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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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Save the date for Destination UBC

By Kate Wilson on March 4, 2021

Save the date for Destination UBC

Congratulations to all students who received an offer of admission to UBC. Now that you’ve been admitted, you’re ready for Destination UBC!

 

What is Destination UBC?

If you’ve received an offer from more than one university, it can be tough to decide where you want to study in September – especially with the global pandemic halting in-person campus visits. To help you discover whether UBC is the right home for you, we invite you to join us for Destination UBC!

Destination UBC is a two-week virtual event to help you explore what makes UBC such a vibrant place to live, play, and study. You’ll connect with other newly admitted students, current UBC students, and UBC staff members and faculty. Join us online for as many exciting and informative sessions as you’d like, which will help you to make your decision and prepare you for university life.

 

Destination UBC sessions

There are more than 70 sessions in total for Destination UBC – but don’t worry; you’re not expected to go to all of them! You can create your own timetable from the range of sessions on offer, and make a schedule that suits you. You can look forward to:

 

  • Kickoff session: In this 30-minute welcome, meet your fellow students for the first time as you celebrate your offers together and discover more about the Destination UBC event. Join in to win prizes!

 

  • Indigenous sessions: Find out more about what it’s like to be an Indigenous student at UBC, and start building your community. Take part in fun activities with our Indigenous student ambassadors, meet your new classmates, and learn about what it’s like to be an Indigenous student at UBC.

 

  • Faculty sessions: Be welcomed by your new faculty members, discover how to register for your courses, and find out about your first steps. Best of all, you’ll get to meet other new students in your degree program. If your Faculty has any updates about COVID-19, they’ll share them with you here.

 

  • Social events: Start building your community at UBC early. Meet current students and ask them what life is like at UBC, and begin making your first connections with your fellow incoming class.

 

  • Info sessions: Choose from four different sessions to discover more about what to expect in the months ahead, and when you arrive at UBC. You can learn about finances, housing, mental health and wellbeing, and what you can do with your degree after you graduate.

 

  • Campus tours: During these 75-minute Zoom sessions, you’ll learn more about UBC, see photos from some of our favourite spots around your new campus, and hear from current UBC students about their experiences in class, residence, and beyond. 

 

Save the date 

Join us online between April 24 and May 7 for Destination UBC.

Mark your calendars – registration will open on March 8.

 

 

What the heck are rolling admissions?

By Kate Wilson on March 3, 2021

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 55,000 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.

 

 

Find your UBC admission decision on the Student Service Centre

By Kate Wilson on March 2, 2021

Find your UBC admission decision on the Student Service Centre

Now 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 on the UBC Student 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 virtual applicant information events, where you can get answers to all your questions about life at UBC. Registration for these events is easy – simply log in to the UBC Future Student Portal to see those that are open to you.

 

 

UBC first-round offers of admission 2020/21

By Kate Wilson on March 1, 2021

UBC first-round offers of admission 2020/21

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 UBC Student Service Centre under Admissions > Application Status.

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

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 February and 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 starting February 15. Check out our document upload blog post for more information.

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

 

 

Programs spotlight: Business and economics

By Kate Wilson on February 26, 2021

Programs spotlight: Business and economics

Maybe you started a lemonade stand as a kid, or you watched the world markets before you could even buy stock. Perhaps you’ve got a shrewd mind for business, or a curiosity for commerce. UBC’s business and economics programs can foster that budding interest and help you hone in on your niche, whether you have leadership ambitions and dreams of the C-suite, or you want to get in the weeds as a business analyst.

UBC’s range of programs and the opportunities for specialization within them can take you where you want to go after graduation.

 

Explore your program options

Management

Are you looking to use your leadership skills to make a difference in the world? In the Bachelor of Management at UBC Okanagan, you’ll learn how to incorporate social, financial, and environmental sustainability into the way organizations are run. You’ll finish the degree with hands-on experience creating real-life management solutions for one of UBC’s partner organizations. After graduating, you’ll be ready to work within your community, launch your own business, or empower organizational change.

