Private post-secondary institutions have a long history of offering educational programs in British Columbia. Recently, there have been changes to the way private institutions are regulated in the province. Under the Degree Authorization Act, which was brought into force in November 2003, private post-secondary institutions may now apply for ministerial consent to offer and advertise degree programs, grant degrees, and use the word "university" in the province.
A further development in the private post-secondary sector is the replacement of the Private Post-secondary Education Commission with the new Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA). The Private Career Training Institutions Act establishes the PCTIA as a self-regulating agency governed by a board of industry representatives. The PCTIA is responsible for:
-
providing consumer protection to the students of registered institutions; and,
-
establishing standards of quality that must be met by accredited institutions.
For more information about private post-secondary education in British Columbia, please visit the following web pages:
Degree Granting Authorization
This site provides information about the Degree Quality Assessment Board and the degree granting authorization process for public, private and out-of-province institutions that wish to offer degree programs in British Columbia.
Non-Degree Granting Private Institutions
This site provides information about the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA), private career training institutions, and private institutions providing language programming such as English as a second language (ESL).
Being an Informed Student:
Information for prospective students of Private Institutions
This site provides information to help prospective students to find the programs and institutions that best suit their educational goals. | 
