes of this policy, underage domestic applicant refers to anyone under 16 years of age, and underage international applicant refers to anyone under 17 years of age.

Visiting Student

A student who is currently enrolled in a program of study at another recognized post-secondary institution, and who applies to complete specific course(s) at VCC for transfer credit back to their home institution.

• Admissions Review Form (available from Registrar's office)

• Flexible Admissions (302)
• Grading, Progression and Withdrawal (411)
• Granting of Credentials (412)
• Indigenous Education Enrolment (304)
• Prevention of Harassment, Discrimination, and Bullying (201)
• Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (316)
• Accommodation for Students with Disabilities (327)
• Tuition and Fees (310)

• ​Criminal Records Review Act, RSBC 1996, c 86


• Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c 210


• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27