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Thank you for your interest in studying at the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Vancouver. We hope this FAQ section is helpful to you. If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
1. About ICTCM of Vancouver
2. Our Mission
3. Our Objectives
4. Admission Qualifications
5. Apply for ICTCMV
6. Transfer Credits
7. Diploma Programs
8. Certificate Programs
9. Tuition fees, Payments and Other Costs
10. I am an international student
11. Home Study Program
- About ICTCM of Vancouver
Our School was established in 1986. Twenty four years of excellent experiences in teaching traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.
Q: Is ICTCMV accredited by the government?
A: Yes, ICTCMV is registered with and accredited by the PCTIA which is branch under the Ministry of Advanced Education in British Columbia, Canada since May 2000 (Please visit www.pctia.bc.ca for more information).
Q: Is ICTCMV accredited by any professional licensing body?
A: Yes, ICTCMV is registered and approved by CTCMA of BC with the highest level of accreditation in September 2005. CTCMA of BC is a licensing body under the Ministry of Health of British Columbia, Canada. (Please visit www.ctcma.bc.ca for more information).
2. Our Mission Statement
Fostering most effective and ethical TCM doctors
3. Our Objectives
Providing deep and wide training in TCM
Promoting medical ethics
Helping students to develop an interest in life-long learning
Cultivating the ability in TCM research
. Admission Qualifications
For our diploma programs: completion of high school and/or over the age of 19 years older
For certification program: completion of high school and/or over the age of 19 years older
The home study program is open to anyone interested in studying traditional Chinese medicine.
5. Apply for ICTCMV
Q: What do I need to apply to the school?
A: You will hand in, fax, email or mail in the following document to our registration office.
1) Completed Application form. You may download the form from our website or ask us to mail you one. You may also pick up one from our front desk.
2) A certified check for application fee (local student: $150.00 / international student: $250.00). You may pay by debit/credit card, cash or by certified cheque.
3) A copy of photo ID.
6. Transfer credit
Q: When should I apply for the transfer credits?
A: The transfer credit application and evaluation must be completed before the course(s) starts.
Any application submitted after the course(s) started will be treated as withdrawal from the course(s).
Q: How do I apply for transfer credit and what do I need to provide?
A: You must fill out the transfer credit application form for each course(s) applied. The form indicates that the relevant transcripts (s) must be submitted and must include the name of the course(s), hours of study for the course (s) and the marks.
Q: Is there a cost to apply for transfer credits?
A: Yes, there is a $100.00 assessment fee for each course of transferring. The maximum cost is $500.00 for 5 courses or over.
Q: What if I don’t pass the evaluation for transfer credit?
A: The fee for transferring credit is refundable. If you don’t meet the transfer requirement, the fee will be fully refundable.
7. Diploma Programs
Our diploma programs are open to both full-time and part-time students as well as licensed practitioners interested in upgrading their status.
Q: How many diploma programs are offered?
A: There are 4 diploma programs.
3-year Acupuncturist Program
3-year Herbalist Program
4-year Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner Program
5-year Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Program
Q: Do I have to decide which program to enrol when I apply?
A: No, you don’t have to decide which program to enrol into, because all first year programs are the same, you can decide later which program you want to enrol into. The other option you have is to finish the three year program first, get your licence, while you are working as licensed acupuncturist, you can also study to finish the fourth and fifty year courses.
Q: How often the Programs/Courses are offered?
A: The programs offered in winter, summer and fall.
The first Tuesday (Monday is a holiday in Canada) of September is our regular school starting day. The majority students start their full-time study on that day, but students can also choose to study on part-time basis. In winter and summer, we offer part-time credit courses. Please click “Programs” to see the current schedules and course details.
Q: How many semesters are there in a year?
A: The regular academic year includes two semesters, from September to December and from January to April.
The College also offers summer courses for students, who want to finish their study earlier than regularly scheduled time and also for new students, who don’t want to wait until the September semester.
Q: Can I complete the programs within a shorter period?
A: Yes. The regularly scheduled timetable for 3-year, 4-year, and 5-year programs are in two semesters. The 3-year acupuncturist program can be completed in two years by studying through two summers. Therefore the 4-year program may be completed within 3 years and the 5-year program may be completed within 4 years.
(Note: the students who are taking 3 semesters in one year still have about 4 weeks in August and about 4 weeks in December off).
Q: Will it be too stressful to study three semesters a year?
A: The students who are studying 3 semesters a year will still have about 4 weeks holidays in August and about 4 weeks in December
Q: If I qualify for some transfer credits, can I complete the Programs even sooner?
A: Yes, you can in most cases, but it also depends on how many credits you will be approved for transfer credit and how the courses are scheduled.
Q: Are clinic observation and practice included in the programs?
A: Yes, both observation and practice are included in the programs. We don’t offer any clinical courses in the first year because the students do not have sufficient knowledge at this stage to use clinical time efficiently. However; point locating hands on courses is available in the first year curriculum.
Other year’s clinical hours are as follows:
Second year clinical observation: 224 hours
Third year clinical practice: 224 hours
Fourth year clinical practice: 224 hours
Fifth year clinical practice: 400 hours. The fifth-year students have the option of completing their clinical practice in China / Taiwan. Please click “programs” for “overseas study”.
8. Certificate Program and continuing education credits
Our certificate program and continuing education courses for licensed practitioners are available for both full-time and part-time study.
