Obtaining Your Personal Education Number (PEN)

Have you attended a BC school since 1993, or written a provincial exam since 1986? 

If so, you should have already been issued a unique 9-digit Personal Education Number (PEN).  

To find out your PEN:

• Look on one of your BC school report cards or official Ministry of Education transcript. The PEN is usually listed on these documents.

• Ask at the school you last attended. They should be able to tell your number.

• Ask the Ministry of Education to search for your PEN by submitting a "Student PEN Request Form". All requests must be in writing and PEN information will not be provided to students over the phone or by email.

You may already have a PEN if you have attended a BC Public Post-Secondary Institution since 1998. Contact that institution's records department to find out if you have a PEN.


If you are a BC resident who has never been issued a PEN, or if you are new to BC and are just starting classes, the school you plan on attending will obtain a PEN for you.



To find out more about PENs and their use, please visit the BC Ministry of Education - Personal Education Number website.