Upgrading and University Preparation
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Adult Basic Education (ABE) courses

Adult Basic Education (ABE) courses are for adults who want to:

• review and improve their English, computer, math, or science skills to meet employment requirements or for personal benefit
• enhance their life, educational, and employment readiness skills
• prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) high school equivalency test
• complete high school to earn the B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood)
• complete prerequisite courses for post-secondary programs

Entrance requirements

For entry into ABE courses, students must:

• be at least 19 years of age, or
• have a high school graduation diploma, or
• be 17 or 18 years of age and out of public school for at least one year

Note: If you do not meet the entrance requirements, you may apply for special admission.

Note: Please consult UFV International if you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

When to apply

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the year. Qualified applicants are considered for the next intake in which there is space. See Continuous application process for more information.

How to apply

Students apply to take an ABE course by calling or visiting their nearest UUP department to discuss their education and career goals with an Instructional Assistant. If necessary, students will be advised to register for an assessment session where their reading, writing, and/or math skills will be assessed. Students must complete and submit a UFV Application for Admission form to obtain a student number before they do the UUP placement assessment.

To find out when the next UUP information and assessment session will be held, please see the About the UUP Assessment section of the UUP website or contact your nearest UFV UUP centre by phone or email.

Registration into courses is dependent on available seats, so applying early is recommended.

Registration

Students who have been given a registration time and meet course prerequisites can register online or in person at Admissions and Registration (A&R).

Students who do not meet course prerequisites will be given permission to register in courses based on their previous education, assessment results (if necessary), and their goals. Permission to Register forms can be obtained from a UUP Instructional Assistant.

Fees and additional costs

There are no tuition fees for courses numbered 040 to 099; however, students are required to buy their own textbooks and supplies. Students enrolled in courses numbered 070 to 099 must pay ancillary and UFV Student Union fees.

See the Fees and Other Costs section for details.

Financial aid from Adult Basic Education Student Assistance Program (ABESAP)

The ABESAP grant is available to eligible students to help pay required fees and related costs. For information about the ABESAP grant, contact the UUP Instructional Assistant on your campus or Student Financial Aid Services at 604-864-4601 in Abbotsford or 604-702-2618 in Chilliwack.

Dates and locations

ABE courses are scheduled according to the UFV timetable. During the fall and winter semesters, courses are offered in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, and Mission. Summer semester courses are offered in Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Go to the Timetables section of the UUP website to see the UUP timetable, or contact the UUP Instructional Assistant on a campus near you (see above) for more information.

Workload

Three-credit UUP courses meet twice per week for 15 weeks for a total of 90 hours. In addition to attending classes, students are expected to work on assignments outside of class time. For this reason, a full-course load for ABE students is considered to be three courses (9 credits).

ABE levels

The UUP department offers courses from the four levels of B.C.’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) program: Fundamental, Intermediate, Advanced, and Provincial. ABE courses follow the guidelines and requirements established by the Ministry of Advanced Education. A certificate is available for each level for students who complete the requirements.

Fundamental level
(Basic literacy)

The following Fundamental-level courses offered through the UUP department help students bring their skills up to the Grade 8 level.

To enrol in a Fundamental-level course, a student must meet the prerequisites or obtain permission from the department (an assessment may be required).

Intermediate level

The following Intermediate-level courses offered through the UUP department help students bring their skills up to the Grade 10 level.

Note: Intermediate-level courses meet the entry requirement for some vocational programs.

To enrol in an Intermediate-level course, a student must meet the prerequisites or obtain permission from the department (an assessment may be required).

Advanced level

Advanced-level courses — considered to be equivalent to Grade 11 courses — are offered through several different UFV departments.

The UUP department offers the following Advanced-level courses.

The following Advanced-level courses are offered through other UFV departments.

Note: MATH 084 or 085 may be used to fulfill the math requirement of the B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma (see below for information about the B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma).

Note: Some Advanced-level courses may be used as prerequisites for post-secondary programs.

To enrol in an Advanced-level course, a student must meet the prerequisites or obtain permission from the department (an assessment may be required).

Provincial level

Provincial-level courses help prepare students for further training in vocational, career, technical, or academic programs. It is very important to consult an educational advisor when planning such a program.

Provincial-level courses — considered to be equivalent to Grade 12 courses — are offered through several different UFV departments.

The UUP department offers the following Provincial-level courses.

The following Provincial-level courses are offered through other UFV departments.

Note: Provincial-level courses may be used to fulfill the requirements of the B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma (see below for more information)

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section in the calendar or the Course Descriptions section of the UUP website.

B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood)

The B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood) is the secondary school graduation diploma for adults, 19 years of age or over.

To be eligible to graduate in the Adult Graduation Program, adult students (19 years of age or over) must complete five courses in the post-secondary system.

• A Provincial-level English (ENGL 091) or higher course, and
• An Advanced-level (MATH 084 or MATH 085) or higher mathematics course, and
• Three additional courses at the Provincial-level or higher, or
• Advanced-level Social Sciences and two Provincial-level courses or higher

To complete the requirements, students may need to take some courses outside the UUP department, so it is important when planning your program to consult with your UUP Instructional Assistant.

Note: To be eligible for the Adult Graduation Diploma, a person must be 19 years or older. An eighteen-year-old who has been out of school for at least one year may be admitted to an adult program with approval form.

Note: Courses from the B.C. School System may be counted toward the Adult Graduation Diploma; however, at least three courses must be taken as an adult.

General Education Development (GED) Secondary School Equivalency Certificate

The General Educational Development (GED) tests are five multiple choice tests in the areas of language arts writing, language arts reading, social studies, science, and mathematics. The language arts writing test also requires the writing of an essay.

The GED Secondary School Equivalency Certificate is awarded to examinees who successfully complete all five tests. The GED certificate is NOT the same as the Dogwood diploma awarded to students who complete the graduation requirements of the B.C. Secondary School Program or the Adult Dogwood diploma awarded to students who complete the graduation requirements of the B.C. Adult Graduation Program. While the GED cannot be considered as a substitute for a Dogwood diploma, success in earning the GED certificate may satisfy the UFV entrance requirements for certain courses or programs. However, passing the GED tests does not result in a student having credit for any specific Grade 11 or Grade 12 individual course.

To write the GED, a student must:

• be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant,
• be a British Columbia resident,
• be at least 18 years of age on the date of the tests, and
• not have received a Grade 12 graduation certificate from any institution.

To learn more about the GED, go to www.bced.gov.bc.ca/ged.