Empowering Future Leaders Through Innovative Education

Provincial data shows that former apprenticeship students at COTR report employment rates between 91.1% and 93.3%. Vocational graduates achieve an 84% employment rate, with 93% of those working in full-time positions. The unemployment rate for diploma, associate degree, and certificate graduates sits at just 4.4%.

Total monthly living expenses in Cranbrook range from $1,335 to $1,735 CAD including rent, food, transit, phone, health insurance, and personal expenses. Shared rent averages between $550 and $950 per month. A comparable one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver or Toronto regularly exceeds $2,500 per month. An international student can complete a full academic year here for approximately $35,000 CAD including tuition and all living costs.

The Village is a newly constructed 96-bed residence on the Cranbrook campus, financed by a $17.7 million investment including $11.6 million in provincial funding. A semester costs $3,000 CAD. Purcell House, a second on-campus option, offers rooms from $2,400 to $2,640 per semester. On-campus living insulates international students from the volatility of the private rental market.

COTR students successfully transfer an average of 45 to 50 credits to receiving universities across British Columbia. The college holds formal dual admission agreements with the University of Victoria and the University of Lethbridge. International students can complete the first two years of a degree at college tuition rates and smaller class sizes before transferring to a university to complete their bachelor's.

The college operates dedicated alpine training campuses in Fernie and Golden, surrounded by a globally recognized tourism destination. Adventure Tourism programmes include mandatory field placements with local ski resorts and guiding operations. Practical Nursing graduates feed directly into the British Columbia health system, and 95% of all COTR graduates rate the quality of instruction favourably.