UBC admissions blog

Choosing which universities to apply to isn’t easy. Your friends might be set on one school, your parents might be insisting on another, but something about a different university really caught your eye. How do you know which one is right for you? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Consider how the school stacks up

A university education is a big investment, and the school you choose sends a signal to the world. At a top-ranked school, you’ll enjoy one of the best educations in the world and join the workforce with a wealth of options. Graduating with a degree from a top 40 research university like UBC says something about you, and can open doors around the globe when you’re looking to begin your career.

Check out your academic options

If you have a program in mind, check out what and where you’ll learn. If you’re still not sure what to study, look for a school and degree that will give you lots of options down the road. Some universities provide the opportunity for combined programs, or let you select from a range of different electives across multiple subjects while still fulfilling the requirements for your degree. At UBC, you can choose from among 42 undergraduate degrees and hundreds of opportunities for specialization.

Choose a place you want to live

It’s important that the campus you choose has the right vibe for you. Universities can be rural or urban, in a major metropolis, or form a mini-city of its own. Some schools place more of an emphasis on academics, while others have a tradition of excellence in sports or the arts. UBC’s Okanagan and Vancouver campuses both have inclusive, well-rounded communities that will welcome and support you in whatever you’re passionate about, and each one offers a distinctive experience and unique path to a UBC degree.

Picture yourself on campus

Most schools offer campus tours, and many also offer online events for you to get to know the campuses you’re considering. At UBC, we have in-person campus tours, where you’re invited to check out the facilities in person. If you’re unable to make it to Vancouver or the Okanagan, you can take advantage of a live virtual campus tour from home or a self-guided virtual tour that you can take at any time. You’ll get a sense of where you could be going to lectures and studying for exams, eating lunch, and hanging out with friends between classes.

Crunch the numbers

Going to university is an investment in your future, and the costs can add up. Tuition varies across schools, as do the living costs, financial assistance, and awards available to you. You can usually find out all you need to know about planning your finances from a university’s website. For UBC, you can easily do the math with our cost estimator.

There’s more than one way to become a UBC undergraduate. The majority of our students are admitted directly, but UBC also has a number of places available to those who have started their studies at a different post-secondary institution.

If you are a Canadian post-secondary student and you hope to transfer to UBC next year, read on to learn more about the application process.

Application deadline and process

UBC has an early application deadline for those transferring from a Canadian post-secondary institution.

First, you’ll need to apply by December 1, 2022, and then submit all your post-secondary transcripts that show all completed courses and all in-progress courses by January 31, 2023. If you complete these two steps, your application will receive an early assessment on these transcripts. If there are specific deadlines associated with your degree of choice, you will be notified once you have submitted your application.

If you attend a new institution that wasn’t included on your application, it’s important to contact us right away.

What if you’re placed on the waitlist?

If you are placed on the waitlist based on this early assessment, there is no need to reapply. Your application will remain in our system and you will be notified of a final decision by June.

Remember, applying early doesn’t increase your chances of gaining admission, but it can mean your application will be considered earlier, and you’ll receive an update about your admission status sooner – most likely between February and April.

What happens if you miss the December 1 deadline?

If you apply between December 2, 2022 and January 15, 2023, we will notify you about which documents we need in order to complete your application for review, and how we would like you to submit those documents.

Learn more about application deadlines for post-secondary students, or contact us to ask your questions. Good luck!

Have you considered working with an education consultancy, or agent, to apply to university? Researching and applying to overseas universities can be overwhelming, and an agent can sometimes simplify the process.

Before engaging with an agent, it’s important to know what your options are.

Do you need to work with an agent to apply to UBC?

No. Students are encouraged to apply directly to UBC and use the information provided in our Applying to UBC section. If you’re stuck or have a question about the application process, there are several ways you can connect with us:

• Join an online info session
• Connect with us on Facebook or Twitter
• Fill out the an Ask UBC form
• Contact us 

What questions should you ask an agency?

