PGCert in Bridging to University Nursing for Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) is a postgraduate certificate in Nursing programme offered by Centennial College in Toronto, Canada. The programme runs for 2 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 18,005 per year (CAD 2,775 per year for local students).
This postgraduate certificate helps internationally educated nurses fill theoretical or practical gaps flagged by Ontario's College of Nurses, and is also open to domestic graduates who need updated education to reinstate their nursing registration. Its curriculum is built on the College of Nurses of Ontario's defined practice standards and entry-level competencies for registered nurses, covering ethics and professional practice, health assessment, skill development, and care for clients with acute and chronic illness, with attention to individuals, groups and communities across acute care, mental health and community settings. Students apply theoretical knowledge in clinical placements under faculty direction. Graduates are expected to communicate effectively, write at a scholarly level, apply critical-thinking and self-reflective decision-making models, assess research findings, demonstrate basic technological literacy, and provide nursing care from a primary health care perspective to multicultural client populations, including in complex health situations.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: This bridging program for internationally- or out-of-province-educated nurses without current Ontario registration requires proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, an interview with the program coordinator before applying, and a Letter of Direction from the College of Nurses of Ontario setting out the practice or educational gaps against baccalaureate entry-to-practice requirements, plus proof of successful completion of a nursing program in the country of origin (out-of-province applicants need a two-year practical-nursing diploma). Nurses with an expired Ontario registration instead need a CNO Letter of Direction specifying 400, 600, or 700 hours of required clinical practice; a Gap letter without hours attached is not accepted. The page states only that proof of English language proficiency is required, without a published test or score. For the subset of students proceeding to Toronto Metropolitan University to close CNO competency gaps, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B average) in Centennial coursework, with no repeated or failed nursing courses, is also required.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Centennial publishes no application deadline for this program; what follows is the Ontario college cycle that governs it. Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca: for a program starting in Fall 2027 the equal-consideration date is 1 February 2027, and applications arriving after it are still assessed, but first-come first-served while places remain. Across the Ontario college system the application opened on 26 September 2026, offers may be issued from 1 November 2026, and an offer must be accepted by 1 May 2027. One $150 fee covers up to five program choices. International applicants apply directly to Centennial through its own international application process and are assessed on a rolling basis across the Fall, Winter and Summer intakes; the college publishes no fixed international closing date. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
