Paralegal Diploma is a diploma in Legal Studies programme taught at Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 15,781 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Legal Studies
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 15,781 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Recognised by the BC Paralegal Association, VCC's paralegal diploma is studied part-time over three to six years, with entry available in January, May and September. The credential stacks rather than runs straight through: a Paralegal Certificate comes first, every specialised practice area a student takes on adds its own Award of Achievement, and the diploma sits at the top of that ladder. Graduates work a file from the first gathering of facts through to a clearly defined legal issue, then track down the governing statute and case law and put it to use. They draft for the courts and for commerce, carry out basic procedure across litigation, corporate and business work, real estate, and family and estate matters, and can account for how a dispute travels from the paperwork that opens it to the settlement that closes it. Specialised terminology comes fluently, the work is pitched at paralegal level in a law office or a comparable legal setting, and professional ethics govern all of it. Instruction is deliberately hands-on but anchored in the theory and procedure behind fundamental legal study, mixing lectures with discussion, group work and simulated practice; courses may be scheduled in person, online or blended, with some instructor-led asynchronous study.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission requires English Studies 12 with a minimum 'B' grade, or equivalent, plus one of three pathways: completion of VCC's Legal Administrative Assistant programme or VCC's Office Administration Certificate – Legal Office Skills (or their equivalents); a minimum one year of legal administrative assistant or paralegal work experience, evidenced by a resume and VCC's Paralegal Employer Reference Checklist; or a minimum one year of office administration experience combined with completion of all five VCC Legal Office Skills courses (OACP 1113, 1114, 1115, 1116 and 1117, or their equivalents). No standardized language-test score such as IELTS or TOEFL is listed; the English Studies 12 'B' standard, or equivalent, is the stated bar. Applicants missing the English prerequisite can use VCC's tuition-free academic upgrading, university transfer or ESL courses before applying.
Application Details
Start Date:September, January and May
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) apply through EducationPlannerBC. VCC publishes each programme's own application window, term by term, on its When to Apply page rather than one college-wide date: windows open roughly six to twenty months before the term starts and close on a stated date, though popular programmes can close earlier once seats fill, since places generally go to eligible applicants in the order their application is completed. International applicants use the International Applicant option on EducationPlannerBC; VCC opens international applications on 1 February of the previous year for Winter entry, 1 June for Spring/Summer, and 1 October for Fall, with no fixed closing date — applications continue until roughly three to four months before the term begins or until it fills, so admission is effectively rolling for international applicants. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
