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Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University

What do I need to get in?

Changes to the BC Curriculum

Current BC high school students will graduate under a new curriculum. See these changes in the Provincial Equivalency chart.

General Admission Requirements

TRU programs generally require BC high school graduation or equivalent. Exceptions to this requirement are shown in the program admission requirements.

You may have the equivalent of BC high school graduation if you have completed:

  • the BC Adult Graduation (Adult Dogwood) diploma, or previously the ABE Provincial diploma
  • the General Education Diploma (GED)

In some circumstances, certain programs may accept students without high school graduation under mature student status.

English language requirements

English is the language of instruction at TRU. You are expected to be able to demonstrate language proficiency. TRU will verify that applicants meet language proficiency requirements prior to admission.

If you don't meet your program's English Language requirement, you may meet and/or obtain the equivalency through additional coursework and/or approved English placement assessment:

Types of admission

Depending on the program, qualified applicants are admitted based on three admission processes:

Open (Non-Competitive) Admission: The number of students admitted into these programs is not limited. Programs have minimum admission requirements, but if you are missing a requirement, upgrading is possible.

Limited Admission: Only a limited number of students will be accepted into these programs each year. Admission decisions are made on a first-qualified basis.

Selective (Competitive) Admission: A select number of students are accepted into these programs each year. Your grades will be considered and you may be asked to submit letters of reference, attend an interview, and/or fill out a questionnaire. These programs have a set application deadline.

Program specific admission requirements

In addition to meeting the general admission requirements you will need to meet your program's specific admission requirements.

Provincial and other admission equivalents

TRU recognizes and acknowledges the differences between provincial education requirements.

You are considered to have the equivalent of BC high school graduation if you graduated from high school in:

  • Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario (after 2003), Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, or Yukon
  • Quebec, and have completed one full academic year at CEGEP

You are also considered to have the equivalent of BC high school graduation if you have completed the International Baccalaureate diploma program.

For program specific provincial admission equivalents, see the equivalency chart.

Alberta students note: TRU takes the blended final mark (diploma and course) for ELA 30-1, and for all other courses, we will take whatever grade is highest—diploma or course.

What if I don't meet program requirements?

If you don't meet the program specific admission requirements but do meet the general admission requirement (or equivalent), you can be accepted to a non-competitive admission program. You can upgrade any required courses for that program, or for a limited or competitive admission program.


Not sure what program to apply to?
One of our Future Students team members would be happy to chat with you.

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