Course selection tips for high school students

Course selection tips for high school students

If you’re hoping to attend UBC in September 2025 or 2026, it’s already time to start planning the rest of your high school courses. Here’s a few tips to help you prepare and choose the Grade 11 and 12 or junior- and senior-level courses you’ll need for admission.

Know your requirements

Choose Grade 12 or senior-level courses that meet:

  • your high school graduation requirements;
  • UBC’s general admission requirements;
  • UBC’s degree-specific requirements.

Your general admission and degree-specific requirements will depend on the UBC campus and degree you choose, and the high school curriculum you’re studying as a Canadian student or an international student.

When you apply to UBC, you’ll have the chance to pick a first-choice and second-choice degree. Make sure the Grade 12 or senior-level courses you choose meet the requirements for both degrees.

If you haven’t chosen a degree yet, don’t worry! Just make sure that, at minimum, you meet UBC’s general admission requirements. Every UBC degree has specific requirements beyond the general admission requirements, but some degrees have fewer than others.

You can use these worksheets to help you plan your courses.

 

Make sure you meet UBC’s English language requirement

Since English is the primary language of instruction at UBC, you will be required to demonstrate a minimum level of English before you’re admitted. There are nine ways to meet UBC’s English Language Admission Standard for an undergraduate degree.

Start thinking about your personal profile

UBC will evaluate your application based on a combination of your academic achievements and personal experiences. The personal profile is your opportunity to tell UBC what you are most proud of, what is most important to you, and what you have learned from your experiences inside and outside the classroom. Start thinking about what you are learning – and want to learn – from those experiences in the coming year.

Do your best

A competitive university like UBC receives more applications than offers it can give out. We wish we could admit all qualified applicants, but we just don’t have the space. UBC has a comprehensive approach to admissions that focuses primarily on your marks in academic courses, but also considers the breadth, rigour, and relevancy of your coursework.

Stay up to date

UBC’s admission requirements can change from year to year. Be sure to refer to the Applying to UBC page for the most up-to-date information.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Maritimes: UBC document upload deadline is March 15

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Maritimes: UBC document upload deadline is March 15

Have you uploaded your documents to the Applicant Service Centre yet? Document upload will be closing on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, so be sure to get your documents in as soon as you have them.

Check out our tips on uploading your documents.

If you are an International Baccalaureate student in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, or the Maritimes, we will receive your anticipated IB results directly from your IB coordinators, so you do not need to upload documents to complete your application.

Have questions? Email us at admissions.inquiry@ubc.ca with the subject line “document upload,” and remember to include your full name and UBC student number so we can assist you.

 

 

How to apply for your study permit

How to apply for your study permit

International students need a valid study permit to attend UBC. Study permits are issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the government department that handles immigration. As an international student, you’ll either need to extend your existing study permit from inside of Canada or apply for a new study permit from outside of Canada.

 

You’ll need to apply for a new study permit or an extension directly with IRCC as soon as you are able. You can’t apply for a study permit until you’ve accepted your offer of admission and paid the deposit. For new study permit applications from outside Canada, you must also receive a Provincial Attestation Letter before you can apply for your study permit. You must have your application approved and receive your letter of introduction from IRCC.

 

Depending on your country of citizenship, you may need a medical exam or you may need to provide biometric information in addition to supporting documentation. To get started:

 

For international undergraduate students outside Canada

If you are applying for a new study permit from outside of Canada, you need a Provincial Attestation Letter. To apply for your study permit:

  1. Accept your offer of admission and pay your deposit.
  2. UBC will send you your Provincial Attestation Letter in about 3 business days. Check your email account that UBC has on record to get your Provincial Attestation Letter.
  3. Download your letter of admission from UBC. Log in to the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, and select Letter of Admission. You will need both your offer of admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter in your study permit application.
  4. Follow the steps to apply. Learn more about how to apply for an initial study permit for UBC Okanagan or UBC Vancouver.

 

For international undergraduate students inside Canada

If you are extending your study permit from inside of Canada before it becomes invalid, you don’t need a Provincial Attestation Letter. You can confirm that you’re exempt from requiring a Provincial Attestation Letter on the IRCC website. To extend your study permit:

  1. Accept your offer of admission and pay your deposit.
  2. Download your letter of admission from UBC. Log in to the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, and select Letter of Admission.
  3. Follow the steps to apply. Learn more about how to apply for a study permit extension for UBC Okanagan or UBC Vancouver.

 

If you are in Canada as a visitor or asylum seeker, contact International Student Advising at UBC Okanagan or UBC Vancouver for support. 

Find your UBC admission decision in the Applicant Service Centre

Find your UBC admission decision in the Applicant Service Centre

Now that you’ve applied to UBC, you might be wondering: “Did they get my documents?” and “When will I receive my admission decision?”

