Our incoming graduate student orientation will be held on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. Registration will open mid-July.
Sessions will be added throughout the summer, so keep checking back.
Please refer to UBC 501 to find key information for incoming students.
If you have questions about orientation events, please email gradadmin.ubco@ubc.ca.
schedule of Events
Happening Before Orientation
Learn about your rights as a renter in British Columbia.
Please note that some information in this webinar may be Vancouver-specific; however, the tenant’s rights outlined are applicable across British Columbia.
Make a plan and budget for your graduate student experience.
Please note that some information in this webinar may be Vancouver-specific; however, the budgeting aspects are applicable to all graduate students.
For more information about Okanagan-specific tuition and fees, please use our Cost Calculator.
July 16 | 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. PDT | Online
Join the Student Experience Office to go through the Off-Campus Housing Guide with a focus on grad student-specific questions and experiences, and learn how to navigate renting in and around the Kelowna area. The presentation will be semi-casual and open-ended to help answer frequently-asked questions and more.
July 17 | 1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. PDT | Online
Writing grant applications is an important part of research and of your development as researchers. The first opportunity to put together something like a grant application for many graduate students is to apply for fellowships. This session will address some important considerations of interest as you work to pull together a successful application. As such, we will discuss components of strong grant applications as well as common mistakes to avoid. The facilitator will provide perspective on the review process from the perspective of the committees that select fellowship recipients. All participants should come with at least one funding opportunities identified, and having reviewed the fellowship and application criteria ahead of time.
July 24 | 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PDT | Online
Are you a graduate student who is unsure what the Tri-Agency awards are, or have some basic questions about how they work? Are you confused about what all the award acronyms mean? If so, this information session is for you.
This information session will be a basic introduction to the Tri-Agency graduate awards, which include the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS-M) program and the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D) program. These are some of the largest and most prestigious academic research awards in Canada.
This information session will go over the following:
- What are the Tri-Agencies (SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR)?
- What are the Tri-Agency awards (CGRS-M and CGRS-D)?
- Can and should I apply for these awards?
- When should I apply for these awards?
- How much time does the application process take? (Hint: more than you think!)
- What resources are available on campus to help me if I choose to apply?
- And much more
This session is open to upper-level undergraduate students, incoming and continuing master’s and doctoral Students, and anyone else who has general questions about the Tri-Agency awards.
Please note that the Tri-Agency awards are not open to students pursuing professional programs, or degrees that are not research/thesis-based.
July 30 | 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PDT | Online | Register
August 14 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PDT | Online | Register
Are you preparing your CGRS-D (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC) or Killam application? This online Q&A session, facilitated by the College of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Scholarly Communication, provides an opportunity to ask questions about writing and submitting the application. There will be no presentation, so please come prepared with questions. This Q&A will be supplemented with asynchronous Canvas modules, where you can find detailed information and resources on applying for the CGRS-D or Killam.
August 21 | 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Online
As a Teaching Assistant, you will be working closely in different roles with an experienced instructor to teach. When this relationship goes well, it can be rewarding, educational and fun. When it does not, it can be frustrating and overwhelming. In this session, we will explore the various needs and expectations (including the TA contract) that structure the TA-Instructor relationship, develop effective communication strategies, including feedback and building professional interpersonal skills, all with the aim of helping you to build a harmonious and rewarding professional relationship with the instructors you work with.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe the requirements and needs around working and teaching with Faculty at UBC
- Develop a brief agreement document for working with faculty
- Develop (organization and communication) strategies to address common challenges in Faculty-TA relationships
August 27th Events
8 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. | Commons Field
Kick off your day with a refreshing yoga class. This session will be held in partnership with the Jump Start Orientation, so there will be undergraduate students at this session. Following the yoga session, please make your way to the Arts & Sciences Centre where the graduate student programming will continue.
Please bring your own yoga mat or towel.
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | ASC 140
Meet the College of Graduate Studies’ team and understand how they can support you throughout your graduate student journey. Discover graduate student spaces and how to connect with the graduate student community. Learn about resources and policies, professional development opportunities, and key graduate student events.
10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m. | ASC 140
As a graduate student, academic honesty and scholarly integrity are an important part of joining and contributing to academic conversations in your discipline. Join the Centre for Scholarly Communication (CSC) for an introduction to academic and scholarly integrity. We discuss questions like: What does academic integrity mean in graduate school? What is the difference between academic integrity and scholarly integrity? What is self-plagiarism and how does it connect to copyright? Where can I get help to design a Research Data Management plan that is effective and ethical? After attending this session, you will know where to find support for upholding academic integrity while paraphrasing, searching literature in your discipline, learning about the implications of generative AI use, and more. Please bring your questions about academic and scholarly integrity to this interactive session.
