Open Admission policies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC

At Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, our Open Admission policies make first year university accessible to all students.  We want our students to be successful and admission is just the first step to success.

A Different Kind of University with Open Admission

Every university is different when it comes to application and admission processes.  Two major ways TRU stands out from other universities is that firstly, TRU doesn’t use your overall high school GPA (grade point average) as an admission cut-off and secondly, TRU has an Open Admission policy for its Bachelor of Arts, Science, and Business degree programs.

Not using an overall GPA as an admission cut-off means TRU doesn’t require a minimum specific overall GPA over a certain number of academic high school courses in order to apply to the university. Instead, each program lists specific high school courses necessary for entry into that program.

The Open Admission policy for Bachelor of Arts, Science, and Business degrees means if the applicant is missing any of the program-specific requirements, the university still allows students to enter the program and in first-year, upgrade any missing high school requirements while doing university courses at the same time.

Limited and Selective Admission Programs

As for other programs, TRU either has a Limited Admission policy or a Selective Admission policy where those programs only have a limited number of seats and therefore applicants must meet all admission requirements (or, if the student is in grade 12, expect to meet) in order to apply.  Limited Admission programs are first-applied, first-admitted for qualified applicants; whereas Selective Admission programs select from the total pool of applicants using distinct set criteria. 

How to Apply and When

For all of TRU’s programs, students can apply online from www.tru.ca and with a $25 application fee, it won’t break the bank.  For Open Admission programs, students just need to fill out the application form, attach the fee payment and include their final or interim transcripts (transcripts can also be sent in at a later date, but it is preferred to receive them with their application). 

For Limited and Selective Admission programs, once the general application form and fee have been submitted, a secondary package will be sent back to the student for completion.  Depending on the program, this package could include additional forms to fill out, letters of reference and intent to be completed and even records of immunizations.  For specific application requirements, check out our Counsellor Handbook: http://www.tru.ca/new_students/counsellors.html

For the 2011-2012 school year, Early Application Deadline is March 1, 2011 and the Regular Application Deadline is April 30, 2011.  Some Limited and Selective programs have specific deadlines so make sure to check out our website at www.tru.ca.  We started accepting applications on October 1, 2010….for help or any questions you may have, contact the friendly staff at the TRU Welcome Centre at 250-828-5006 or recruitment@tru.ca .