Did you know there are two routes you can take to enter a Canadian university?
The direct way: Heading to university right after high school graduation.
The alternative way: Students are able to explore their interests through first- and second-year university courses at a college and transfer to the second or third year of a Bachelor’s Degree program at a university.
This alternative route represents the University Transfer Program.
This article will go over what the University Transfer Program is, including how to transfer to a university, how to use the BC Transfer Guide, and more!
Our University Transfer Program is an option for students who don’t meet the admission requirements for direct entry to universities in BC after completing high school.
In these cases, the University Transfer Program provides an opportunity to get admitted into a Bachelor’s Degree program in the future. This is also an alternative for those students who have not yet decided on their academic and career goals.
Through the program, students will have the opportunity to explore their academic interests through first and second-year courses while studying at college.
Our Associate Degree programs also cover a variety of subjects and courses that help students figure out where their interests lie.
If you’re an international student concerned about your finances going into post-secondary, we offer competitive tuition rates to make sure that education is accessible for as many students as possible.
Post-secondary tuition prices may vary depending on the institution, program and courses.
However, college tuition fees are much more affordable for international students, opposed to the costs at a university.
Your first year with Alexander College could be one-half to one-third of the cost of the tuition at your intended university.
If you are an international student, everything is going to be new for you!
You might feel more comfortable in a smaller classroom, or you might need extra help since the requirements can be different from your home country.
At Alexander College, we offer services that will help you in your academic journey.
One of them is the Writing and Learning Centre. We provide one-on-one tutoring sessions for free. Tutors help students develop their skills in Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, English, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Academic Writing.
Alexander College also offers academic and emotional support through our Student Support Services.
If you’re feeling lonely or homesick, our Health and Wellness Counselors are there for you. All students may be eligible for up to 10 free, on-site, Health and Wellness counselling sessions per year.
Alexander College Student Association (ACSA) is another great opportunity to gain experience in a leadership role and make new friends, with clubs and events occurring monthly.
If you make sure you are on the right track for your academic goals, visit Academic Advising! Our Academic Advisors are happy to help with GPA calculations and more!
Alexander College also hosts University Transfer Fairs so students can be informed of the options available to them after graduation.
For more details on what services you can expect at Alexander College, check out our Student Support Services Wheel.
Are you worried that your TOEFL or IELTS score is not high enough to meet the University English Language Requirements?
Alexander College offers several first-year university-level English courses through our English as an Additional Language (EAL) program to give you the foundational skills you need.
By completing university-level English courses at Alexander College, you may be able to fulfill the English language requirements at the university of your choice, and you will no longer need to present an English proficiency test score, such as IELTS or TOEFL, when you complete your transfer.
However, the required number of English courses or the grade requirement for a specific course may differ depending on the institution you intend to transfer into.
We highly recommend talking to one of our Enrolment and Academic Advisors for information regarding your specific transfer requirements.
The BC Council on Admissions and transfer (BCCAT) has organized one of the best university transfer systems in all of Canada.
You only need to complete 24 credits to gain access to second-year entry to a wide range of universities in BC and if you complete 48 credits, you may even qualify for admission to third-year year studies.
Some universities in BC that you can transfer to include SFU, UBC, and KPU.
If a student has fewer than 24 credits to transfer, the university you’ve applied to will evaluate your eligibility on the basis of final secondary school grades and the college credits you’ve completed thus far.
We encourage you to explore the options available to you as a university transfer student here at Alexander College.
Alexander College students can transfer between college and university without concern for extending their studies or losing valuable credit hours.
However, to transfer to a university, you will need to meet the Admissions and Transfer requirements at your intended university and program.
From time to time, universities change their admission and transfer requirements without notice. That is why planning is a crucial part of this process.
At Alexander College, an Academic Advisor will build a personalized study plan for you according to your primary goals. If you want to have an idea of how these plans work, you can check out AC’s student plan examples.
There are many universities in British Columbia that you can transfer to from Alexander College.
Here are some examples of eligible universities
If you are planning to transfer to a university within British Columbia, we encourage you to visit BC Transfer Guide to find the list of transferable institutions or talk to an Academic Advisor today about your options.
Through this guide, you will be able to check which of your college courses are transferrable, and how they can be applied.
It is important to point out that if you want to transfer to universities in other provinces or countries (although you still might be able to do it) , you cannot use the BC Transfer guide to build your transfer study plan.
The transfer will be based on an internal evaluation of the institution you want to apply to.
With the BC Transfer Guide, you will be able to check what your credits will be worth, across more than 35 institutions of British Columbia.
See below on how to check if your credits are transferable using the BC Transfer Guide. The process is simple.
We hope that this article has helped shed some light on the University Transfer Program available at Alexander College. Contact us for further information using the form below and our team of Enrolment Advisors will guide you towards excellence!
University TransferAlexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.
Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.
+1 604-435-5815
4805 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
V5H 4T6 Canada
+1 604-435-5815
#101 - 4603 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
V5H 4M4 Canada
+1 604-681-5815
#100 - 570 Dunsmuir
Vancouver, BC
V6B 1Y1 Canada