Q: Do you offer any certificate programs and what are their entrance requirements?
A: We offer a one-year certificate program (a total of 952 hours) on Chinese Tui Na and Reflexology. The entrance requirement is high school graduation or over 19 years of age.
Q: Can I transfer the credits from certificate program to diploma programs if I decide to get into a higher level of professional diploma program?
A: Yes, the credits you earned from the Tui Na and Reflexology certificate program can be transferred to any of the diploma programs.
Q: Is there any certificate programs for health care practitioners?
A: Yes. We are able to offer you the study required by your professional licensing body with a certificate.
9. Tuition fees, Payments and Other Costs
Q: If I am enrolled as a full time student for the three-year acupuncture program, how much tuition do I need to pay?
A: Tuition is calculated based on the credits (1 credit=14hours of classroom education=$200.00).
The hourly rate is $14.29. If you are a full-time student without any transfer in credits; your tuition is calculated as follows:
1st year 604 hours/43 credits $8,600.00
2nd year 700 hours/50 credits $10,000.00
3rdyear 644 hours/46 credits $9,200.00
Q: How much would my tuition be should I decide to continue with the four-year and/or five-year DTCM program later?
A: The tuitions are:
4th year 714 hours/51 credits $10,200.00
5th year 736 hours/52.57 credits $10,514.00
Q: How much is my tuition if I want to take the three-year Herbalist Program?
A: The tuition are:
1st year 604 hours/43 credits $8,600.00
2nd year 728 hours/52 credits $10,400.00
3rd year 602 hours/43 credits $8,600.00
Q: Do I have to pay my tuition all at once? Or is there any payment schedule?
A: If you are a Canadian citizen or resident, you don’t have to pay the tuition all at once; we will divide the total tuition in two to four payments according to your course load. Your individual payment dates and amount will be indicated on your student contract.
Q: How should I pay my tuition?
A: The first payment as tuition deposit must be made by a bank draft or certified check, and the future scheduled payments may be paid by post dated checks, however the post dated checks must be received when the student contract is signed.
Q: What are the other costs I need to be prepared for?
A: --Book cost is not included in tuition. The textbook cost for the first-year students is about $500.00. Some of the books will be shared for the 2nd and 3rd years.
--CTCMA of BC student registration fees: when you take the clinical courses, you need to register with CTCMA of BC as a student practitioner. Please www.ctcma.bc.ca for fees and more information.
--Clinical malpractice insurance fee is $100.00 per year.
10. Questions pertinent to international students?
Q: How do I apply for admission as an international student?
A: The application process is the same as a Canadian student.
Q: What are the tuitions for international students?
A: The tuition for international students is the same as for Canadian students. International students must pay the first year ($8600.00) tuition in full upon signing the student contract.
Q: How do I get a “certified cheque/bank draft”?
A: Just go to your bank; ask for a "certified check" or "bank draft" in Canadian funds, the check or draft must be made payable to ICTCMV. The bank will tell you how much to pay in your currency. This way, we will not have exchange rate problem.
Q: Can I receive any funding?
A: The Canadian student loan is available only to Canadian students. Please contact your own country’s educational system regarding the policy on overseas study. Also, you can try some of you local banks for funding.
Q: Am I allowed to work part-time as an international student?
A: By law, international students are not permitted to work, but there are some exceptions; for detailed information please visit www.canada.com.
Q: Where do I get my health or other insurance?
A: Any major insurance company can take care of international student insurance for you.
Q: I need to apply for a student visa, what is the application process?
A: Registration procedures:
1. The College will prepare your Student Contract when receiving your application form and fee.
2. Two identical copies of Student Contract will be sent to you for your signatures.
3. You will mail the Contracts back to us with the full payment for the first-year tuition by bank draft.
4. After receiving the signed Contracts and the tuition, the College will send you
(a) Paper and attachments to introduce our College
(b) Letter of Acceptance
(c) A copy of Contract signed by the College
(d) Receipt for your tuition payment
5. With the above documents, you can go to the Canadian visa office to apply for a student visa.
Q: Can you give me some ideas about accommodations in Vancouver?
A: In general, a one-room apartment rent is about $500.00 to $1,000.00 depending on the area.
Q: I am new to Vancouver, does the College make arrangements for student accommodations?
A: Currently; housing service is not available however you can visit the www.craigslist.ca for some housing options. It is suggested that you make a short term arrangement first, because after you start the program, you will be in a better position to make long-term accommodation arrangements through/with your schoolmates.
11. Home Study Program
Q: Does the home study program offer credits?
A: No. The home study program is designed for people who learn traditional Chinese medicine for their personal interests with no intention of practising it at least in the foreseeable future.
Q: Can I transfer the home study program courses to your regular programs of study?
A: No. Home study program offers courses for individual interest only; the credits are not transferred to our regular programs.
Q: Do I get a certificate after I complete the courses?
A: Yes. You will receive a certificate of completion after you submit your assignments for the course. In case of two or three courses in one program, you need to take all of them in order to get a certificate of complexion. As an example, there are three courses in Chinese herbology; you need to complete all of them in order to get a certificate of completion.
Q: Whom do I have to contact when I have questions?
A. You can write to Dr. Henry Lu who is the coordinator of the program; he will direct your questions to the instructors concerned.
Q: Is there a time frame within which I have to complete a course?
A: Yes. You need to complete a course within two years. You can also ask for extension if needed.