Program application fees, deposits and Homestay fees are non-refundable. You can receive a refund of your tuition payment if you cancel your registration before the first day of the program. No refund of tuition is possible once the program has begun.
If the Canadian Embassy rejects your application for a Study Permit, the ELC will refund your $350 deposit, minus courier charges. A copy of documentation from the Embassy is required to receive a refund.
Students may receive a partial refund if they provide the ELC with a doctor’s note stating that they are too ill to continue studying for the remainder of the program.
The ELC encourages every student to apply early so that they can make travel arrangements that allow them to arrive on time for the best possible experience in our programs. Students who arrive late will miss important program orientation presentations that only take place during the first few days of the program.
The ELC does not reduce the tuition price for any late-arriving students.
Students are accepted no more than 2 weeks after the program start date. Late-arriving students may have a limited choice of elective classes and will be wait-listed for participation in the ELC’s popular Pronunciation Clinic.
Students should plan to arrive on time for all Short-Term programs. For Programs 3, 4, 5 and 6, arrangements can be made to stay in a dormitory before the program start date if necessary.
The ELC does not reduce the tuition price for any students departing a program early.
Approval for an early departure is usually granted to students with documented employment or medical reasons. An approved early departure may result in a Record of Grade (report card) with an “Incomplete” mark; but there would be no change to the Certificate of Participation. Incomplete marks are usually given for employment or education purposes only.
Students departing the program early usually receive a modified Certificate of Participation but no Record of Grade (report card). The ELC considers the reason for the early departure (i.e. Military responsibilities or a personal trip to the Rockies), as well as overall performance in the program in granting early-departing students a Record of Grade and a Certificate of Participation.
Students who submit their application for Homestay by the application deadline will receive a Homestay Package with details about their Homestay family approximately 3 weeks before the program start date.
If your visa is denied and you wish to transfer your $350 deposit to a future program, a $100 transfer fee is charged per program. You have one month from the date of cancellation to transfer to another full-time program.
Students already in Canada cannot transfer fees between programs unless there is an emergency situation where students must return home. In these cases, a $100 transfer fee will be charged, and the transfer will be approved by the Director only after the student has provided a doctor’s note and proof of return air ticket.
The amount of money you budget for your time in Victoria will depend on your lifestyle, the amount of traveling you plan to do while you are away from home and the amount of time you are going to be in Canada.
Your tuition includes a calendar of free activities but if you are interested in doing some optional activities such as whale-watching, skiing, visiting Butchart Gardens, etc. you will want to set aside some extra money to cover these costs. Optional activities ranges from $10 (i.e. going to the opera) - $150 (a day trip to Vancouver), so depending on your interests, setting aside $200 - $300 for optional activities is recommended.
Students with a valid study permit who are full-time students at the English Language Centre are restricted to working on campus at UVic during their first 6 months in Victoria. After that, as long as they are still full-time students, they can work off campus, anywhere in Victoria. Many ELC students want to work to off-set the cost of studying and living abroad, but students should not depend on working while they study to finance their time in Canada. Even though students with study permits are eligible to work on campus, there is no guarantee that they will be able to find a job on campus. The number of on-campus positions available is limited, and international students applying for jobs need to have strong English skills to compete with Canadian students for on-campus work.
For students who are interested in gaining unpaid, professional experience in a Canadian workplace after the 12-week program, the English Work Experience Program offers 4-6 week internships at a variety of local businesses and organizations.
Victoria has a very moderate climate, which means that we do not normally have very hot or cold temperatures. Summer is comfortably warm and dry with temperatures from 15-25 degrees Celsius. Our winter is short and often brings rain and wind. Average winter temperatures are between 0–10 degrees Celsius. Snowfall is rare in Victoria.
Once a student is granted Conditional Acceptance by UVic, he or she must complete one of the English Language Centre’s University Admission Preparation: Advanced English and Canadian Studies level courses within one year:
The ELC encourages every student to apply for their program early so that they can make travel arrangements that allow them to arrive on time for the best possible experience in our programs.
When you are making your travel arrangements to come to Victoria, remember that it is better to arrive early than to arrive late! For both Homestay and dormitory accommodation students, it is often possible to arrange for extra nights of accommodation if you are arriving early, but if you arrive late you may miss important program orientation information.
12-Week program students should arrive on the weekend before their program start date.
3-6 Week program students should arrive on the day before the program start date.
The waiting list works on a cancellation basis. As soon as a space becomes available for the student we contact them (or their agent) right away, so there is no specific deadline or date in which the student will hear by. Also, there are no guarantees that the student will get into the program
In Victoria, and all of BC, smoking is not allowed in any public buildings (i.e. restaurants, movie theatres, bars, malls, etc.) Smoking is also not allowed inside or within 10 meters of any building at the University of Victoria. That means, even when you are outside, smoking is only allowed if you are more than 10 metres away from a building. Public places in Canada have many signs telling you where you can, and can’t smoke, so follows those signs. If you are with a group of people in an outside designated smoking area at a cafe or bar, it is polite to ask “Do you mind if I smoke?” before lighting a cigarette, in case someone you are with has a sensitivity. Inside their homes, many Canadians do not smoke, or allow guests to smoke, so as a guest in a Canadian home, always ask where you can smoke.
The 4-week program, called University Admission Preparation: Advanced English & Canadian Studies:
This program has the same curricular objectives as the 12-week UAP program. It is another UAP option for students trying to meet the language requirements for credit studies at UVic, just as writing the TOEFL or IELTS tests are used to get in.
