About University Studies in North Island College

Explore a full range of first and second-year courses in more than 20 subject areas including anthropology, business, biology, chemistry, criminology, economics, English, equity and social justice, fine arts, First Nations studies, French, geography, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, sociology, space science and astronomy, Spanish and women's studies.

University Studies offers a great deal of flexibility and virtually limitless transfer possibilities. You can take as many or as few courses as you want, choosing from a wide range of subjects available on campus or online. Courses transfer in part or in full to other institutions and may be customized as a study plan and/or applied toward diplomas, associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees at NIC and beyond. And distance education options are available for some courses, allowing you to start or finish your degree wherever you are. 

Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees recognize successful completion of 60 credits which is approximately 20 courses. If you study full time, you should be able to complete an associate degree within two academic years. 

If you are working toward a specific area of study or degree, you can focus your studies to finish your degree faster. To ensure you are choosing the right courses for your program of study, please speak with an educational advisor or consult the BC Transfer Guide. 

NIC's educational advisors can help you customize a study plan for your program or university of choice – potentially minimizing study time and costs. A study plan is a sample list of University Studies courses that can be further customized for transfer to a specific program or university. Educational advisors can develop a study plan with you from NIC to just about anywhere. Choosing a suitable combination of courses, however, may depend on a number of factors. NIC's educational advisors will work with you to personalize an educational or transfer plan to meet your goals.

Study Plans

Each university and degree has its own list of required courses and electives that count toward graduation. NIC students should review the program's first and second-year requirements as designated by the university, PLUS meet with an advisor to determine which courses are available at your campus.

Arts Study Plan
Choose up to two years of study, including six credits of 100-level English; Other transferable 100-level courses in your area(s) of interest: this may include anthropology (ANT), biology (BIO), business (BUS), chemistry (CHE), criminology (CRM), economics (ECO), English (ENG), equity and social justice (ESJ), fine arts (FIN), First Nations studies (FNS), French (FRE), geography (GEO), history (HIS), mathematics (MAT), philosophy (PHI), physics (PHY), political science (POL), psychology (PSY), sociology (SOC), space science and astronomy (SSA), or Spanish (SPN).

Social Work Study Plan
Six credits of 100-level English; SSW-120, SSW-122; Other transferable 100-level courses in your area(s) of interest: this may include anthropology (ANT), biology (BIO), business (BUS), chemistry (CHE), criminology (CRM), economics (ECO), English (ENG), equity and social justice (ESJ), fine arts (FIN), First Nations studies (FNS), French (FRE), geography (GEO), history (HIS), mathematics (MAT), philosophy (PHI), physics (PHY), political science (POL), psychology (PSY), sociology (SOC), space science and astronomy (SSA), or Spanish (SPN).

Science Study Plans
Six credits of 100-level English; Other transferable 100-level courses in your area(s) of interest: this may include biology (BIO), chemistry (CHE), mathematics (MAT), or physics (PHY). Please note: All of the listed NIC courses need to be taken as some are prerequisites for entry and some are prerequisites for other required courses.

• Biology Study Plan
  Six credits of 100-level English; Other transferable 100-level courses in your area(s) of interest: this may include biology (BIO-102, BIO-103), chemistry (CHE-110, CHE-111), mathematics (MAT-102, MAT-115, MAT-151, MAT-181, MAT-182), physics (PHY-100, PHY-101, PHY-120, PHY-121).

• Dentistry Study Plan (UBC)
  Suggested NIC courses for students preparing to enter
  UBC's Dentistry program.
  Prospective dentistry students are required to complete 90 credits (three or more years of full-time study with five courses per term), maintain a 70 per cent average, complete the following prerequisites, as well as the Canadian Dental Aptitude Test (DAT)*. Print the pdf.
  • 100-level requirements: Six credits each of English (ENG-115, ENG-125 or ENG-120), biology (BIO-102, BIO-103) and chemistry (CHE-110, CHE-111).
  • 200-level requirements: Six credits each of Biochemistry (BIO-201)* and Organic Chemistry (CHE-200, CHE-201).
  • DAT helpers: Cell Biology (BIO-200), Genetics (BIO-202), and Microbiology (BIO-215).

