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Admissions

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements vary from school to school within Pacific Rim College. For admissions information specific to each school and program, please click on the appropriate program under our Faculties and Programs page.

Selection Factors

Pacific Rim College is committed to providing the highest quality education in complementary and integrative medicines. Admission into all programs is competitive. As a result, exceptional academic performance and social skills are assets for applicants. However, the most critical selection factor is a student's passion for learning and improving the lives of others.

Application Deadlines

Pacific Rim College is currently accepting applications for enrolment in the 2012 and 2013 academic years. PRC uses a rolling admissions policy, accepting applications at all times, however, some programs do have deadlines for guaranteed consideration. Please see the appropriate Faculties and Program page for specific application dates.

Application Package

Students can now apply for admission into PRC via a printable application or by using our new online application. To request an application package or for admissions queries, email admissions@pacificrimcollege.ca. To download an application package or to apply online, please click on the link below.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are welcome to apply for admission into the following programs at PRC: Diploma of Acupuncture (and Oriental Medicine), Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Diploma of Phytotherapy.

Diploma of Phytotherapy
Phytotherapy transfer students must submit a Prior Learning Assessment application prior to enrolment in order to have transfer credits evaluated. A credit transfer fee of $20 per credit applies.

Diploma of Holistic Nutrition
Holistic Nutrition transfer students must submit a Prior Learning Assessment application prior to enrolment in order to have transfer credits evaluated. A credit transfer fee of $20 per credit applies.

Natural Health Program
Natural Health Program students must submit a Prior Learning Assessment application prior to enrolment in order to have transfer credits evaluated. No elective course requirements can be satisfied with transfer credits. A credit transfer fee of $20 per credit applies.

Diploma of Acupuncture (and Oriental Medicine)
Students who have earned credits in another recognized Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine program in Canada, USA, Australia, and the UK (schools from other countries will be evaluated on case by case basis) can easily transfer into the School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at PRC. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine transfer students only need to complete the equivalent of one year of coursework at PRC to be eligible to receive a diploma, and all eligible credits will be transferred for a total transfer fee of $150. Students do not need to submit a Prior Learning Assessment but will instead have credits evaluated automatically upon submission of a completed Application for Admission.

Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Students who have completed a 4-year Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine program conparable to that at PRC can apply for admission directly into the Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine program without needing to transfer any credits. Students who have not yet completed a 4-year program are subject to the same transfer policies as indicated for the Diploma of Acupuncture above.

For further details regarding transfer credits, including course eligibility, please see Admission Policies below. 

Non-Matriculating Students

Students who wish to take courses at PRC without enrolling in any particular program are welcome to do so as non-matriculating students. Any student who pursues this study route must complete a Program/Course Registration Form. Provided that a student has satisfied course prerequisites, he or she is eligible to enrol in virtually any diploma program course. Enrolment priority is given to program students, and full course tuition is due at time of course registration. Any student who has previously been denied admission into any program at PRC must receive written permission from PRC Administration before enrolling as a non-matriculating student. PRC reserves the right to academically dismiss any non-matriculating student who knowingly or blatantly interferes with the learning of other students.

Financial Information

Tuition
Tuition varies from program to program within PRC. For tuition specific to your program of interest, please visit the appropriate Faculties and Programs page.

Student Loans
Canadian students are eligible to apply for Canada Student Loans for all programs at PRC except for the Japanese Acupuncture Certificate Program.

British Columbia residents can apply for student loans online through StudentAid BC by clicking here. Students can also pick up a paper application from PRC or any other academic institution registered with Canada Student Loans.

For non-British Columbia residents, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca for information about Canada Student Loans.

Scholarships and Bursaries
PRC offers scholarship programs to full-time students who qualify. Students must satisfy minimum criteria to be eligible for any financial reward. Please visit our Financial Aid page for more information.

Admission Policies

Acceptance

Following successful completion of the application process, a formal letter of acceptance will be sent to each student. Applicants may be required to complete an interview process prior to acceptance.

Deposit

All successful candidates for admission must pay a non-refundable deposit to ensure a space in the entering class into which they have been accepted. The deposit is credited towards the student's first semester tuition and will not be carried over to subsequent semesters should the student decide to defer admission. The College holds the authority to, without notice, offer another student the enrolment position of an accepted applicant if the enrolment deposit has not been paid within the required time frame.

Enrolment Deferral

Applicants who have accepted their offer of admission may choose to defer admission until the next immediate enrolment period. The admission committee will review each written request for deferral and may accept or deny the request. Students who are accepted for deferral must pay the tuition deposit for the academic year for which they originally applied and also the academic year for which they actually enrol.

Transfer Credits

Students who have completed credits at another recognized college or university may apply for credit transfer only at the time of initial enrolment. For transfer credit consideration, a student must submit a Prior Learning Assessment application and all official transcripts indicating successful completion of relevant coursework with a passing grade of 70% or better. No distance education or correspondence course credits will be considered. At the Dean's discretion, a student may also be required to submit additional course information such as a course catalog description and syllabus. If the Dean determines that transfer credit will not be given for a particular course, the student may be required to prove competency via an examination challenge (see below) or may apply for a credit exemption. There is a transfer fee (see Academic Fees) for all credit that is evaluated and accepted as transferable. Transfer credit will be indicated with a grade of T on transcripts but will not factor into a student's grade point average.

Examination Challenge

Students who have previous coursework or experience in a particular course of study, but are not eligible for transfer credit, may apply for course credit via an examination challenge. Challenged Examination (CE) credit will be awarded to a student who successfully challenges the competency examinations for a course without actually taking the course. Any course may only be challenged once. The maximum amount of CE credit that a student can earn is 180 hours. All examination challenges are subject to a fee (see Financial Policies).

Readmission

Students must reapply for admission if they interrupt registration for one or more calendar years and were not academically dismissed at the conclusion of the last semester of attendance.