ALL Programs require students to have their own computers.
Minimum requirements
- A laptop (if program includes on-campus courses)
- Microsoft Windows 10 - 64bit
- Intel i5 OR AMD Ryzen processor
- 13” screen (laptop) OR 19” monitor (desktop)
- 8 Gigabytes of RAM memory
- 512 Gigabyte hard drive
- Audio and video required (including webcam, microphone, and speakers/headphones)
Software
As a student of NLC, you have free and legal access to the Microsoft Office 365 suite, including MS-Word, MS-Teams, MS-Excel, MS-PowerPoint, and MS-Access, so there is no need to purchase an Office application.
We recommend using Google Chrome for the best experience.
A note about piracy: Ensure your operating system (MS-Windows 10) is properly licensed and up to date on patches. Office 365 and other applications NLC licenses on your behalf will not install on an unregistered version of Windows.
Internet connectivity
Most NLC programs rely heavily on internet connectivity; ideally students will have high speed internet. However, while traditional dial-up is unlikely to be fast enough, cellular connections such as Telus LTE are proving to be adequate.
Please refer to this article for tips on getting the best possible experience with online delivery.
Recommendations
The minimum requirements have been identified as the least expensive computer requirements you need for classes. However, we would be remiss if we did not make some recommendations. We recommend:
- A laptop (rather than a desktop) as it can be brought to class when attending face-to-face.
- 15.6” Laptop monitor
- 16 Gigabytes of RAM memory
- 240 Gigabyte SSD hard drive
- External keyboard
- External mouse
- Good quality webcam
- Full-size monitor(s)
- An inkjet or laser printer.
Not supported
There are many alternatives to traditional Windows-based personal computers. However, NLC recommends against purchasing one of the following for course-work as they have not met the needs of students currently attending:
- Tablet computer (iPad, Samsung Galaxy, etc)
- Apple iMAC
- Chromebook
- Windows 10 S
- Mobile phone (iOS, Android, etc)
Financial Assistance
Students receiving financial aid (BC Student Loan/Canada Student Loan) can use a portion of their textbook amounts towards the purchase of a computer, if it is required by the program.
Some NLC Foundation entrance awards may be used towards the purchase of a computer.
Last updated: 29-May-2020