ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

UBC campus landscape

The University of British Columbia

ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ offers undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a full academic year at The University of British Columbia 

Institutional overview

The University of British Columbia, commonly referred to as UBC, was founded in 1908, guided by a commitment to educational excellence and innovation. With a breathtaking natural setting combined UBC offers exchange students from around the world an unforgettable study-abroad experience. 

UBC is a public university with a student body of over , 27% being international students. The university is split between two campuses; Vancouver and Okanagan. Vancouver is the main campus with over 60,000 students.   

Website:  

Available places

3 places are available. PPE students may select this destination. This destination is not available to students pursuing the CIVICA Engage Track. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be in their second year and must return to ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ after the year abroad to complete their degree. 

To be eligible for consideration, you must have an overall average of 60% or above from all of your first year courses. Applicants with individual module scores under 60% will be considered, as long as the overall average grade is 60% or above. 

As part of your application, you must provide your marks from your first year modules at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and the name and contact details of one academic referee. Your referee can be any academic member of staff from your department at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳.

Host Institution Requirements: Additional academic standing requirements may apply depending on the faculty or program. 

Academic information

Courses are all taught in English.  

For more information on courses available at  and the  please refer to the course catalogue.   

Some faculties are not available to exchange students: 

School of Audiology and Speech Sciences  

School of Journalism  

Faculty of Medicine  

School of Nursing  

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences  

Faculty of Dentistry  

School of Rehabilitation Sciences  

UBC Vantage College  

Peter A. Allard School of Law: only open to exchange students coming to UBC through law-specific exchange agreements.

Certain courses within faculties have specific restrictions:  

Term 1 begins in early September and finishes in late December. Term 2 begins in early January and finishes in late April.  

UBC uses a to mark assessments. 50% denominates a . 

Student services and support

Students will receive an invitation to orientation including pre-arrival webinars and welcome sessions by email.   

  • are available for course planning. 
  • The is a peer-hosted space that offers many wellbeing programs for students. are also available. In addition, there are drop-in services provided.
  • The facilitates disability-related services designed to remove barriers for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions in all aspects of university life. 
  • The provides tips and suggestions for job-searching or preparing a job application. 

Accommodation

A limited number of spots are reserved for exchange students. Due to very high demand, on-campus housing is not guaranteed, and only 50-60% of exchange students will receive on-campus housing. More information on finding accommodation can be found . 

While housing is not guaranteed, the housing office in Okanagan prioritises exchange applicants who apply before the deadline. 

As soon as students receive their UBC ID number, they should submit a housing application . There is a $50 non-refundable application fee, key dates can be found . 

On-campus housing typically costs $3,700-$6,400 CAD per term. 

Off-campus housing typically costs $4,000-$8,000 per term. 

Financial information

Breakdown of

Meal/grocery costs: approximately $2,000/term. 

Local Transporation - Student Public Transit Pass:  fee: $184 for the winter academic term (subject to change) and mandatory for all exchange students attending UBC. 

Educational Expenses: For academic expenses such as books and supplies: $500-$700 CAD per term.   

Breakdown of : 

Local Transporation - Student Public Transit Pass :  fee: $63 per term. The U-Pass is mandatory for all students attending UBC. 

Health & Safety

Mandatory iMED insurance for international students 

The program is a temporary basic health insurance plan required as a condition of registering as an international student new to UBC. Enrolment is automatic upon registration of your courses. 

Full-year exchange: The cost is $237 CAD plus a $10.76 direct billing fee for iMED. The cost covers the three-month waiting period for the . Students on exchange for six months or longer are required to apply for MSP. The MSP plan costs approximately $75 CAD per month. 

UBC recognises that many students come to UBC with health coverage from their home countries. However, only students who already have MSP or another Canadian provincial health plan may opt out of iMED. 

Campus safety resources are available via: and 24 hour emergency campus security is available via +1 604 822 2222. The emergency number for first responders is 911. 

Student life

UBC has over in conjunction with regular . 

The Vancouver campus is home to some outstanding facilities, including:  

  • — the perfect place to start your journey on the Vancouver campus.
  • — one of the world’s leading laboratories for subatomic physics.
  • — one of Canada’s leading academic libraries, with 21 branches and divisions on this campus.
  • — one of the world’s great concert halls.
  •  
  • The Arthur Erickson designed — Canada’s largest teaching museum. 
  • — home to Canada’s largest blue whale skeleton.
  • The world class  
  • — the only working farm in the city of Vancouver.
  • — home to Thunderbird Ice Hockey and 2010 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Venue.
  • — considered one of the top five Japanese Gardens outside of Japan. 

The Okanagan campus offers: 

  •  
  •   

Visa and immigration

A study permit is required for international students studying at UBC for more than 6 months. For more information, see . 

New as of January 22, 2024: study permit applications from outside Canada require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) in addition to a Letter of Admission. More information about documents required for study permits can be found here: . 

Contact information

For the UBC Vancouver Campus: go.global@ubc.ca 

For the UBC Okanagan Campus: goglobal.okanagan@ubc.ca  

Links to resources

 

 

 

Past student experiences

UBC is a new destination with the first cohort of students going on exchange in 2025/26.