Application and Admission

Prospective applicants seeking information on graduate programs should contact individual faculty members or the graduate program to which they wish to apply.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies forwards all inquiries directly to the appropriate graduate program for reply. Undefined or general inquiries about graduate programs will be responded to by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in the form of a generic information package outlining basic information on opportunities for graduate study at UBC.

All e-mail inquiries received by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies general admissions address will receive an immediate automated reply outlining general application and admission information. Graduate programs should respond as expeditiously as possible to inquiries.

Graduate programs should ensure that the following information is provided in response to inquiries:

• Cover letter from the Graduate Advisor
• Graduate program brochure or information sheet
• Financial support and awards information
• Application for teaching or research assistantship
• Information for prospective graduate students (information sheet)
• Other materials on specific graduate program standards and admission requirements, e.g. GRE, others
• Deadline information (application deadlines are set by graduate programs)
• Reference report forms
• TOEFL/IELTS/MELAB score requirements

All of the above information should also be made available on the graduate program website.

UBC Calendar

From the Calendar:

"Every person who applies to the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must confirm that all statements made and all documentation submitted in support of his or her application are authentic, true, complete, and valid. The applicant is responsible for the authenticity of documentation submitted in support of his or her application for admission to UBC.

"The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies reserves the right to return transcripts, degree certificates and/or reference letters to the original issuer for verification. The Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies reserves the right to rescind a letter of admission or to require that a student withdraw if it is determined that the student has submitted falsified documents in support of his or her application for admission."

More information

Applicants who have submitted falsified records to UBC or to another university will not be considered for admission at any time in the future. UBC shares the names of applicants who submit falsified documentation with the Association of Universities and College of Canada (AUCC), and Canada Immigration (the latter in the event the student requires/required a Study Permit to enter Canada).

If a graduate program suspects that a document submitted in support of an application has been altered or falsified in any way, the applicant's file should be sent immediately to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to be checked for authenticity.

UBC Calendar​​​​

Please read the full Senate policy in the Calendar.

All official academic records submitted in application become the property of the University of British Columbia and are not released to the applicant. Students are guaranteed access to these files in the form of copies through the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.

UBC Calendar​​​​

From the Calendar:

Students who transfer to UBC with newly hired faculty members may choose one of the following:

• Transfer to UBC in order to complete a UBC degree. In this case, students should apply for admission in the usual way by submitting the application form, application fee, transcripts, letters of reference and any other supporting documentation required by the graduate program. It is expected that fees will be assessed as if the years spent by the student at the previous university were paid at UBC for that period. The maximum time to complete the program will be calculated on the same basis. Eligibility for awards will be as if the years spent by the student at the previous university were spent at UBC.

or

• Apply to become a visiting student in order to complete their work and graduate from their original university. Students may spend up to a year at UBC as a visiting graduate student. Credits completed while a visiting student may not subsequently be credited toward completion of a degree at UBC.

More Information:

These procedures and guidelines apply to the situation in which a graduate student registered at another university, who is supervised by a faculty member newly hired at UBC, transfers to UBC with the new faculty member to complete a UBC degree. The student must apply for admission in the usual way by submitting the application form, application fee, transcripts, letters of reference and any other supporting documentation required by the graduate program.

Before the graduate program decides to offer admission, they should have answers to the following questions and must ensure that post-transfer requirements are clearly written and provided to the student:

1. Which, if any, formal courses should be required?
2. What provisions for lab space, computer access etc. are appropriate?
3. Should comprehensive exams be required? If so, when? If not, why not?
4. Is there a satisfactory supervisory committee available? Have the members expressed their willingness to serve? Are they aware of what the project entails? Where combined programs (MD-PhD) or other unique situations are anticipated, specific instructions may be needed.
5. Funding commitments, (research assistantships, teaching assistantships, financial aid/loans) should be made explicit at the time of admission.

It is expected that fees will be assessed as if the years spent by the student at the previous University were paid at UBC for that period. The maximum time to complete the program will be calculated on the same basis.

Eligibility for awards will be as if the years spent by the student at the previous University were spent at UBC. UBC awards to student can only begin once the student is registered and will be pro-rated from the date of entry.

Students transferring with Faculty from other universities may be able to transfer more than 12 credits towards their UBC degree, with the support of the graduate program as well as permission from the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

If the student reached candidacy at their former university, program must notify Grad Studies using the "Advanced to Candidacy" form and the supervisory committee must be entered in SISC and approved.

Students who wish to graduate from their original university may spend up to a year at UBC as a Visiting Graduate Student. Required course credits completed while a visiting student may not subsequently be credited toward completion of a degree at the University of British Columbia.

