Columbia College

ABOUT UNIVERSITY

Columbia College is an independent, not-for-profit two-year university transfer college located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1936, it originally offered high school completion programs and later expanded to include university transfer courses, English as a Second Language programs, and associate degrees. The college provides a University Transfer program allowing students who complete senior high school to earn first- and second-year university-level credits transferable to universities in Canada and abroad. Columbia College also offers High School and English for Academic Purposes programs accredited by Languages Canada.Over the years, the college has relocated several times. In 1985, it moved to Burnaby near Metrotown Centre, expanding programs in business and engineering. In 1997, Columbia College returned to downtown Vancouver, sharing facilities with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), which allowed improved laboratories, classrooms, and library access. In 2004, it became the first private institution in British Columbia to award Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees. By 2013, the college moved to a new five-storey Main Campus at 438 Terminal Avenue, offering advanced science laboratories, library facilities, and student lounges. In 2017, it opened a North Campus at 333 Terminal Avenue for High School and English programs while providing access to Main Campus facilities.Columbia College has an international student population from 61 countries, with enrollment around 2,100 students. Since 2016, the college has offered refugee bursaries to support displaced students in completing high school or associate degree programs at no cost. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it implemented distance education options to ensure continuing students could complete their studies. Registered as both a society under the Societies Act of BC and a charity with the Canadian Revenue Agency, Columbia College continues its mission of providing accessible, high-quality education and pathways to university for students from diverse backgrounds.