Admissions  

English Language Proficiency

How to satisfy NAIT's language proficiency requirements

English is the language of instruction at NAIT. If you have previous education outside of Canada in a country that is not on the exempt country list – or you completed your studies in a language other than English – you will need to demonstrate English Language Proficiency (ELP) as part of the admissions process. 

There are 3 ways to meet ELP requirements

You can meet the ELP requirement for NAIT degree, diploma or certificate programs in one of the following ways:

  1. Complete consecutive, full-time studies in English
  2. Complete specific English language courses
  3. Take an ELP test

NAIT’s ELP requirement is different than academic English language arts requirements your program may have. NAIT may also require you to provide additional ELP proof or documentation during the admissions process. Make sure you monitor your To-Do list in your MyNAIT portal.


1. Complete consecutive, full-time studies in English

You will meet this requirement if you have completed at least: 
  • 3 years of high school (or combination of high school and post-secondary) in Canada or in a country on NAIT’s ELP exempt country list – including completion of Grade 12 English; or

  • 2 years of post-secondary in Canada or an ELP exempt country. 

Your studies must have been in English, full-time, and consecutive.

View list of ELP exempt countries

Applicants with the qualifications listed above from these countries meet the English Language Proficiency requirement.

  • American Samoa
  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • Anguilla
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Botswana
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Brunei
  • Canada (except Quebec)
  • Cayman Islands
  • Dominica
  • Falkland Islands
  • Fiji
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Grenada
  • Guam
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Malta
  • Malawi
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritius
  • Montserrat
  • Namibia
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Northern Ireland
  • Pacific Islands
  • Panama Canal Zone
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Puerto Rico
  • Russell Islands
  • Ryukyu Islands
  • Scotland
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Africa
  • St. Helena
  • St. Kitts & Nevis
  • St. Lucia
  • St. Vincent & Grenadines
  • Swaziland
  • Tanzania
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • Turks & Caicos Islands
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • United States of America
  • United Kingdom
  • Wales
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

 

Canadian accredited schools abroad

If you completed your studies in English at a high school outside of Canada which is accredited to offer the curriculum of a Canadian province, you meet NAIT's ELP requirement. This is different from IQAS or WES recognition.

If I completed my education in English, but my country is not listed above, do I meet NAIT’s ELP requirements?

If you did not complete your English studies in a country on the exempt country list OR you did not attend a Canadian accredited school abroad, then you would need to take an ELP test to demonstrate that you meet NAIT's ELP requirements.  

What to submit

Submit your high school and/or post-secondary transcripts. To learn what transcripts you need to provide, view transcripts and supporting documents.


2. Complete specific English language courses

Achieve acceptable marks in one of the following English language courses:

School or institution Course(s) Minimum required grade

Canadian high schools 
Review out-of-province course equivalencies

  • English 30-1 or
  • English 30-2
  • 65% or higher
  • 70% or higher
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)

All three ESL Level 6 courses:

  • NEAP611 - Listening & Speaking, and
  • NEAP621 - Reading & Vocabulary, and
  • NEAP631 - Grammar & Writing
  • Completion (pass)
University of Alberta

EAP137 (or equivalent)

  • Completion (pass)
International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC)

Pathway 3.2 or Pathway 3.3 or Pathway 3.4

  • 75% or higher
Global Village (Canadian offices only) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) - Level 7
  • 80% or higher; and
  • 80% or higher in attendance
Bayswater University Pathway Program - Level 8

80% or higher in:

  • General English; and
  • EAP Pathway Modules; and
  • in attendance

What to submit

Are you currently taking one of the courses listed above?

  • If you meet a program's admission requirements, you can receive a conditional offer of admission if you are currently enrolled in NAIT’s ESL Level 6 courses or another course listed above. 
    • Note if you’re taking ILAC pathway courses, you will need to submit proof of your ILAC enrolment, including the end date of your course, to be considered for conditional admission. 

3. Take an ELP test

Accepted assessment tests

NAIT accepts the following ELP assessment tests and the minimum test score. ELP test results are only valid for two years from the test date.

English Language Proficiency (ELP) test Minimum accepted test score
IELTS Academic 6.0 in each section
NAIT’s ELP Exam 73% or “B” in each section 
Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment (CLB) or Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Assessment (CLBPA) 8.0 in each section
CAEL or CAEL Online 60 overall score
Cambridge English Language Assessment B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: 169 in each section
TOEFL iBT; Home Edition is also accepted 20 in each section
Duolingo 115 overall score
  • Effective Fall 2024: 115 overall score, with a minimum score of 100 in each section
Michigan English Test (MET) 59 overall score
PTE Academic or PTE Academic online 58 overall score
LanguageCert B2 Communicator Test 38 in each section

Provisional admission – Business Administration

Students who do not meet regular ELP listed above for Business Administration but meet the other academic requirements may qualify for provisional admission with ONE of the lower English Language Proficiency requirements listed below. Provisional admissions allows students to complete their NAIT ESL Level 6 courses within the first 12 months of starting the program. 

Assessment test Minimum accepted test score
NAIT’s Level 5 Courses

60% in each of these courses:

  • NEAP511 and
  • NEAP521 and
  • NEAP531
IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with no section below 5.5
PTE Academic or PTE Academic online 50, with no less than 40 in each communicative skill 
TOEFL iBT
Home Edition is also accepted
74 overall score 
Duolingo 100 overall score 

Learn more about NAIT's Flexible Learning Options for Business Administration 

How to submit your ELP test results

Send your test results to NAIT by doing the following:

  1. Select NAIT as a recipient of your test results when registering for your ELP test so we can review and verify your test results online; and
  2. Upload a copy of your test results in MyNAIT (Open Self Service > Admissions > Submission of Documents). This is an important step to ensure NAIT is notified that you took an ELP test.  

If you take a test but do not complete both steps mentioned above, your admissions decision could be delayed.

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