Upgrading


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Many entrants to post-secondary education find they need upgrading, since they may:

require a graduation certificate in order to enter an institution or program;
need higher grades on courses that are required for entrance to a specific program;
have finished high school some time ago and need to refresh their knowledge before beginning a new program.

If you don’t have all the courses you require to be accepted into a post-secondary program, you will probably have to complete those courses before you apply. Many colleges offer upgrading or college preparation courses. An advisor at the college will help you select courses.

Each college offers remedial, upgrading or developmental courses and programs for these lacking the requirements for direct admission to a program.

Successful completion of the Provincial Diploma is generally accepted by colleges and institutes for admission to post-secondary programs, provided the course prerequisites are met. Information on entrance requirements is provided by the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer.

For information on the recognition of the Adult Basic Education (ABE) diploma, check at the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology handbook on ABE.

You can search the British Columbia public post-secondary system for Basic Education and upgrading, or use the various search engines in the Program choices section to search for upgrading programs.

You can also check the entrance requirements into post-secondary programs by going directly to the websites for the individual institutions at the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer web site.

Open Learning Agency’s Career and College Preparation department delivers Adult Basic Education (ABE) from Grade 8/9 through Grade 12. The department serves those who want to upgrade or complete their high-school diploma with the convenience of home study. Because of open learning, students may enrol at any time. They have 30 weeks to complete a course.

Many school districts across the province have continuing education departments. Contact your local school or school district office for further information.

Note that most colleges and institutes also ask students to take entry tests to help assess their readiness for post-secondary courses, especially if they are lacking Grade 12 graduation.