UBC Calendar​​​​

This policy was approved by UBC Senate on October 18, 2017 and is now in effect. The full text of the policy is below.

Students admitted to on-campus master’s and doctoral programs are expected to be present at UBC and to attend classes or commence academic work on the first day of term and no later than the Change of Registration (Course Drop/Withdrawal) deadline for their first term; that is, two weeks from the beginning of term.

In the event of unusual or extenuating circumstances, an exception for a delayed start date may be granted by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, upon the recommendation of the Graduate Program. If however, in the assessment of the Graduate Program and the Faculty, a delay in start of program may have a detrimental effect on the student’s academic performance and well-being in the first and subsequent terms, an exception will not be granted and admission will be deferred to a subsequent term.

With program approval, students may change the start date of their programs to within twelve months of the original start date without having to re-apply or pay an additional application fee. If the new start date is in a new academic year, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will retain the program’s portion of the application fee to cover additional administrative costs.

A change of start date is available only to students who have actually been admitted to one academic year and who then ask to start their program in another academic year. It does NOT apply to applicants who have not been admitted, and who want their application to be considered again for a new admission date. They must re-apply in that case.

The maximum change of start date is twelve months.

If they prefer, programs may ask students to re-apply for the new academic year rather than change the start date.

Change of Start Date and Deferral of Admissions Summary

UBC Calendar​​​​​​

This policy was approved by UBC Senate on May 18, 2016. Additions were approved December 12, 2018.

The complete text of the Calendar policy is below.

Graduate Appeals on Admission or Readmission Decisions

Note that many fully-qualified applicants cannot be offered admission for various reasons such as limited capacity, rigorous competition, unavailability of supervision, lack of funding, etc.

Applicants who believe that they have been unjustly denied admission or readmission to a program due to an error in process or who believe that they deserve special consideration due to mitigating circumstances should discuss the matter with the graduate program to which they applied immediately upon receipt of their final admission or readmission decision. If a satisfactory resolution cannot be achieved, the applicant may submit a written appeal to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for review by the Dean of the Faculty or designate. This written appeal must be received by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies no later than six weeks before the first day of the term for which the applicant applied.

If the appeal is denied by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the applicant may submit a written appeal to the Senate Admissions Committee.

The procedure for appealing the Dean’s decision to the Senate Admissions Committee is the same as the procedure for undergraduate students.

The appeal form (and appeal processing fee) along with (a) a letter of appeal outlining the reasons for the appeal and the circumstances relating to the appeal, and (b) any relevant supporting documents (see appeal form for details) must be submitted to webforms.students.ubc.ca/admission-decision-appeal by the deadline.

Appeals on admission or readmission decisions will be considered on applications for the current year only.

The appeal will be sent to the Senate Admissions Committee for review, and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will send a written explanation of his/her reasons for denying the appeal. 

The decision of the Committee will be communicated in writing to the appellant and to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The Committee’s decision is final.

Appeals on Revoked Admission Offers

Graduate offers of admission may contain conditions that applicants are required to fulfill before they are able to register for their programs. Offers may be revoked if these conditions are not met by the applicant.

Graduate offers of admission may also be rescinded if it is determined that a student has submitted falsified documents in support of an application for admission.

Applicants who believe that their offer of admission has been unjustly revoked due to an error in the process or who believe that they deserve special consideration due to mitigating circumstances may submit a written appeal to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for review by the Dean of the Faculty or designate. Appeals on revocations must be received by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies within 14 calendar days of the revocation decision email notifying that the offer of admission has been revoked.

If the appeal is denied by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the applicant may submit a written appeal to the Senate Admissions Committee.

Appeals to the Senate Admissions Committee on admission or readmission decisions will be considered on applications for the current year only.

The appeal will be sent to the Senate Admissions Committee for review, and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will send a written explanation of his/her reasons for denying the appeal.

The Committee may allow an appeal where it decides that the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies may have overlooked or misinterpreted information provided by the applicant, arrived at a decision without reasonable consideration of mitigating circumstances, or acted contrary to the Faculty's published procedures.

The decision of the Committee will be communicated in writing to the appellant and to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The Committee's decision is final.

[End of policy text]

Appealing to the Senate Admissions Committee

If an appeal is denied by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the applicant may submit a written appeal to the Senate Admissions Committee. The procedure is the same as the procedure for undergraduate students.

The appeal form (and appeal processing fee) along with (a) a letter of appeal outlining the reasons for the appeal and the circumstances relating to the appeal, and (b) any relevant supporting documents (see appeal form for details) must be submitted in one complete package to webforms.students.ubc.ca/admission-decision-appeal by the deadline.