Tens of thousands of UBC applicants from across Canada and around the world have the same questions. The UBC Admissions Office is doing its best to read every applicant’s Personal Profile and transcript as carefully – and quickly – as possible. We’re swamped with applicant documents, but we’re working very hard to give you a considered and fair decision as soon as we can.

Once we have evaluated your application, you’ll see our decision in the Applicant Service Centre.

If you’ve sent your documents to us within the past five to six weeks, please be patient with us and we will update your status shortly.

In the meantime, you might want to take part in one of our information events or campus tours, where you can get answers to all your questions about life at UBC.

UBC first-round offers of admission

UBC first-round offers of admission

We’re pleased to announce that first-round offers of admission are now complete! All students who have received a first-round offer of admission will now see that reflected in the Applicant Service Centre under Admissions > Application Status.

 

What happens if I didn’t receive a first-round offer of admission?

If you did not receive a first-round offer of admission, your application will automatically be reconsidered as part of our regular round of admission offers.  Not receiving a first-round offer does not in any way decrease or jeopardize your chances of receiving an offer of admission in the regular round.

Students who did not receive a first-round offer of admission will now be considered based on grade information that UBC receives from IB counsellors, Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) download, the BC Ministry of Education, and document upload in March.

  • Ontario high school students: Your grades will arrive through the OUAC download. No further action is required unless we connect with you directly.
  • BC and Yukon: Your grades will arrive through the BC Ministry of Education, and no further action is required from you.
  • IB students: Your grades are being submitted by counsellors. No further action is required unless we connect with you directly.
  • All other Canadian high school students: Upload your documents before March 15. Check out our document upload blog post for more information.

For up-to-date and current information, please check your status in the Applicant Service Centre under Admissions > Application Status.

 

 

What the heck are rolling admissions?

What the heck are rolling admissions?

UBC evaluates your UBC application once it’s complete, which means we need to receive all your grades and other required information first. With more than 48,000 applications coming in from different school systems around the world, we receive all those grades and supporting documents at different times.

We can’t evaluate everyone’s application at the same time, so we send out admissions decisions as we receive and review information. That’s what we mean by rolling admissions.

If we received your grade information early in the year, we may have evaluated your application in January or February. But don’t worry: UBC uses the same admissions criteria for everyone. Students who receive offers by the end of February have to meet the same admissions criteria as those who receive offers in March or April.

 

 

When will you receive your UBC admission decision?

When will you receive your UBC admission decision?

We know that selecting universities to apply to is a huge decision – one that involves plenty of research and preparation. And although that part is done, you still have one big decision left: which admission offer will you accept?

The UBC Admissions Office is meticulously reviewing your application so that we can give you our decision as soon as we can – we want to help you make your big decision in good time. That being said, we’re not going to rush through our evaluation of your application – we want to make sure you get a carefully considered decision from us. As soon as we have evaluated your application, you will see our decision on the Applicant Service Centre under Admissions > Application Status.

 

Why do some students receive their admission decision before others?

The simple answer: we receive grades at different times depending on your school system.

For some of you, we started evaluating your application in mid-to-late January because you applied by December 1 to be considered for a first-round offer of admission. Right now, we are receiving International Baccalaureate anticipated grades for Canadian high school applicants, BC Ministry of Education grades, and OUAC grade information from Ontario, and we continue to receive international documents.

From March 1st to March 15th, applicants from Alberta, Manitoba, the Maritimes, and Saskatchewan will upload their documents so that we can evaluate their applications.

Our Admissions team has been reading personal profiles and evaluating applications as we receive grades and other information, and we will continue to do so until all applications have been carefully reviewed. We’re working as quickly and carefully as we can to give you an admission decision shortly after we receive all of your grade information.

 

Admission decisions are not first come, first served

Most important to you: we use the same evaluation criteria for everyone when their files are complete. If your files are complete in March, we will evaluate your application exactly as we have done for those whose files were complete in January. Our decisions are not made on a first-come, first-served basis, and we take great care to make sure you get the right decision shortly after your application is complete.

 

 

Some UBC degrees still accepting applications

Some UBC degrees still accepting applications

Although the deadline to apply for the 2024/25 Winter Session (September to April) has passed, certain UBC degrees are still accepting applications. If you’re planning to apply, you need to submit your application soon – unless a specific deadline is indicated, degrees will close their application without notice.

 

A flood of applications

As of February 26, 2024, the UBC Admissions office has received over 48,000 applications! If you’ve already applied, thank you for your submission. We’ve been busy answering your questions and making sure you’ll receive an email notifying you of which documents you need to submit. We’re eager to evaluate your application so we can send you a decision as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience as we work through all of the applications we’ve received.

 

What comes after applying?

Check the Admissions Blog routinely for timely posts about how to submit your documents, when we’ll send offers of admission, self-reporting, and other important admissions-related details.