Before you apply

We look forward to welcoming you to Winnipeg and Canada. If you have any questions or concerns during the application process, please contact us.

Please note there are two academic pathways to choose from to apply to the English Language Centre: Conditional Admission to degree study and Admission to Academic English only.  The majority of our applications register for Conditional Admission because the pathway better prepares students for academic study.

What is Conditional Admission to degree study?

It means that you can be accepted to the University of Manitoba (U of M) at the undergraduate level, under the condition that you meet the University's English language proficiency requirements through the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs. These programs are supported by the ELC.

Students who choose this route agree to three (3) consecutive terms of study in order to retain their conditional acceptance to the U of M.

Conditional Admission is a popular choice because after completing your ELC studies, students will have met the University of Manitoba’s English requirements.  A conditional letter of acceptance is also preferred by Canada’’s embassy in order to receive a study visa.

What is Admission to Academic English only?

It is for students who wish to improve their English skills in an academic environment without planning to attend the University of Manitoba afterwards. This method is also ideal for students who plan on completing a Graduate Studies program at the University of Manitoba but have not yet met the English Proficiency requirements.

While studying with the English Language Centre, students studying Academic English only can choose to apply to the University of Manitoba afterwards.

Admission Requirements

Students Must:

• Be 18 years of age or older by the program start date
• Meet Canadian Visa requirements
• Read, understand and abide by all program guidelines and refund policy.
• Have an intermediate knowledge of English.*

*Any student that presents an IELTS score of 4.5 is guaranteed placement in the English Language Centre in Intensive Academic English Program (IAEP) Level 1.  All students will take ELC’s placement test when they arrive for opportunity to place higher in IAEP.  If students do not provide an IELTS score, they will be required to attend our mandatory institutional placement test prior to the start of the term. Please see CanTEST page for testing dates and details.

If a student does not meet the minimum English proficiency requirement for the ELC they will be advised to study at least one term at the Extended Education’s English Language Studies before they can retest to the ELC. (Please see Refund Policy for details).

If a student meets the requirements to enter directly into IAEP Level 5, please submit an original copy of your proficiency test score report (by mail; or e-mail a scanned version of the original score report) one month prior to the start of the academic term in which you will be studying.  Appropriate scores for direct entry into Level 5 are:

• IELTS (5.5 or higher)
• TOEFL (Minimum of 16 in each component and 70 overall)
• CanTest (3.5 Listening, 3.5 Reading, 3.5 Writing)

Any student arriving late cannot be guaranteed placement in the ELC.

We reserve the right to deny admission and to refuse re-admission to students who do not fulfill the above conditions.