 

The student scoop

Baljit Badhan

Discover how the Bachelor of Management program taught three students the skills to achieve their goals, including fighting for marginalized people in India, helping Indigenous communities in Canada, and launching their own business.

 

Manufacturing Engineering

As a manufacturing engineer, you’ll be tasked with turning raw material into new products in the most effective, efficient, and economical way you can. It’s your job to research and develop tools, processes, machines, and equipment, and to combine them all to meet your goals. At UBC, you’ll get the chance to master the entire manufacturing process, from designing concepts and creating mechanical parts all the way through to product delivery. Studying Manufacturing Engineering at UBC Okanagan or UBC Vancouver – or both – you’ll gain the technical skills to set you up for a broad range of jobs in the industry.

 

Commerce

The Bachelor of Commerce at UBC Vancouver will provide you with a solid foundation of business basics and management skills you’ll need to thrive in your chosen career. Sharpen your critical thinking, problem solving, communication, organization, and leadership while you study a diverse range of course offerings that allow you to tailor your degree to your interests and career aspirations. Specialization options include accounting; business technology management; entrepreneurship; finance; general business management; global supply chain and logistics management; marketing; operations and logistics; organizational behaviour and human resources; and real estate.

 

The student scoop

Arielle Lynn, UBC Commerce

Meet Arielle, a Commerce student who was thrilled by the range of learning opportunities and experiences that UBC has to offer.

 

Food and Resource Economics

As climate change continues to threaten species and cultures, a booming industry has emerged around foodstuffs and natural resources. In the Bachelor of Science in Food and Resource Economics at UBC Vancouver, you’ll learn what the limitations and solutions are for optimizing the global food supply, and find out how best to deal with the world’s diminishing natural resources. In addition to gaining deep subject knowledge, you’ll discover how to work with large data sets and develop your critical thinking and analytical skills. During your studies, you’ll be able to take a number of business management electives, allowing you to finish the program ready to work in the food, agricultural, and natural resource sectors.

 

See a full list of business and economics programs at UBC

 

 

Should you join the Land One study option in first year?

By Kate Wilson on February 25, 2021

Should you join the Land One study option in first year?

Transitioning from high school to university can seem daunting at first. To make the move as easy as possible, UBC offers a selection of first-year study options designed to help you build a community and take the stress out of registering for classes.

If you have been accepted into the Forestry or Land and Food Systems faculties, you are eligible to apply for the Land One study option.

 

What is Land One?

Land One includes a selection of core courses in Biology, Economics, Math, and English, as well as an integrative seminar. You’ll take all of these key classes with the 50 to 60 students who are admitted to the study option. You will also take part in a seminar, where you’ll enjoy hands-on experiences, build relationships with your instructors, and learn how to solve the problems that are facing our land.

 

Why should you choose a first-year study option?

If you’re looking to make new friends from your first day, Land One could be the right path for you. You’ll benefit from smaller class sizes during select courses and your seminar group, a dedicated study space, and low student-to-instructor ratios.

 

Is Land One right for you?

To take part in Land One, you’ll need to take all of the classes required for the program, which will provide you with 16 credits. On top of that, you’ll have time to choose additional courses in your first year that help you meet your specific program requirements and build your own educational path.

Land One’s seminar course covers a range of issues related to land use, climate change, food security, and sustainability. Much of your time will be spent discussing and addressing how to solve these problems, and you’ll also take part in some hands-on activities. If the province’s COVID regulations allow, you’ll visit the UBC Farm to learn more about sustainable food systems, and enjoy a two-day field trip to UBC’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, where you’ll experience the coastal old-growth rainforest first-hand.

If you’re in Forestry, Land One is particularly useful if you plan to major in Forest Resources Management or if you’re taking your Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation.

If you’re in Land and Food Systems, you’re eligible for enrolment in Land One if you’re taking a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology, or a Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health. Land One will prepare you for all majors across those two programs.

