DESCRIPTION
The British Columbia public post-secondary education system consists of six universities, the Open Learning Agency, five institutes, eleven colleges, and five university colleges. Many of these 28 institutions belong to the PASBC Association.

UNIVERSITIES provide the majority of degree-level university education in British Columbia. They offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs including medicine, law and engineering, and are major centres of basic and applied research. They provide a cultural and educational resource to the community.

Public universities, main campuses:

Royal Roads University, Colwood (Victoria)
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby
Technical University of British Columbia, Surrey
The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
The University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George
The University of Victoria, Victoria

THE OPEN LEARNING AGENCY provides learning opportunities for people who are unable to attend regular classes at a college, institute or university. The Open Learning Agency, which is comprised of the Open University, Open College, and Knowledge Network, uses a variety of non-traditional methods, including television, to deliver education and training to people at a time and place that meets their needs. People can get a university degree, enrol in a variety of college programs, and receive workplace training through the Open Learning Agency.

INSTITUTES provide specialized instruction.
The province's five institutes provide specialized instruction in technologies and trades, art and design, law enforcement, marine training, and indigenous studies.

Institutes, main campuses:
The British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby
Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver
Institute of Indigenous Government, Vancouver
The Justice Institute of British Columbia, New Westminster
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Merritt

COLLEGES offer general instruction focused on the needs of the college region.
Regionally-based colleges provide a wide range of programs designed to meet the specific needs of the local community.
All colleges offer courses in the four main fields of academic, career technical, vocational and adult basic education, including English as a Second Language. In addition, colleges offer a variety of community education programs.

Colleges, main campuses:

Camosun College, Victoria
Capilano College, North Vancouver
College of New Caledonia, Prince George
College of the Rockies (formerly East Kootenay Community College), Cranbrook
Douglas College, New Westminster
Langara College, Vancouver
North Island College, Courtenay
Northern Lights College, Dawson Creek
Northwest Community College, Terrace
Selkirk College, Castlegar
Vancouver Community College, Vancouver

UNIVERSITY COLLEGES offer degree programs independently and in partnership with provincial universities, as well as provide general instruction.

Five university colleges, in collaboration with the public universities, offer selected courses of study leading to bachelor's degrees, which are granted independently or by British Columbia universities. These institutions also offer career technical, vocational and adult basic education, including English as a Second Language.

University Colleges, main campuses:

Kwantlen University College, Surrey
Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo
Okanagan University College, Kelowna
University College of the Cariboo, Kamloops
University College of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford

TYPES OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING OFFERED
The British Columbia post-secondary system offers seven major types of education to fill a variety of needs. They are:

Adult Basic Education:
Includes training for adults in secondary school subjects, literacy, and English as a Second Language.
Apprenticeship:
Trades training that is primarily on-the-job training supplemented with several months of classroom instruction each year. It includes both traditional trades and emerging technologies.
Career/Technical Programs:
Two-year programs providing applied training for specific employment.
Vocational:
Short, applied programs of one year or less.
University Transfer:
One- or two-year arts and sciences programs at colleges. These courses can lead to a two-year associate degree from the college, and can be credited towards a degree at British Columbia universities.
Undergraduate Studies:
A variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in both general and applied studies in arts and science. Also includes professional programs such as business, law, and medicine.
Graduate Studies:
Programs of advanced studies leading to masters and doctoral degrees in many disciplines.

PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
There is a wide range of private post-secondary institutions currently operating in the province of British Columbia. They span degree-granting theological colleges to consulting companies offering one-day seminars. The private post-secondary sector offers programs of study in such areas as aviation, business and computer training, hospitality and tourism, hairdressing, fashion design, culinary arts, English as a Second Language. The Private Post-Secondary Act (the Act) passed by the Legislative Assembly in July 1990, governs the private post-secondary education system in B.C. The scope of the Act extends over institutions offering instruction: to persons aged 17 or over; at a fee; and aimed at obtaining job-related motivational or academic skills.

The registration of a private institution under the Act does not imply approval or recognition by the Private Post-Secondary Commission of B.C. or the Government, and institutions registered under the Act are not certified or accredited by the Province of British Columbia. However, an institution registered under the Act may voluntarily apply for accreditation under the Act.

For further information on private post-secondary education programs in B.C. please contact:

Private Post-Secondary Education Commission
Suite 850, 1185 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 4E6
Tel: (604) 660-4400
Fax: (604) 660-3312

ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications for admission are now being accepted by sixteen B.C. public post-secondary institutions through the Internet. Six additional institutions have created test sites and should be accepting Web applications soon.

The Web-enabled service can be accessed through http://www.pas.bc.ca or http://www.ceiss.org.

INSTRUCTIONS
The "form" consists of two parts: the PASBC part, which has the PASBC logo at the top of each page (like the one at the top of this page) and the institution-specific part, which is identified with the institutional logo or crest at the top.

In the PASBC part, which has six components as shown by blue numbered buttons on the main form, you will be asked to provide information about yourself and details of your previous academic history. The information you provide here is common to all the institutions to which you may apply, and you will only need to complete it once during a session. Some information is required in order for your application to proceed. While none of the areas in the Academic History component are required, you should take extra care in filling out this component since it is this information that is critical in the admissions process.

The applicant then chooses an institution and fills out a detailed Institutional Application. Both the Common Information Form and the Institutional Application Form are sent via the Internet to the Admissions Office at the institution.

PAPER APPLICATIONS
The electronic application process does not replace B.C.'s existing method of application for admission using paper forms, but provides an attractive option for people who use the Internet.

CONTACT
For more information about PASBC and its services, contact Graeme McNeil, Project Manager, at (250) 414-4343, or gmcneil@ceiss.org. You can also visit the PASBC Web site: http://www.pas.bc.ca.