NorQuest College offers Practical Nurse Diploma for Internationally Educated Nurses, a diploma in Nursing programme in Edmonton, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered in a hybrid format. Tuition for international students is CAD 46,208 per total (CAD 15,808 per total for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Nursing
Duration: 2 years
Delivery: Hybrid
Local tuition: CAD 15,808 / total
International tuition: CAD 46,208 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This diploma program at NorQuest College is designed for internationally educated health-care professionals who hold a diploma or degree in a health-care field, such as midwifery, pharmacy, or dentistry, from an institution outside Canada, and who want to requalify as a practical nurse. The program combines classroom instruction, hands-on labs and simulations, workshops, and clinical practicum experience, and includes coursework aimed at strengthening communication skills and English-language proficiency. Students complete three practicums totaling 435 hours of work experience, with full-time clinical placements that can include daytime, evening, weekend, or holiday shifts. The program runs over four or five terms in a blended format that combines online coursework with in-person or real-time instruction, delivered from the Edmonton campus. Graduates are prepared to write the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam and pursue a nursing career in Canada. The program suits internationally trained health professionals seeking a formal pathway to Canadian practical nurse registration.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Applicants need a diploma or degree in a health-care field from an accredited institution outside Canada that included coursework in anatomy, physiology and psychology, with equivalency options for a missing course; a 2.0 GPA is required to graduate. The standard English requirement is IELTS Academic with listening 7.5, speaking 7.0, reading 6.5 and writing 7.0, TOEFL iBT 94, or CELBAN with listening 10, speaking 8, reading 8 and writing 7 (results no more than two years old); a Winter-term ESL stream instead accepts IELTS Academic 6.0 in every component, TOEFL iBT 71, CELBAN 7.0 in every component, or Duolingo 110. Before practicum, applicants need current WHMIS, BLS/CPR and bloodborne-pathogen-exposure certification, a clear Police Information Check plus a Vulnerable Sector Check if 18 or older, an up-to-date immunization record, N95 mask fit testing within two years, and completion of required online modules and consent forms. The diploma must be finished within five years of starting, and the programme is not currently open to international students.
Application Details
Start Date:January
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees) apply to NorQuest College through ApplyAlberta: applications open October 1 of the prior year for the Fall intake, February 1 for Winter, and June 1 for Spring/Summer, with the domestic deadline set as the first Friday of the term itself and offers made on a first-qualified, first-admitted basis subject to seat availability. International applicants apply through NorQuest's own virtual admissions system and face earlier fixed deadlines: June 9 for Fall, October 15 for Winter, and February 9 for Spring/Summer entry. NorQuest publishes this schedule as a recurring policy rather than year-specific dates, and does not describe admission as fully rolling, since seats are limited by program. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
