Internationally Educated

If you are an APD in Australia, or if you completed your education and training in the US (both an ACEND accredited degree and ACEND accredited practicum which are based in the US), click on the appropriate link below:

All applicants to the College,  regardless of where they were educated,  must meet the same registration requirements to practice as a dietitian in Ontario. The requirements include demonstrating that you meet the Canadian standards for academic and practical training in dietetics.

Getting Started

If you are an internationally educated applicant, the College strongly recommends that you review the Canadian Dietetic Practice Orientation and Self-Assessment Tool. It will give you a general overview of dietetic practice in Canada and will help you assess your knowledge and skills against the standards required to practice dietetics in Canada.

There are two ways that the College may assess your education:

  • A prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) process, or
  • A paper-based credential assessment.

The College sends all communications by email, many of which are automated. Before you begin your application with the College there are important steps you must take:

  1. Add the College’s domain (@collegeofdietitians.org) to your email service’s safe senders list.
  2. Make sure your email provider doesn’t block any automated College emails or send them to your junk/spam/promotions folder versus your inbox.

Review the information below about the registration requirements and required documents to ensure that your application is complete and you have arranged for all documents to be sent to the College.

The College operates a primarily paperless organization. Please send all documents electronically to registration@collegeofdietitians.org​.

For any questions, please email registration@collegeofdietitians.org​

Response Timelines: Registration staff will respond to your inquiry (received by email or phone) within five (5) business days. We appreciate your patience.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) Process

The Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is made up of several steps, including a multiple-choice examination and a performance-based assessment, which are designed to assess your current knowledge, skills, and judgment against the national entry to practice standards for Canadian graduates.

In comparison to a credential assessment, the College considers the PLAR process to be a more fair and valid assessment of your dietetic knowledge because it directly assesses what you currently know and can do, and is not affected by factors outside of your control (for example incomplete course descriptions which don’t reflect the full content of your degree).  In addition, the PLAR process provides a way for the College to recognize knowledge and skills that you gained after your degree, through continuing education or in practice.

Learn more about the PLAR process.
Application Instructions for PLAR.

Paper-Based Credential Assessment of Education and Training

In a credential assessment, the Registration Committee will review transcripts, course descriptions, and information about the formal structure and learning objectives of your practical training against the national standards for dietetics education and training programs in Canada.

This is the assessment to choose if you have been directed by a university to have the College conduct an academic assessment as part of the admissions process for a Canadian accredited internship or practicum.

Learn more about the credential assessment.
Application Instructions for a credential assessment.