 

How to apply

Applications to Land One opened in January 2021, and the deadline is May 31, 2021. Once you have been accepted onto your Forestry or Land and Food Systems degree program, you will need to submit an online application through Land One’s website. As part of the process, you’ll be asked to write a letter of intent (500 words maximum) explaining why you want to join the Land One cohort.

Enrolment in the study option may require additional high school courses not required for admission, so it’s important to check the requirements online.

 

 

When will you receive your UBC admission decision?

By Kate Wilson on February 18, 2021

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 applications 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 UBC Student 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.

As of February 15, applicants from Alberta, Manitoba, the Maritimes, and Saskatchewan began uploading 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.

 

Which Arts first-year study option is right for you?

By Kate Wilson on February 12, 2021

Which Arts first-year study option is right for you?

After you’ve been admitted to the Bachelor of Arts degree, you’ll have to decide which courses to take when registration opens in June. That might seem like a long way off, but it’s worth thinking in advance about how you might like to structure your timetable.

There are two ways to shape your Arts degree. The first, the Custom Timetable, lets you pick the classes you’re most interested in and build your own schedule. The second lets you join a predesigned course schedule for your first year, where you’ll take nearly all of your classes with the same people.

For Arts students, there are two of these options to choose from: Arts One and the Coordinated Arts Program (CAP).

 

What are Arts One and CAP?

Arts One and CAP allow students to study together in small classes (between 20 and 100 students). Each brings courses and ideas together across different disciplines – for example literature, history, and philosophy – by focusing on a shared topic or theme.

To complete either study option, you’ll need to take all of the courses, which are collectively worth 18 credits. You can also take up to two additional courses of your choice each semester.

 

Why should you choose Arts One or CAP?

Arts One and CAP ease the transition from high school to university by offering standard timetables, coordinated assignment schedules, access to an exclusive study space, dedicated academic advisors, and support from your fellow students and faculty.

Both study options admit a small number of students – around 100 in Arts One, and about 100 per stream in CAP. Because you’ll spend most of your time with your cohort – sometimes in groups as small as four in Arts One, and 25 in CAP – you’ll find it easier to make friends. You’ll also work closely with your professors, helping you to make personal connections with faculty. Taking Arts One or CAP sets you up for a variety of degree pathways, and allows you to satisfy the first-year writing and literature requirements.

 

What’s the difference between Arts One and CAP?

Arts One

Arts One is a single, integrated course that is led by five instructors who work together to create the assignments and a reading list based on the year’s theme. Previous themes have included topics such as Appearance and Reality; Dangerous Questions, Forbidden Knowledge; and Authority and Resistance.

You’ll read and discuss classical and contemporary texts and their influence on culture and society, including novels, philosophical and political texts, films, drama, graphic memoirs, and more. The professors take turns to give the weekly lectures, and you’ll work closely with one instructor who will lead your twice-weekly seminar discussions (20 students) and once-weekly tutorials, where you and three other students will read and evaluate each other’s essays.

 

CAP

In CAP, you’ll get to choose from one of five streams, each offering a different combination of courses from across the Faculty of Arts. The topics for 2021/2022 will be Globalization, Power and Society; Individual and Society; Law and Society; Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; and Media Studies, and allow students and faculty to discuss ideas from various perspectives.

While your CAP courses are separate, faculty work together to connect the concepts and issues you’ll study, and to make sure your deadlines won’t overlap. Like Arts One, CAP classes are smaller than if you choose to create your own Custom Timetable, ranging from 25 students in the writing course to around 100 to 125 students in a lecture. As part of CAP, you’ll also have the chance to participate in an annual student conference, and in its stream-wide academic and social events during the term.

 

How to apply

To sign up for Arts One or for CAP, log into the Student Service Centre on your registration day in June and select Arts One or the Standard Timetable (STT) for your chosen CAP stream. If you’re interested in Arts One, you can also apply in advance to reserve a spot.