What IELTS score does Northern Lights College require?

The Practical Nursing Diploma asks applicants with English as an additional language for IELTS 7.0 with speaking 7.0, listening 7.5, reading 6.5 and writing 7.0, or CELBAN. The Health Care Assistant Certificate follows BC's HCA standard and, unlike most programs, accepts IELTS Academic, IELTS General or IELTS Academic Online at 6 overall with 6 in speaking and listening and 5.5 in reading and writing, PTE Academic 50 (45 in reading and writing), or PTE Core.

A post-secondary credential from a country NLC lists as practising Standard Written English, the last two years of Canadian high school in English within 12 months of the start, or NLC's EAP 060-level certificate also meet the requirement. NLC's country list includes the Philippines and Nigeria but not India. Students without a suitable score may be conditionally enrolled with the Chair's permission and placed in NLC's EAP program on arrival.

NLC's scores decide admission only. IRCC sets no minimum English score for a study permit; any language condition is written into your letter of acceptance (see IELTS for a Canada study permit). The Post-Graduation Work Permit is a separate test again. IRCC's PGWP eligibility page asks for CLB 7 in all four skills if you graduate with a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree or from any other university program, and CLB 5 for any other college, polytechnic or non-university program, so a bachelor's degree earned at a college still needs CLB 7. On IELTS General Training, CLB 7 is 6.0 in every skill and CLB 5 is Reading 4.0 and Writing, Listening and Speaking 5.0 (IRCC score table). The PGWP takes IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General or PTE Core, not IELTS Academic, and college programs also face a field-of-study rule if you applied for your study permit on or after 1 November 2024 (see IELTS for the PGWP).