University Students In British Columbia: How Many Are There?

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a large public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna. It is one of 11 universities in British Columbia, with an overall student population of over 59,000. The Vancouver campus is the larger of the two, accommodating more than 85% of UBC students. The university offers a diverse range of academic programs and is known for its strong research focus, with an annual research budget of $893 million funding nearly 10,000 projects.

Number of international students

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna. The Vancouver campus is the larger of the two, accommodating more than 85% of UBC students.

UBC has a diverse student population, with alumni in over 160 countries worldwide. The university touts impressive stats when it comes to international reach: more than 400,000 alumni reside in 160 countries, and in a recent year, 23% of students at the Vancouver campus and around 13% at the Okanagan campus were international.

In the 2020-2021 academic year, international students made up 28% of the university's student population, amounting to 20,237 students. This number includes both undergraduate and graduate students.

UBC's international student population is spread across its two campuses. The Vancouver campus, with its larger student population, naturally has a higher number of international students. In the 2023-2024 academic year, 27.9% of students at the Vancouver campus were international, while the Okanagan campus had a slightly lower percentage of international students, at 21.6%.

UBC's acceptance rate for international students is also worth noting. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the acceptance rate for domestic applications was 50.4%, while the overall acceptance rate into first-choice programs across both campuses, from both domestic and international pools, was 49%.

The university offers support and resources specifically for international students, including the Vantage One program at UBC's Vantage College. This program helps first-year international students improve their English by stretching their first year of study from eight to eleven months. Additionally, newly admitted international students who are second-year undergraduates receive housing priority.

Undergraduate vs graduate student numbers

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna. It is one of 11 universities in British Columbia, alongside three private universities.

UBC has a total of 59,000 students, with 48,149 undergraduate students and 11,139 graduate students. The Vancouver campus is larger, accommodating more than 85% of UBC students. The Vancouver campus has 23% international students, while the Okanagan campus has 13%.

UBC's Vancouver campus has an undergraduate population of 22,908, while the Okanagan campus has 10,708 undergraduate and graduate students.

The undergraduate population at UBC is more than double the graduate population. The Vancouver campus has a higher proportion of undergraduates, with 85% of UBC students, while the Okanagan campus has a more balanced distribution, with 10,708 undergraduate and graduate students combined.

Acceptance rates

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. It was established in 1908 and opened in 1915. It is one of the top universities in Canada and the world, with a diverse student population, including international students from over 150 countries.

UBC's acceptance rate varies depending on the campus and programme. For the 2023-2024 academic year, UBC received 52,275 undergraduate applications and accepted 25,760 students into their first-choice programs, resulting in an acceptance rate of 49%. When broken down by campus, the Okanagan campus had an acceptance rate of 62% for domestic students and 21.6% for international students, while the Vancouver campus had an acceptance rate of 47% overall, with 27.9% of students being international.

UBC's acceptance rate for undergraduate programmes is around 50%, while for graduate programmes, it is lower, especially for international students, ranging between 20-25% in recent years. The acceptance rate for MBA programmes is also lower for international students compared to domestic students, with an acceptance rate of 66.63% for international MBA applicants for 2025.

The university considers various factors beyond academic performance, such as extracurricular activities, work experience, and volunteer work. Additionally, UBC offers a holistic evaluation of applications, taking into account factors like school grades, chosen subjects, and performance in relevant subjects.

UBC's admission requirements include a secondary school certificate, a minimum Grade 11 or 12 English score of 70%, academic transcripts, and English proficiency test scores. International students applying for undergraduate programmes must also submit a valid passport and meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 (or 85%). For postgraduate programmes, international students need to provide a resume or academic CV, proof of professional experience, letters of recommendation, and meet the minimum academic transcript requirement of 65%.

Tuition fees

For domestic students (Canadian citizens or permanent residents), the cost of a full first-year program varies depending on the chosen field of study. For example, Fine Arts and Environmental Design are priced at $5,960.10, while International Economics and Architecture are $9,536.40 and $9,604.80, respectively.

International students face significantly higher tuition fees, with the same programs costing between $47,189.40 and $57,085.80.

Graduate programs at UBC are typically assessed as an annual program fee, divided into three equal instalments due at the beginning of the academic terms in September, January, and May. However, some graduate programs, such as online or professional programs, charge tuition on a per-credit basis.

The classification of students as domestic or international is based on citizenship or permanent residency status. Domestic students include Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugees, and diplomats, while international students include all applicants without Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, regardless of other nationalities held.

It is important to note that tuition fees at UBC do not include additional costs such as accommodation, transportation, study materials, meals, and personal expenses, which students should carefully consider when planning their budget.

Student demographics

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna. In the 2020-21 academic year, females made up 57% of UBC Vancouver's student body and 53% of UBC Okanagan's student body. In the same year, UBC had a total of 72,585 students across both campuses, with 20,237 international students making up 28% of the university's student population. There were also 2,303 indigenous students, making up 3.2% of the student population.

UBC's Vancouver campus accommodates more than 85% of UBC students. In a recent year, 23% of students at the Vancouver campus and around 13% at the Okanagan campus were international. The Vancouver campus offers more than two dozen academic divisions, while the Okanagan campus has eight.

UBC has a diverse student population with alumni in more than 160 countries worldwide. The university also has an extensive number of private career institutes and colleges. Over 297,000 students were enrolled in post-secondary institutions in British Columbia in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Frequently asked questions