Kate Wilson, Author at UBC | Undergraduate Programs and Admissions

You’ve applied to UBC. Now what?

By Kate Wilson on January 23, 2020

Congratulations on completing your UBC application! You’re one giant step closer to joining our bustling community of students and faculty from around the globe.

Depending on the degree you applied to, the quality of your application, and when your grades become available, you can expect an admission decision any time between the end of January and May. Be sure to check your application status often in the Student Service Centre under Admissions > Application Status.

If you’re itching to know what comes next in the admissions process, check out the video below:

Until you hear back from us, take this time to learn more about the degree that you applied to. This is also a great opportunity to envision your future at UBC and have your questions answered by joining a campus tour, attending an event for applicants, or taking part in an online info session.

Some UBC degrees still accepting applications

By Kate Wilson on January 21, 2020

Although the deadline to apply for the 2020/21 Winter Session (September to April) has passed, certain UBC degrees are still accepting applications. If you are 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 January 16, 2020, the UBC Admissions office received over 42,000 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 42,000 applications that we 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.

Update on first-round offers of admission

By Kate Wilson on January 20, 2020

We received more than 8,000 applications from students who follow the Canadian curriculum and will be considered for a first-round offer of admission. That’s a lot of Personal Profiles to read! We’re already sending out first-round offers of admission and will continue to send them through to February 28. If you don’t receive an offer by February 28, don’t worry – no one will be refused admission during first-round offers of admission.

If I am not admitted by February 28, what do I do?

UBC is reviewing student applications every week. Students who applied before the December 1 deadline will be admitted on different days as the weeks go by. All students who follow the Canadian curriculum and met the December 1 deadline will be considered for first-round offers of admission, and all of those offers will be finalized by February 28.

If you are not admitted by February 28, sit tight and follow the instructions we send you by email for additional grade information.

Can someone tell me if I’ll receive an offer?

If you call our front-line team, they will not be able to tell you if you will be admitted. If you want to know what your current status is, refer to the Student Service Centre (SSC). When you visit the SSC, you can learn about where your application is in the process by viewing your “Applicant Status.” The messaging on your Applicant Status will tell you if you have successfully submitted your application, list your dates and deadlines, and lay out your next steps.

If you have already been admitted, your applicant status will tell you that. If it does not say that you are admitted, check back after February 28. At that time you’ll see new instructions that you must follow.

Reminder: When to upload your documents

By Kate Wilson on January 14, 2020

If you don’t have your documents ready to upload at the time that you apply to UBC, don’t worry – you’re not required to yet.

The deadline to complete UBC’s online application is January 15, 2020.

Your supporting documents do not need to be uploaded until after you’ve submitted your application. The deadline to upload those documents will differ depending on whether you’re a Canadian or international student, what province you’re studying in, whether you’re a transfer student, and the curriculum you’re learning.

Most of those deadlines will fall in March 2020, but you should find out your exact date and requirements well ahead of time. After you’ve applied, UBC will send you an email that outlines which documents you are required to submit, and when you’re required to submit them.

For more tips on when and how to upload your documents, keep checking the UBC Admissions Blog.

Don’t miss out on the Schulich Leader Scholarships

By Kate Wilson on January 14, 2020

Have you demonstrated excellent leadership abilities and academic results during your time in high school? Are you a Canadian student who needs financial assistance to go to university? If so, you could be eligible for a Schulich Leader Scholarship.

What is a Schulich Leader Scholarship?

Schulich Leader Scholarships recognize students across Canada who plan to study a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subject on either of UBC’s campuses.

Award value

If you’ve chosen to study Engineering, your Schulich Leader Scholarship will be worth $100,000. You’ll receive annual payments of $25,000 over a period of four years.

For STEM faculties outside of Engineering, the awards are valued at $80,000. You can expect annual payments of $20,000 over a period of four years.

Are you eligible?

To be eligible, you must:

Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada who is graduating from a Canadian high school, secondary school, or CEGEP.
Be nominated by your high school, secondary school, or CEGEP.
Possess at least two of the three following attributes:
1. Leadership (community, business, or entrepreneurial)
2. Academic excellence
3. Financial need
Be entrepreneurial-minded and hope to pursue a career in technology, innovation, engineering, and scientific research.
Not be pursuing a career in medicine (practicing physician) or medical research.

Eligible degree programs

You are eligible for the award if you apply to one of the STEM faculties listed below:

UBC’s Okanagan campus

Faculty of Applied Science (includes Engineering)
Faculty of Arts and Science (provided you register in a Bachelor of Science degree)

UBC’s Vancouver campus

Faculty of Applied Science (includes Engineering)
Faculty of Forestry
Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Faculty of Science

How do you apply?

Your high school, secondary school, or CEGEP must nominate you for the award. High schools may nominate one student per year, and CEGEPs may nominate two students.

For more information on the application process, take a look at the Schulich Leader Scholarships website.

When is the deadline?

The Schulich Leaders nomination period closes on January 29, 2020 in Canada.

If you’re nominated by your school, you must submit a separate online Schulich Leader application by February 19, 2020. A link to this application will be emailed by representatives from the Schulich Leader Scholarships office.

