Frequently Asked Questions for Students

An academic year contains 2 semesters that are 4 months each, total of 8 months at school each year. Students usually takes 4 months off as summer holidays. 

An intensive year contains 3 semesters that are 4 months each, meaning students will be at school all 12 months of the year with a brief time off between each semester. 

Yes, under special circumstances, you can submit a copy of your Diploma. However, if there is credit transfer involved, the official transcript will be needed.

You will need to complete the Acupuncture Diploma Program. After you pass the Pan-Canadian Exam you can get the R.Ac license that will enable the patients to claim insurance for acupuncture.

The Diploma program is for students who want to become a licensed acupuncturist (R.Ac or L.Ac). Certificate program is designed for some healthcare professionals (i.e., MD, DC, PT, RN, RMT). These professionals can perform acupuncture within their scope of practice (often pain management) with the completion of Acupuncture Certificate program.  The Diploma program is 2260 hours and the Certificate program is 450 hours.

As reference only (varies with each application):

If you are a single independent student you will receive about $13000/year as grants (that you don't need to pay back) and $11000/year as loans (that you will need to pay back after you graduate). You can still work part time, if your annual income is less than $16800, your grants and loans will not be affected. If your annual income is more than $16800, your grants will be reduced.

If you have a family (married or single with children) you will receive about $23000/year as grants and $11000/year as loans. The grants can be higher for students with more dependents to care for.

Advanced TCM program is one more year (3 terms, 1160 hours) than the TCM Practitioner program. In the Advanced TCM program students study TCM classic (4 courses), Integrated TCM and Western Medicine (3 courses), TCM Research, TCM enrichment, 420 additional hours of clinic training.

The one more year study provides students with solid foundation and stronger clinic skills, and leads to more successful practices.

Upon completion of the Advance program - graduate can write the doctor of TCM examination under the British Columbia jurisdiction. The doctor title in Ontario is a highly regarded title with additional rights, and it is currently not available to TCM professionals. 

The course load ranges from 4 to 18 hours of classes per week and is very flexible.

For students working Monday to Friday they can take classes on Saturday and evenings. Part time students can also take weekday daytime classes if their schedule allows.

Our program advisor will assist you with your course selection according to your schedule.

In Canada, the Acupuncture and TCM Practitioner program are professional diploma programs, not degree programs. For information about program recognition in the U.S., please see “International Students” section. 

Minimum Toefl iBT score is 70, minimum IELTS score is academic 6.0.

Yes, online credits completed during the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for transfer.  

Yes. To determine the eligibility of the credit, we need your official transcript and course descriptions for the credit transfer.

Classes will continue online during the COVID-19 quarantine. Our classes have been conducting online (with Zoom) since March 17, 2020. We will resume to the normal classroom setting when it is safe to do so, and with additional safety measures in place.

Our full time students have classes three or four days per week. Most of our full time students work part time. Our optimized class schedule enables our part time students to schedule their work easier.

Yes, please refer to Our Faculty page. 

Online courses are offered during the pandemic lockdown. When official quarantine is over, the online courses will be discontinued. The regulatory body does not recognize the online or distance education under normal circumstances. In the future, there may be some components that can be offered online.

When we go back to physical classroom, we will take a number of steps to improve the safety of our students and staff. For example, the school will reduce the class size to meet the physical distance.

Tuition is the same for all our students regardless of international or domestic. The key difference is the program application fee, which is $226 CAD for international student (please contact us for the most up-to-date fees and rates)

Get a notarized copy of your transcript and other documents if an original copy is hard to get.

Acupuncture and TCM professions are faced with shortage of practitioners in Canada. Finding a job and eventually getting a permanent resident status is not a difficult task. However, majority of  our international graduates have gone back to their home country to practice. Therefore, we do not have enough data to offer a definitive answer to this question.

The average living expenses is about $350 CAD/week for a single student, however, this is just a reference number and it varies with each individual and does not include rental expenses. 

Yes, our Acupuncture Diploma and TCM Practitioner Diploma program are equivalent to the US master's degree. Our graduates of the Acupuncture Diploma program are qualified to take the Acupuncture Certification exams of NCCAOM. Our graduates of the TCM Practitioner Diploma program are qualified to take both the Acupuncture Certification and Herbal Medicine Certification exams. The school code for the NCCAOM exams is: FOR 70560.

Yes, if you pass the Pan-Canadian examinations, you can practice anywhere in Canada. However, some provinces, such as Quebec, may have additional requirements, which is French proficiency in this case. 

Yes, upon successful completion of board exam and registration, you may begin practicing in the TCM field while completing further education.