Admissions  

English Language Proficiency

How to satisfy NAIT's language proficiency requirements

English is the language of instruction at NAIT. If you have previous education outside of Canada in a country that is not on the exempt country list – or you completed your studies in a language other than English – you will need to demonstrate English Language Proficiency (ELP) as part of the admissions process. 

There are 3 ways to meet ELP requirements

You can meet the ELP requirement for NAIT degree, diploma or certificate programs in one of the following ways:

  1. Complete consecutive, full-time studies in English
  2. Complete specific English language courses
  3. Take an ELP test

NAIT’s ELP requirement is different than academic English language arts requirements your program may have. NAIT may also require you to provide additional ELP proof or documentation during the admissions process. Make sure you monitor your To-Do list in your MyNAIT portal.

1. Complete consecutive, full-time studies in English

You will meet this requirement if you have completed at least: 

  • 3 years of high school (or combination of high school and post-secondary) in Canada or in a country on NAIT’s ELP exempt country list – including completion of Grade 12 English; or

  • 2 years of post-secondary in Canada or an ELP exempt country. 

Your studies must have been in English, full-time, and consecutive.

Effective for applicants to Fall 2025 and beyond: You can meet ELP requirements by completing the Cambridge O and/or A level examinations. 

What to submit

Submit your high school and/or post-secondary transcripts. To learn what transcripts you need to provide, view transcripts and supporting documents.

2. Complete specific English language courses

Achieve acceptable marks in one of the following English language courses:

School or institution Course(s) Minimum required grade

Canadian high schools 
Review out-of-province course equivalencies
  • English 30-1 or
  • English 30-2
  • 65% or higher
  • 70% or higher
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)

All three ESL Level 6 courses:

  • NEAP611 - Listening & Speaking, and
  • NEAP621 - Reading & Vocabulary, and
  • NEAP631 - Grammar & Writing
  • Passing grade of 60% or higher in each course
Bayswater University Pathway Program - Level 8

80% or higher in:

  • General English; and
  • EAP Pathway Modules; and
  • in attendance
Global Village (Canadian offices only) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) - Level 7
  • 80% or higher; and
  • 80% or higher in attendance
ILSC Canada English for Academic Purposes – Advanced 1 program ( or higher)
  • Passing grade of B or higher; and
  • 80% or higher in attendance
International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC)

Pathway 3.2 or Pathway 3.3 or Pathway 3.4
  • 75% or higher
 St. George International College (SGIC) University & College Preparation Program (Pathway Program)

70% or higher in:

  • Argumentation; and
  • Problem Solving; and
  • Canadian Academic Culture; and
  • No more than 5 absences
Oxford House College (Canadian offices only) English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
  • 70% or higher; and
  • 80% or higher in attendance
University of Alberta EAP137 (or equivalent)
  • Completion (pass)

Applicants to Fall 2025 and beyond

Effective for Fall 2025 applications, NAIT will also accept any of the following institutions or curriculums with acceptable marks:

School/institution or curriculum Course(s) Minimum required grade
Advanced Placement (AP) English AP English College Board Examination
  • 4 or better
International Baccalaureate (IB)
  • English A: Literature, or Language and Literature or
  • English B
  • 5 or better
  • 6 or better

What to submit

Are you currently taking one of the courses listed above?

  • If you meet a program's admission requirements, you can receive a conditional offer of admission if you are currently enrolled in NAIT’s ESL Level 6 courses or another course listed above. 
    • Note if you’re taking ILAC, Global Village, Bayswater, or SGIC pathway courses, you will need to submit proof of your enrolment, including the end date of your course, to be considered for conditional admission. 

3. Take an ELP test

Accepted assessment tests

NAIT accepts the following ELP assessment tests and the minimum test score. ELP test results are only valid for two years from the test date.

English Language Proficiency (ELP) test Minimum accepted test score
IELTS Academic - In-person or IELTS Online 6.0 in each section
NAIT’s ELP Exam 73% or “B” in each section 
Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment (CLB) or Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Assessment (CLBPA) 8.0 in each section
CAEL or CAEL Online 60 overall score
Cambridge English Language Assessment B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: 169 in each section
TOEFL iBT; Home Edition is also accepted

20 in each section

  • Effective Fall 2025:  70 overall score, with a minimum score of 17 in each section
Duolingo

115 overall score, with a minimum score of 100 in each integrated subscore.
Michigan English Test (MET) 59 overall score
PTE Academic or PTE Academic online 58 overall score
LanguageCert B2 Communicator Test 38 in each section

How to submit your ELP test results

Send your test results to NAIT by doing the following:

  1. Select NAIT as a recipient of your test results when registering for your ELP test so we can review and verify your test results online; and
  2. Upload a copy of your test results in MyNAIT (Open Self Service > Admissions > Submission of Documents). This is an important step to ensure NAIT is notified that you took an ELP test.  

If you take a test but do not complete both steps mentioned above, your admissions decision could be delayed.

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