English Language Requirements

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Required minimum marks

• For tests taken after January 21, 2026, an overall score of 4.5 (no section below 4.0)
• For tests taken prior to January 21, 2026 (and within the standard two-year validity period): 83

Academic IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

• Required minimum mark: 6.5 overall, with no single score below 6
• Alternate contact: ielts@sfu.ca

CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language Assessment Test)

• Required minimum mark: 70

PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English — Academic)

• Required minimum mark: 61

DET (Duolingo English Test)

• Required minimum mark: Overall score of 120, with no sub score below 110

Tests taken more than two years prior to the application for admission will not be considered.

• Coursework equivalent to any three-credit undergraduate-level ENGL course offered at CapU, with a minimum grade of C- (60%), or
• English Studies 12 or English 12 or English First Peoples 12 with a final mark of C+ or higher, or
• Completion of all provincially articulated EAP Level IV courses from another BC post-secondary institution as listed in the EAL Transfer Guide, or
• AP English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition — minimum mark of 3, or
• International Baccalaureate (IB) English A: Literature (Higher Level or Standard Level) — minimum mark of 4, or
• International Baccalaureate (IB) English A: Language and Literature (Higher Level or Standard Level) — minimum mark of 4, or
• Capilano University EAP 100 and 101 with a minimum mark of B+ (77%) in each course, or
• Four or more consecutive years of full-time education in English in Canada, or in a country other than Canada where English is the principle language, or
• Academic English Coursework Equivalencies
  • BENG 052 (2.0), Provincial Level English — Critical Reading and Writing: C+ (67%), or
  • BENG 053 (1.0), ABE Provincial Level English Part 1, and BENG 054 (1.0), ABE Provincial Level English Part 2: C+ (67%) in each course, or
  • ENGL 112 (3.0), Reading, Writing, Dialogue: Entering Global Conversations: C- (60%) or CR, or
  • EAS 100 (3.0), English for Academic Success: C- (60%) or CR
• Four or more years at an eligible international high school that uses English as the language of instruction but operates in a country where the primary language is not English, or
• Graduation from a recognized degree program at an accredited university at which English is the primary language of instruction in a country where English is the principal language.
• Students who graduated from a recognized degree program or completed four years of full-time study in English in the countries listed below will have met Capilano University's English language proficiency requirements.

Applicants from Quebec may be required to provide proof of English language proficiency.

If you don't meet the admission requirements for English language skills but you believe you do have the necessary skills, you may submit an English Language Waiver Form (pdf) to the attention of Admissions in the Registrar's Office. If the University then decides you need additional instruction in English, you will be asked to take an English examination suitable to the program area in which you wish to enrol.

If English is your second language and you need help to bring your English language skills to the required EAP 100/101 level, you can apply to take the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program. To find out your EAP level, please see our language testing options.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Required minimum marks

• For tests taken after January 21, 2026, an overall score of 4.5 (no section below 4.0)
• For tests taken prior to January 21, 2026 (and within the standard two-year validity period): 83

Academic IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

• Required minimum mark: 6.5 overall, with no single score below 6
• Alternate contact: ielts@sfu.ca

CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language Assessment Test)

• Required minimum mark: 70

PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English — Academic)

• Required minimum mark: 56

DET (Duolingo English Test) — Being accepted on a temporary basis.

• Required minimum mark: 125 or higher with no sub-score less than 115

Tests taken more than two years prior to the application for admission will not be considered.