*NIC offers one term of biochemistry, cell biology (BIO-200) is a prerequisite for biochemistry.
**The Canadian DAT includes a manual dexterity component but doesn’t test organic chemistry and mathematics, whereas American DAT tests for organic chemistry and mathematics but not manual dexterity.

• Medical Doctor Study Plan (UBC)
  Suggested NIC courses for students preparing to enter
  UBC's Medical Doctor program.
  Prospective students are required to complete 90 credits (at least three years of full-time study with five courses per term), maintain a 75 per cent average, complete the following prerequisites, as well as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Print the pdf.

  • 100-level requirements: Six credits each of English (ENG-115, ENG-125 or ENG-120), biology (BIO-102, BIO-103) and chemistry (CHE-110, CHE-111).
  • MCAT Helpers: Six credits each of physics (PHY-100, PHY-101) and mathematics (MAT-102, MAT-115 or MAT-151)   
  • 200-level requirements: Six credits each of Biochemistry (BIO-201)* and Organic Chemistry (CHE-200, CHE-201).
  • MCAT Helpers:  Cell Biology (BIO-200), Genetics (BIO-202) and Microbiology (BIO-215).

*NIC offers one term of biochemistry, cell biology (BIO-200) is a prerequisite for biochemistry.

• Doctor of Optometry Study Plan (University of Waterloo)
  Suggested NIC courses for students preparing to enter the
  University of Waterloo's Doctor of Optometry program.
  Prospective students must complete three or more years of full-time study (five courses per term) in a BSc, maintain a 75 per cent or higher average, complete the following prerequisites, and the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT). Print the pdf.
  • 100-level requirements: Three credits of English, Introductory Ethics (PHI-101), Introductory Pschology (PSY-130), Calculus (MAT-102), Statistics (MAT-115), and six credits each of biology (BIO-102, BIO-103), chemistry (CHE-110, CHE-111), physics (PHY-100, PHY-101) and physiology (BIO-160, BIO-161).
  • 200-level requirements: Biochemistry (BIO-201)*, Microbiology (BIO-215), and Organic Chemistry (CHE-200, CHE-201).

* Cell biology (BIO-200) is a prerequisite for biochemistry.

• Veterinary Medicine Study Plan (University of Saskatchewan)
  Suggested NIC courses for students preparing to enter the
  University of Saskatchewan's Veterinary Medicine program.
  Prospective students are required to have completed 60 credits (at least two full years of full-time university study with five courses per term) of required and elective courses, maintain a 75 per cent or higher average, and complete the following prerequisites. Print the pdf.
  • 100-level requirements: Six credits each of English (ENG-115, ENG-125 or ENG-120), biology (BIO-102, BIO-103), chemistry (CHE-110, CHE-111), and mathematics (MAT-102 and MAT-115 or MAT-151); three physics credits (PHY-100).
  • 200-level requirements: Biochemistry (BIO-201)*, Organic Chemistry (CHE-200), Genetics (BIO-202), Microbiology (BIO-215).

Academic qualification equivalents

• Class 12 passed students from a recognized board including CBSE, CISCE or a state board
• All India Senior School Certificate or Higher Secondary Certificate/Standard 12 or Indian School Certificate (Year 12) as recognized qualifications

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS: Academic IELTS overall score of 6.0 (no band lower than 5.5).
• TOEFL iBT: 80 overall with no subsection less than 19.
• PTE:  Academic 54 overall with no component less than 46.

North Island College Highlights

North Island College Cost of Attendance

Students can save over 10,000 CAD by taking admission for the first year in NIC and then transferring to another university. The fees for international students differ from that of domestic students, the breakdown of the estimated cost of fees is given below.