Qualifying Studies
ufv.ca/education-community-human-developmentThe University Foundation certificate program is an intensive, full-time academic preparation program specifically designed for students who do not meet the English language requirements for full-time academic study at UFV.
In order to be admitted to the University Foundation certificate program, students must meet the requirements for either Level 1 or Level 2.
Note: Placement into the Foundation program based on IELTS or TOEFL includes consideration of band and section scores respectively.
CAEL: Canadian Academic English Language Assessment
CanTest: Canadian Test for English for Scholars and Trainees
IELTS: International English Language Test scores
LPI: Language Proficiency Index
MELAB: Michigan English Language Assessment Battery
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall, Winter, and Summer semesters. For application deadlines, see Specific intake application process.
Apply online at ufv.ca/admissions/apply.
See the Fees and Other Costs section.
Books that are required for individual courses are available in the UFV bookstore. Information regarding tuition for international students is available on the international education website at ufv.ca/international.
UFV offers courses in three four-month semesters (Fall, Winter, and Summer), primarily in Abbotsford.
Students must meet all prerequisites for any course at UFV.
Course | Title | Credits |
EAP 070 | Reading for Academic Success: University Foundation Level (formerly ESL R70) | 3 |
EAP 074 | Writing for Academic Success: University Foundation Level (formerly ESL WG74) | 6 |
Plus: | 1–3 electives per semester chosen from EAP, ESL, Upgrading and University Preparation, and/or Academic (see Note 2) |
Note 1: Alternate compulsory course(s) may be substituted by program advisor, depending on individual skill component score(s) as indicated by English proficiency assessment (TOEFL, IELTS, etc) results.
Note 2: Access to academic courses is dependent upon GPA:
Students with a GPA of 3.00 or less may take one academic course only.
Students with a GPA of 3.00 or more may choose a maximum of two academic courses.
Course | Title | Credits |
EAP 073 | Academic Vocabulary: University Foundation Level (formerly ESL V73) | 3 |
EAP 075 | Foundations of English for Business (formerly ESL BU75) | 3 |
EAP 076 | Academic Interactive Communications: University Foundation Level (formerly ESL S76) | 3 |
ESL BU55 | Intermediate Business English (discontinued) | 3 |
ESL CB60 | Computers for Business (discontinued) | 3 |
ESL CMS | Computer-Mediated Multi-Skill Course | 3 |
ESL FLM | English through Film (discontinued) | 3 |
ESL P45 | ESL Pronunciation I | 3 |
ESL P55 | ESL Phonics/Spelling | 3 |
ESL P65 | ESL Pronunciation II | 3 |
ESL T85 | ESL TOEFL Preparation Bridge I (discontinued) | 3 |
Choose only one:
Note: Students must meet all prerequisites for university preparation and academic elective courses.
Students with a GPA of 3.00 or more have the option of choosing a maximum of two courses from the list above or below (only one "bolded" course).
Note: Students may take alternate university preparation or academic electives with advisor and/or instructor approval.
Recommended order of Business courses: BUS 100, BUS 160 (or CIS 110), BUS 143 or MATH 117 (if English skills are weak), STAT 106, BUS 120
Recommended order of CIS/COMP courses: BUS 100 (elective), CIS 145, MATH 125 (MATH 117 if English skills are weak), COMP 125 (CIS 100 if computer skills are weak)
Course | Title | Credits |
EAP 084 | Writing for Academic Success: University Bridge Level (formerly ESL WG84) (see Note 1) | 6 |
Course | Title | Credits |
CSM 104 | Integrated Academic Learning Skills | 3 |
Plus: | 1–3 electives per semester chosen from ELS and/or University Prep and/or Academic per semester (see Note 2) |
Note 1: Alternate compulsory course(s) may be substituted by program advisor depending on individual skill component score(s) as indicated by English proficiency assessment (TOEFL, IELTS, etc) results.
Note 2: Access to academic courses is dependent upon GPA:
Students with a GPA of 3.00 or less may take two academic courses only.
Students with a GPA of 3.00 or more may choose a maximum of three academic courses.
Completion of the University Foundation certificate program requires completion of all core courses in Level 2, nine credits at the 100 level, and 27 credits in total.
Course | Title | Credits |
EAP 075 | Foundations of English for Business (formerly ESL BU75) | 3 |
EAP 076 | Academic Interactive Communications: University Foundation Level (formerly ESL S76) | 3 |
ESL CB60 | Computers for Business (discontinued) | 3 |
ESL CMS | Computer-Mediated Multi-Skill Course | 3 |
ESL FLM | English through Film (discontinued) | 3 |
ESL L87 | ESL Listening Bridge I | 3 |
ESL P55 | ESL Phonics/Spelling | 3 |
ESL P65 | ESL Pronunciation II | 3 |
ESL R80 | ESL Reading — Bridge I | 3 |
ESL T85 | ESL TOEFL Preparation Bridge I (discontinued) | 3 |
ESL V83 | ESL Vocabulary — Bridge | 3 |
Choose two maximum (only one "bolded" course):
Note: Students must meet all prerequisites for university preparation and academic elective courses.
Students with a GPA of 3.00 or more have the option of choosing three maximum from list above or below (only one "bolded" course).
Note: Students may take alternate university preparation or academic electives with advisor and/or instructor approval.
To maintain status in the University Foundation certificate program, students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.33. Upon successful completion (a grade point average of 2.33 or C+ average and at least a C+ in EAP 084 (formerly ESL WG84) of all Level II core courses and a total of 27 credits (of which nine credits must be 100-level or higher), students may be granted a certificate in the University Foundation certificate program. See the Graduation requirements section below.
Students transferring to UFV must seek advice from an advisor to determine how their previous courses can be used toward fulfilling the current requirements. At least 50% of the academic course work must be completed at UFV.
Students wishing to challenge an academic course require permission from the department or program head of the course that they wish to challenge. Courses challenged do not count towards UFV program residency requirements.
Students whose cumulative grade point average falls below 2.33 during their program are subject to program warning and/or removal from the program.
Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or higher) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV. Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV's Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).
Course withdrawal deadlines follow UFV's Course Withdrawal policy (81).
Students must apply for graduation in the first month of their final semester. Visit the Graduation webpage for more information. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the June Convocation ceremony is April 1 of each year, with all program requirements completed by April 30.
For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.