The UBC online application closes on Wednesday

By Kate Wilson on January 9, 2020

This is the final stretch! You’ve got six more days until the UBC application closes, so put the finishing touches on your personal profile and make sure to submit before the deadline. As a final reminder, you must submit your application and pay the fee by January 15 at 11:59 pm (PST).

Need some tips?

If you’re still finishing things up, why not review our top online application tips or check out the video below.

If you have already applied

If you’ve already submitted your UBC application, then you’re ahead of the game and you should keep an eye on the Student Service Centre under Admissions > Application Status for any updates or to find out if UBC still needs any documents from you.

Please keep in mind that it may take two to three weeks for documents that you’ve submitted to be uploaded to your application, so don’t worry if you’ve sent in a transcript and you don’t see it in the Student Service Centre yet.

If you have questions

The answers to general questions – like Personal Profile inquiries or how UBC evaluates your application – can be found in our Applying to UBC section. Please contact us by phone or by email, or visit us in person, if you need to get in touch.

How UBC will keep in touch with you

By Kate Wilson on January 8, 2020

Do you wonder what happens after you submit your application?

After you submit your application, the Admissions Office reviews it and creates an electronic file for you. In a week or two’s time, you will receive an email listing the additional information you need to submit in order to complete your application.

Check your email

Your email address is a crucial piece of information to submit with your online application. Please be sure to use an email address that you will be checking frequently. Also check your email provider’s spam filters so that UBC emails with important information are not being filtered out.

If your email provider mistakenly deleted something we sent you, you can always log in to the Student Service Centre and click on the Message Centre to see all the emails the Admissions Office has sent to you.

If you have any questions, contact us.

If you applied before December 1

We have started reading the Personal Profiles of everyone who submitted an application by December 1. Successful Presidential Scholars Award candidates will be contacted in mid-April.

Take university life for a test drive with the Future Global Leaders program

By Kate Wilson on January 7, 2020

Curious about university life? Try it out while you’re still in high school

Picturing your life at university can be tough if you haven’t wandered the campus, sat in a lecture hall, or grabbed coffee with some fellow first-years. The UBC Future Global Leaders pre-university summer program gives high school students aged 15 to 18 the chance to immerse themselves in those experiences.

In this two-week program, you’ll take first year-level classes and participate in workshops focused on university prep, as well as enjoy a full calendar of social and cultural activities in and around Vancouver or the Okanagan.

What will you study?

You’ll experience life at a top-tier university and choose from an array of engaging courses, all taught by UBC professors and instructors. The program offers 40 different choices, including business and economics; earth, environment, and sustainability; engineering and technology; health and life sciences; history, law, and politics; media and fine arts; people, culture, and society; and even English language skill development for university.

You’ll also take part in afternoon workshops and information sessions designed to prepare you for life in university (and get some great tips on your future application to UBC). Expect to meet current students, and get the low down on life at UBC.

Where will you live?

You’ll have the choice of staying in a UBC student residence and truly embracing the student life, or living off campus and testing out the daily commute. No matter where you decide to stay, you’ll be able to network with like-minded students from around the world, and gain a real university experience in beautiful Vancouver or spectacular Kelowna.

Combine two-week courses at one of both UBC campuses to make your own four- or six-week program.

Study and socialize with students from more than 45 countries around the world.

Eligibility requirements

To apply for the Future Global Leaders program, you must be 15 to 18 years old and have completed Grade 10 or equivalent. You’ll also need to have a grade point average of 78% or letter grade B, or a minimum IB final grade of 5. You’ll need to include your most recent school report card or transcripts in your application.

If you want to participate in academic courses and English is not your first language, we recommend an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.0 or equivalent, or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Internet-based score of 80 or equivalent. You can self-assess your own levels, as you are not required to provide proof of English Language proficiency.

If you’re looking to take courses that develop your English language skills for university, we require you to have a grade point average of 78% or letter grade B, plus an IELTS score of 5.0 or equivalent, or a TOEFL Internet-based score of 60 or equivalent.

UBC President Bursary Program for high school students in British Columbia

The Future Global Leaders program will award approximately 20 bursaries in 2020 to Grade 11 high school students in British Columbia. It will cover full tuition for one two-week course of your choice, as well as the fees to stay in a student residence at UBC Vancouver or UBC Okanagan, and three meals a day.

To be considered for the bursary, you must have an overall average of 80% or higher, and 80% or higher in Grade 11 English (or equivalent). You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, live in a lower income household, and your parent(s) or caregiver(s) must not have attended a university or university college.

Registration is open for the 2020 sessions

Joining the UBC Future Global Leaders program will help you develop critical academic and social skills that will be valuable during the transition from high school to post-secondary life. Register now for the 2020 sessions of UBC Future Global Leaders, and experience one or both of UBC’s beautiful campuses.

Session 1: Sunday, June 28 – Saturday, July 11 (Okanagan or Vancouver)
Session 2: Sunday, July 12 – Saturday, July 25 (Vancouver)
Session 3: Sunday, July 26 – Saturday, August 8 (Vancouver)

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About this blog

Our dedicated admissions and financial advisors will help you through the application process by writing about admission requirements, financial matters, the application, events and visits, and everything in between.

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