B.C. includes Indigenous-Focused Graduation Requirement towards Certificate of Graduation

Effective the 2023/24 school year, all students working toward a B.C. Certificate of Graduation (“Dogwood Diploma”), in English or French, must successfully complete at least 4 credits in Indigenous-focused coursework. This requirement applies to students in B.C. public, independent, First Nations, and offshore schools. There is no change to the total number of credits required to graduate, which remains at 80.

Students who have not otherwise satisfied graduation requirements before the start of the 2023/24 school year must meet this requirement.

This requirement does not apply to students in the Adult Graduation Diploma Program.

Students can meet this graduation requirement through a variety of course options, including provincial Indigenous-focused courses; provincially-authorized First Nations language courses; and Indigenous-focused, locally developed (Board/Authority Authorized or First Nation Authorized) courses. Some of these courses also satisfy Language Arts or Social Studies graduation requirements. See the Recognized Course List drop-down below for a complete list of courses that meet the Indigenous-focused graduation requirement.