This guide gathers what international students need to know before applying to the University of British Columbia (UBC), one of Canada’s best-known public research universities. Everything below comes from UBC’s own website — the main ubc.ca pages and the undergraduate admissions hub at you.ubc.ca — accessed on 5 August 2026. Tuition and cost figures come from UBC’s official first-year cost estimator for the 2026/27 Winter Session; where the university publishes ranges rather than a single number, this guide says so instead of inventing one.
UBC at a Glance: Two Campuses
The University of British Columbia describes itself as a global centre for teaching, learning and research that has operated since 1915. Today the university runs two major campuses — the Vancouver campus (Point Grey) and the Okanagan campus in Kelowna — which together welcome more than 65,000 students from Canada and over 140 countries, including about 13,797 international undergraduate and graduate students. UBC also runs smaller sites such as UBC Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, the Centre for Digital Media, and a Faculty of Medicine presence across British Columbia; none of these is a main campus for undergraduates.
The Vancouver campus, at 6200 University Blvd, sits at Point Grey on the city’s western edge; the Okanagan campus, at 3333 University Way in Kelowna, is located in the interior of British Columbia. Both campuses admit undergraduate students, but they do not offer identical degrees, so the campus choice is really a program choice — a point UBC makes explicitly in its application guidance. UBC notes that its two main campuses sit on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam people and of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.
Programs: Faculties and Degree Examples
The University of British Columbia organizes its undergraduate catalog into ten broad topic areas — business and economics; earth, environment and sustainability; education; engineering and technology; health and life sciences; history, law and politics; languages and linguistics; math, chemistry and physics; media and fine arts; and people, culture and society. On the Vancouver campus, major degree options include the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering), Bachelor of Commerce at the UBC Sauder School of Business, Bachelor of Computer Science, Bachelor of International Economics, Bachelor of Kinesiology, Bachelor of Media Studies, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and direct-entry options in forestry, land and food systems, pharmaceutical sciences and other fields. The Okanagan campus offers a smaller but distinct set, including the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Media Studies, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Health and Exercise Sciences, and a Bachelor of Sustainability that is specific to that campus.
Because UBC is a research university, most of its degrees are four-year bachelor’s programs built around majors; professional programs such as Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law and the Doctor of Dental Medicine are separate programs with their own admissions paths. For international students thinking about working in Canada after graduation, UBC’s programs page notes that full-time international students who graduate from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all of the post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility criteria are eligible for a post-graduation work permit of up to three years — this is UBC restating the federal rule on its own site, not a promise of any particular outcome.
Entry Requirements for International High School Applicants
Admission to the University of British Columbia is competitive, and UBC requires every applicant to meet both the general admission requirements and the degree-specific requirements for their chosen program. Requirements are published country by country on the international high schools page; the degree-specific component also varies by degree and by campus.
Two worked examples from UBC’s official pages show how this works. For applicants from mainland China, UBC expects graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school, an Upper Middle School Report of Grades, and Huikao (academic proficiency test) results verified through China Credentials Verification (CSSD); Gaokao results must also be verified through CSSD, and UBC expects students to reach at least the minimum provincial Tier 1 university cut-off score. Applicants not writing the Gaokao must instead submit three or more Advanced Placement (AP) exam results in three or more distinct subjects, with competitive scores. For applicants from Taiwan, UBC’s general requirement is graduation from a university-preparatory program with a Senior High School Leaving Certificate — official certificates only, with photocopies acceptable if certified by the school principal, head or counsellor, while notarized copies are not accepted. The country-by-country requirements for other school systems are listed on the same official page, and UBC tells applicants to plan their courses against both the general and degree-specific lists rather than assume one set of grades covers everything.
English Language Admission Standard
English is the language of instruction at the University of British Columbia, and all prospective students must demonstrate a minimum level of English before they are admitted. UBC lists nine ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard (ELAS), ranging from completing four or more consecutive years of full-time education in English (in Canada, or in a country where English is the principal language, immediately before attending UBC) to achieving a grade of 4 or better on AP English Language and Composition or AP Literature and Composition, or a 5 or better on IB English A (higher or standard level).
Most international applicants instead meet ELAS with a proficiency test. UBC’s minimum scores, which must be achieved in a single sitting, are: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no part less than 6.0 (IELTS General, Indicator and One Skill Retake are not accepted); TOEFL iBT 90 overall with at least 22 reading, 22 listening, 21 writing and 21 speaking (UBC’s institution code is 0965); Pearson PTE Academic 65 overall with at least 60 in each section; CAEL 70 overall; Duolingo English Test 125 overall with at least 115 reading, 115 listening, 120 writing and 120 speaking; Cambridge English Qualifications 180; or the UBC Certificate in English (CEL) at level 600. Applicants for the 2026/27 Winter Session must submit test scores dated from 1 January 2024 onwards, and the deadline to submit ELAS documentation is February 15. Students who are fully proficient but do not fit any of the nine options can request a waiver, and UBC offers academic English development programs on the Vancouver campus for students who need them before starting a degree.
Tuition and Fees for International Students
At the University of British Columbia, citizenship status usually determines whether a student pays domestic or international tuition: Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugees and certain other groups qualify for domestic rates, while everyone else — including most international applicants — pays international tuition. UBC publishes its current first-year cost figures through the official cost estimator on the financial planning pages; the figures below are from that estimator as accessed on 5 August 2026, for a first-year full course load in the 2026/27 Winter Session, in Canadian dollars.