11:15 a.m. – 12 p.m. | ASC 140
Have questions about the graduate school experience or life in the Okanagan? Hear from a panel of current graduate students as they share their tips and tricks for succeeding in graduate school and at UBC Okanagan. And don’t miss out on discovering their favourite spots around campus and the Okanagan!
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | ASC Courtyard
Enjoy lunch and meet the many campus services that are here to support you throughout your journey.
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | ASC 140
Join the College of Graduate Studies’ Awards team for a presentation that will help you navigate funding your studies. This presentation will help you understand award opportunities available to you, other sources of funding, and workshops and resources to help you along the way. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period, so please bring any questions you have about funding and awards to the session.
More details coming soon
Happening After Orientation
August 28 | 10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. | EME 2181
Want to stay on top of your game this school year? This interactive workshop is designed to help graduate students set meaningful academic goals, build effective routines, and develop practical strategies to manage their time and energy. Through guided goal-setting activities, and mindset-building strategies, you will develop a personalized action plan to boost focus, reduce procrastination, and start the academic year strong.
August 28 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. | Online
Join the College of Graduate Studies’ Awards team for a question-and-answer session about funding. Please bring any questions you have about funding and awards to the session.
This event is open to all graduate students.
If you will be working in a lab where chemicals and/or biologicals will be handled, you are required to take the applicable safety courses, either Chemical Safety or Biological Safety for Study Team Members. These courses are UBC specific; you cannot use a course from another institution. Both courses have 3 components, which must be completed in order:
- Online: Available through Workplace Learning (WPL) wpl.ubc.ca
a. Chemical Safety: https://wpl.ubc.ca/browse/ubcohse/courses/wpl-srs-chemb. Biosafety for Study Team Members: https://wpl.ubc.ca/browse/ubcohse/courses/biosafety-for-study-team-members-ubco-2025-2028 - Virtual Component: These occur every 6-8 weeks. The next available sessions are below. Please plan ahead:a. Chemical Safety (4 hours):
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- September 4
- October 14
- November 13
- December 18
- January 9
- February 19
- April 7
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b. Biosafety for Study Team Members (3 hours):
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- August 28
- November 10
- February 17
- April 30
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3. In Person sessions: These happen every 1-3 weeks throughout the year at various times.
Note: There are other training requirements and needs, but only these two have timing restrictions.
Learn about UBC Okanagan’s Constellation, a suite of emerging media and technology learning spaces, and how it can help you push the boundaries of innovation and learning.
More details coming soon
This 3 hour interactive workshop is offered by the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office at UBCO. We will discuss strategies for navigating and encouraging safe and healthy relationships during your time at UBCO. We will cover a wide range of relationships from sexual and romantic relationships to coworking and supervisory relationships. Participants will explore the skills necessary to practice ongoing and affirmative consent in sexual and romantic relationships, as well as the tools to identify unhealthy relationship dynamics and options to seek support on or off campus. Participants will also be able to identify workplace or classroom sexual harassment and unhealthy workplace environments, as well as the bystander intervention skills necessary to intervene in these dynamics. Finally, participants will gain an understanding of boundaries and how to have discussions about boundaries in a variety of contexts.
More details coming soon
October 16 | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Online | Register
November 4 | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Online | Register
Are you preparing your CGRS-M application (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC)? This online Q&A session, facilitated by the College of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Scholarly Communication, provides an opportunity to ask questions about writing and submitting the application. There will be no presentation, so please come prepared with questions. This Q&A will be supplemented with asynchronous Canvas modules, where you can find detailed information about applying for the CGRS-M, including example proposals, FAQs, application walkthroughs, as well as frequent mistakes and how to prevent them.
GRADUATE STUDENT SPACES
UBC’s Okanagan campus offers two spaces for exclusive use by graduate students. Access to both areas is granted to current graduate students who agree to abide by the terms and conditions. Learn more about graduate student spaces.
To gain access to graduate student spaces, please submit the Space Access Request form.
UBC 501
UBC 501 is a self-guided, online orientation designed to help prepare you for your arrival at UBC Okanagan. UBC 501 is made up of five modules and can be accessed anywhere, anytime with an internet connection. Each module takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. The modules cover topics such as graduate student expectations, working with your supervisor, familiarizing yourself with Kelowna and the Okanagan, history and traditions of UBC Okanagan and important on-campus resources to help you along the way.