- Grade 12 (High School Diploma) or equivalent Or Mature student status (19 years or more)
- Keyboarding test with a minimum typing speed of 40 gross words per minute
- English Language Proficiency
Students will need to submit a proof of English Language Competency by any one of the following options:
Option 1: Secondary Education English 11 with a minimum grade of “C” or higher. Evidence that three years of full-time secondary education (Grades 8-12) have been successfully completed in English in a country where English is one of the principal languages. This includes successful completion of a BC Adult Graduation program.
Option 2: Post-Secondary Education Evidence that two years of full-time post-secondary education have been completed in English at an accredited institution in a country where the language of instruction is one of the principal languages. Language development (ELL) courses cannot be included.
Option 3: Standardized Language Test Achievement of minimum scores on a recognized standardized language test. Test results be dated no more than two years before the start date of the program:
| Name of English language assessment/test | Minimum score(s)/level(s)* |
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic | Minimum overall score of 5.5 (no less than 5.0 in any module) |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) IBT | Minimum overall score of 46 |
| Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) | Minimum overall score of 40 |
| Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) | Listening 6, Speaking 6, Reading 5, and Writing 5. |
| Duolingo English Test (DET) | Minimum overall score of 95 |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic | Minimum overall score of 43 |
Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First exam (FCE)
Institutions may include other Cambridge Qualifications at a higher level (i.e., C2 Proficiency (CPE)). | Minimum overall score of
160 or “C” |
| Cambridge Linguaskill | Minimum overall B2 level |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | Minimum overall B2 level |
| The Michigan English Test (MET) | Minimum overall B2 level |
| iTEP Academic | Minimum overall score of 3.5 |
| EIKEN | Minimum placement of Grade Pre-1 |
(Validity period of these test results is two years.)
Accepted Countries for Prior Education The following countries are recognized for education completed in English:
| American Samoa | Dominica | Lesotho | St. Kitts & Nevis |
| Anguilla | Falkland Islands | Liberia | St. Lucia |
| – | Fiji | Malta | St. Vincent & the Grenadines |
| Australia | Gambia | Mauritius | Tanzania |
| Bahamas | Ghana | Montserrat | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Barbados | Gibraltar | New Zealand | Turks & Caicos Islands |
| Belize | Grenada | Nigeria | Uganda |
| Bermuda | Guam | Seychelles | United Kingdom |
| Botswana | Guyana | Sierra Leone | US Virgin Islands |
| British Virgin Islands | Ireland | Singapore | USA |
| Canada | Jamaica | South Africa | Zambia |
| Cayman Islands | Kenya | St. Helena | Zimbabwe |
Only graduates of BCSLS Approved MLA programs get preferential hiring by health authorities and Lifelabs in BC. Make sure that the MLA program you choose is BCSLS Approved. Medical Laboratory Assistant Program at Western Community College is approved by 
