External Credentials
In light of the system-wide review of education currently taking place in British Columbia and the high probability that the External Credential process will see significant changes and expansion, no new external credentials will be considered until this review is complete.
More information about the transformation of British Columbia’s graduation program can be found here.
An external credential course is an organized set of learning outcomes resulting in a credential developed or offered outside the British Columbia school system and taken inside or outside the regular classroom setting (e.g., BC Conservatory of Music). Students may earn credit towards graduation for external credentials approved by the Ministry for this purpose. Some courses may count for credit towards "Required Courses" (Fine Arts or Applied Skills) while others may count towards the required number of "Elective Courses". External credentials may also count toward credit for the Adult Graduation Diploma provided they are 4-credit courses at the Grade 12 level.
The date an external credential was earned can be earlier than the date when the credit is reported to the Ministry (e.g., a credential earned at age 14 or 15 qualifies for Grade 11 or 12 credit). An external credential must be assigned either a letter grade and percentage or "Transfer Standing" (TS).
Approved external credentials and their course codes can be found in the Course Registry and organization contact information can be found on the Organizations offering approved external credentials page.
Key Resources
- Course Registry
- External Credential Organizations
- External Credential Sports Program
- Earning Credit through Equivalency, Challenge, External Credentials, Post-Secondary Credit and Independent Directed Studies Policy
- Questions and Answers
Associated Resources
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