Professional agencies follow standards of good practice, but not every agency is equal. If you work with an agency, you’re hiring them to perform a service for you and you should be free to ask some basic questions before committing:

• Do you charge service fees to your clients, or do you have commission-based agreements with universities? If you charge service fees, what are they, and when should they be expected?
• Are you certified by the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) or other organizations or associations? Which ones? (Note that AIRC has one of the strictest certification processes for agencies to become members.)
• Ask the advisor you are working with about their experience. They should be knowledgeable about the institutions they are promoting:
  • How many years have they been advising students about universities abroad?
  • Have they have visited UBC or the institution you are considering, or even your country of choice?
  • Have they taken any training, such as the Canada Course for Education Agents?
• If an agent claims to have an agreement with UBC or another institution, ask to see a copy of their active agreement (not the certificate of representation on the wall, but the actual agreement).
• Do you have the qualifications to advise on Canadian visas and study permits?

Important tips

• When applying to UBC with the help of an agency, you should not have to complete any paper-based forms. The entire UBC admissions process occurs online.
• Agents are not involved in any of UBC’s scholarships – these are adjudicated by UBC alone. Students are automatically considered for entrance awards, while International Scholars Awards require a nomination from your high school.
• Please do not allow an agent to complete your UBC application on your behalf. This may jeopardize your application if UBC Admissions determines that your application is not an authentic submission.
• You – not the agent – are responsible for submitting your application to UBC on time, paying your fees, and ensuring you meet the requirements. You are also responsible for completing all the other necessary steps to be considered for admission.

What an agent cannot do for you

• Working with an agency does not increase your chances of admission or of obtaining a scholarship at UBC. All students are assessed on the merit of their grades and overall application.
• An agent cannot write or assist in writing your Personal Profile or any part of your application.
• An agent cannot submit false records or documents.
• Agencies cannot access your UBC records without your consent. You must have completed a Third Party Authorization in order for your agent to have access to your UBC information from your Student Service Centre (SSC) account.
• An agent cannot submit payments for any UBC-related fees on your behalf.

And remember – we’re here to help. If you’re having difficulty with the application process, need to know more about UBC, or have any further questions about working with an agent, please contact us.

Every aspiring high school student applying to UBC (and some transfer applicants too) must submit a personal profile as part of their online application. It’s a chance for you to tell the university about your life and accomplishments: What have they taught you about yourself and the world around you?

Preparing for your personal profile

Each of the personal profile questions requires short essay responses (50 to 500 words), so you’ll want to think about your answers before you start your online application. Here are three tips to keep in mind:

• Take time to reflect. Instead of simply listing your accomplishments and experiences, tell us what you’ve learned from them.
• Be specific. Use details to provide context and elaborate on your answers.
• Be true to who you are. Don’t focus on what you think we want to hear. Use your unique voice to tell us what you want to say.

We’ve compiled helpful information for writing your personal profile, and we want all UBC applicants to have the benefits of reading these tips. Visit our personal profile page to learn more about what to consider before writing your profile, and how UBC will evaluate it.

References

As part of your personal profile, you will need to include two references. These should be people who know you well and can comment on your preparedness to study at UBC. A reference can be an employer, a community member, a coach, a teacher/instructor, or anyone who knows you well. For applicants who are currently attending high school, one of your referees must be a school official (e.g., Grade 12 or senior year counsellor, teacher, or IB coordinator). References should not be a friend, family member, or paid agent. You do not need to include written references in your application, just the contact information of your references so that our admissions team can contact them.

UBC does not send a link to references. We will contact your references directly, after offers of admission have gone out.

Your personal profile and COVID-19

We know that you may still be adjusting to ongoing changes meant to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone safe. We understand that there may currently be limited or no access to extracurricular activities at school or in your community.

Remember that when we assess your personal profile we take into account all of the activities you’ve done across multiple years, not just the ones you hoped to complete in Grade 11 or 12. Your examples can come from any aspect of your life, including within your family or smaller community, or the challenges you may have faced while handling disruptions from COVID-19. There are no right or wrong answers – we’re not looking for certain activities or a long list of achievements, but rather your reflections on what you’ve experienced.

Still have questions?

If you require any further assistance with putting together your application or need help with the personal profile in particular, please contact the UBC Undergraduate Admissions Office.