Bow Valley College Health Care Aide international tuition and entry

CALGARY · CERTIFICATE

Health Care Aide
Bow Valley College

Bow Valley's Health Care Aide certificate is changing curricula. January and May 2027 use Provincial Curriculum 2019; September 2027 onward uses Provincial Curriculum 2026. The nine-course sequence below is the published 2019 route and should not be used as the later cohort's course plan.

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Bow Valley College buildings seen from Calgary Central Library
Uzoma Ozurumba · CC BY-SA 4.0
CredentialCertificate
Published duration2 Terms
Program credits36
International tuition estimate$20,4052026-27 rates · Additional fees apply
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Match the curriculum and requirements to your intake

Applications received from May 15, 2026 use the updated academic and digital-literacy requirements. The currently captured course data remains the 2019 curriculum, while the college announces the 2026 curriculum for September 2027 onward. Confirm the later course map and cohort-specific language requirements directly before using the older sequence to choose that intake.

YOUR STUDY BUDGET

Plan the tuition by term

Published 2026-27 estimates are a planning reference. They are not a price guarantee for a later intake.

International tuition

Study period Estimated tuition
Term 1 $10,194
Term 2 $10,211
Total of displayed terms $20,405

The table uses the college’s whole-dollar term estimates. Mandatory fees are additional. This planner also leaves books, equipment and other personal costs for you to budget separately.

Check the college's fee schedule ↗

Make a tuition plan

Selected tuition
$10,194
Application payment
$150
Your living estimate
$0
Planning subtotal
$10,344

This subtotal includes only the selected tuition, one application and your entered living estimate. It excludes mandatory fees and other unentered costs. Enter living costs in the same dollars as the college's tuition.

When applying$150

One international career-program application

After accepting an offer$1,500

Confirmation payment credited toward first-term tuition and fees

How the subtotal works

The credited confirmation payment is part of tuition and fees, so it is not added to tuition a second time.

Read the application payment guide ↗
RECORDED LABELS

International intake status

These are labels displayed by the college's source when observed, rather than a guarantee of places. Confirm availability on the official program page before applying.

Intake International label
Winter 2027 Closed
Spring 2027 Open
Fall 2027 Open
Recheck the official intake table ↗
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Academic entry and a separate digital-literacy check

The updated academic alternatives apply to applications received from May 15, 2026. Digital literacy is also required, using one of the five alternatives below. Northstar is one option within that list.

  1. Academic English route

    English Language Arts 20-1 or 20-2 at 60%, or English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2 at 55%, including the stated equivalents from Canadian high-school or post-secondary education.

  2. Academic assessment alternative

    Satisfactory results on Bow Valley College's Admission and Placement Test can meet the stated academic alternative.

  3. Digital literacy through English coursework

    One digital-literacy option is the specified English 20 or 30 course, or Canadian-education equivalent, completed during or after the 2003–04 academic year.

  4. Digital literacy through post-secondary coursework

    Other options are BVC ENGL 1201 or ENGLISH 150 starting in Spring 2012, or a Canadian post-secondary equivalent to ENGL 1201 as of Spring 2012.

  5. Digital-literacy test or Northstar

    Applicants required to take the English Admission and Placement Test are automatically offered the digital-literacy test, with a minimum grade of 70%. Alternatively, complete Northstar Basic Computer Skills and provide the completion screenshot. These are alternatives rather than two tests everyone must complete.

Check English proficiency separately

For the published HCA language policy associated with the 2019 route, listed scores include IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no section below 5.5, TOEFL 71, Duolingo 95, CLB or CELBAN 7 in each strand, or CELPIP General 7 with no section below 6.0. The college's separately announced 2026 curriculum requires confirmation of its cohort-specific conditions; these older-route interpretations should not be carried forward by assumption.

Education alternatives

  • Canadian secondary educationThree full-time years at a Canadian high school where English was the language of instruction, under the published HCA alternative.
  • Canadian post-secondary educationTwo full-time years at a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution where English was the language of instruction.
  • Canadian high-school equivalencyA Canadian high-school equivalency diploma, such as the GED. This is a separate language-policy alternative rather than the one-year international post-secondary route used by most other BVC programs.
Test validity
Two years from testing
At program start
Results must still be valid
Evidence
Official results required
Read every English-language route and condition ↗
THE COURSE SEQUENCE

The 2019 curriculum for January and May 2027

This captured sequence has 36 credits across two 18-credit terms and nine courses, including three clinical placements. The B− minimum applies to HCAD 1401–1404 and 1406–1407; the clinical courses HCAD 1405, 1408 and 1409 have their own complete-all requirements. Prior-learning assessment may allow a course challenge with at least 600 documented employment hours in the past three years and the required English proficiency, subject to the college's review. No automatic credit or fee reduction is established.

Term 118 credits

Earn a minimum grade of B- in each of the following courses:

Code Course Credits
HCAD1401 Health Care Aide Role & Responsibility 3
HCAD1402 The Human Body, Health & Chronic Illness 3
HCAD1403 Communication & Documentation in the Health Care Environment 4
HCAD1404 Providing Person-Centred Care & Comfort 5

Complete the following courses:

Code Course Credits
HCAD1405 Clinical Placement Experience I 3
Term 218 credits

Earn a minimum grade of B- in each of the following courses:

Code Course Credits
HCAD1406 Meeting Complex Care Needs 5
HCAD1407 Special Activities for Clients with Various Health Conditions 5

Complete the following courses:

Code Course Credits
HCAD1408 Clinical Placement Experience II 5
HCAD1409 Consolidated Clinical Placement Experience 3
PREPARING FOR THE PROGRAM

Prepare for clinical placement separately

  • Obtain the Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Search before placement, no earlier than 90 days before the program starts. Follow renewal requirements if circumstances change.
  • Immunization assessment and proof, placement-site conditions and N95 mask-fit testing before the first placement require preparation. Missing readiness requirements may defer placement. CPR is recommended and should remain current with annual renewal; the program wording does not make it a universal mandatory admission condition.
  • The college estimates approximately $850 for items including uniforms, shoes, lab supplies, gloves, police checks and immunization-related materials. This is additional to tuition and is not an all-inclusive personal cost.
  • The blended route still requires labs, all examinations and in-person assessments in Calgary. Clinical shifts may be rural, daytime, evening or weekend; students arrange transportation and the sites determine shifts. Registration or post-graduation examinations are separate from completing the certificate.
KEEP COMPARING

More program guides

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Sources and planning scope

Sources checked 29 October 2026. The tuition dataset identifies 2026-27. The intake resource has conflicting freshness metadata, so its observed labels require confirmation before use as current availability. Individual admission, equivalency and immigration decisions remain with the relevant institution or authority.