On the Vancouver campus, annual international tuition by program includes: Bachelor of Arts 51,530; Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, Kinesiology, Forestry and Pharmaceutical Sciences 53,082; Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering) 66,200; Bachelor of Commerce (Sauder) 66,678; Bachelor of International Economics 62,338; Bachelor of Media Studies 51,530; Bachelor of Music 48,780; Bachelor of Science in Nursing 61,929; Bachelor of Education (11-month program) 68,288; and Law 48,180. A few programs sit outside the usual band: Dentistry is 92,910, Dental Hygiene 58,390, Medical Laboratory Science 67,237 and Midwifery 61,929, while the Vantage One pathway programs (which add a year of academic English support) run from 67,614 to 70,687. On the Okanagan campus, the same faculty bands largely apply — Arts 51,530, Science and Sustainability 53,082, Applied Science 66,200, Commerce 66,678, Nursing 61,929 — with the Bachelor of Education programs at 68,951.
Beyond tuition, UBC’s estimator lists compulsory student fees (roughly 950 to 1,675 on the Vancouver campus depending on program, and 950 to 1,143 on the Okanagan campus) plus books and supplies, which the estimator places between about 600 and 4,200 depending on the degree. These are UBC’s own planning estimates for a first year; the university reviews tuition annually, and students should check the current figures on the official cost estimator before budgeting.
Living Costs: Housing, Meals and Day-to-Day Budget
The University of British Columbia’s cost estimator also provides planning figures for housing and food. On the Vancouver campus, on-campus housing for the winter session is estimated at 7,935 for a single room, 8,996 for a connected room and 6,376 for a shared room, with a meal plan at about 7,712 per year; off-campus rent is estimated at about 2,385 per month and groceries at about 450 per month. On the Okanagan campus, the estimator shows on-campus housing at 6,650 (single) to 7,839 (connected), a meal plan at 8,329, off-campus rent at about 1,786 per month and groceries at about 450 per month. UBC’s financial planning pages stress that a realistic first-year budget should also cover clothing, health insurance, recreation and entertainment, and the university publishes a budget worksheet to help families build one.
Application Process and Deadlines
Applications to the University of British Columbia are submitted through the EducationPlannerBC website, and the online application opens in early October for both the Summer Session and the Winter Session of the following year. Within the application you select a first and second choice of degree — the two choices may be in different faculties and even on different campuses — and you must complete the Personal Profile, a set of short essay responses (about 500 to 2,100 characters each) covering who you are, what matters to you, up to five activities or accomplishments, and a reference for the activities you describe. High school applicants to most degrees must complete the Personal Profile; the exceptions on the Vancouver campus are Design in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urbanism, Dental Hygiene and Music.
Some programs add supplemental requirements: the Bachelor of Commerce requires a video interview within the Personal Profile, Fine Arts and Media Studies require a portfolio, Education requires a supplemental application, Sustainability requires a concentration form, and Nursing asks for the Personal Profile from all applicants. For the 2027 Winter Session, the key dates UBC publishes are: application opens early October 2026; November 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. PST) is the deadline for international applicants to submit an award application for the UBC International Scholars Program; December 1, 2026 is the deadline for international applicants to apply if they want to be considered for those awards; and January 15, 2027 (11:59 p.m. PST) is the application deadline for the Winter Session starting September 2027. The ELAS documentation deadline is February 15, and admission decisions for high school applicants are released on a continuous basis from November through June. Classes for the winter session begin in early September, which is also when the first instalment of tuition is due.
International students need a valid Canadian study permit to attend UBC, and the university advises starting the process early because it can take several months; UBC offers complimentary study permit concierge services to help applicants navigate Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Scholarships and Support for International Students
The University of British Columbia states that it devotes more than 35 million Canadian dollars annually to awards, scholarships and other financial support for international undergraduate students, and that admissions-based awards are offered on a very competitive basis. The main route is the UBC International Scholars Program, which requires a separate application (deadlines above); it includes awards such as the International Major Entrance Scholarships and the Outstanding International Student Award, announced between March and April. UBC is explicit on its own site that first-year-only scholarships and part-time work will not be enough to cover the full cost of attendance, so families should plan the full budget themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which campus should an international applicant choose? The University of British Columbia runs two main campuses with different degree sets — Vancouver (Point Grey) and Okanagan (Kelowna) — so the deciding factor is usually which programs each campus offers; the application allows a first and second choice across faculties and campuses.
What English test scores does UBC accept? IELTS Academic 6.5 (no part below 6.0), TOEFL iBT 90 with minimum component scores, PTE Academic 65, CAEL 70, Duolingo 125, Cambridge 180, or the UBC Certificate in English at 600 — all in a single sitting, with scores from 1 January 2024 onward for the 2026/27 session.
How much does a first year cost? UBC’s official estimator for 2026/27 puts international tuition between roughly 48,000 and 70,000 Canadian dollars for most programs (higher for Dentistry), plus student fees, books, housing and living costs; the exact figure depends on campus and degree.
When is the application deadline? For the Winter Session starting September 2027, the application deadline is January 15, 2027; international students wanting International Scholars Program consideration should apply by December 1, 2026, and ELAS documents are due February 15.
Closing
This guide covers the official, verifiable basics about the University of British Columbia — its two campuses, program areas, country-by-country entry requirements, English standards, 2026/27 international tuition and the application timeline — all sourced from UBC’s own pages as of 5 August 2026. UBC reviews fees and requirements annually, so always confirm figures on the official cost estimator and admissions pages before making decisions. If you are weighing UBC against your own academic record, budget and timeline, our advisers can talk through how the requirements apply to your situation.