Admission Requirements

The College of Graduate Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements for all applicants. Each graduate program may have additional requirements. It is recommended that all potential applicants refer to specific Graduate Degree Programs for detailed information regarding the program and specific admission requirements.

Please refer to specific Graduate Degree Programs for detailed information regarding the program to which you intend to apply, and specific admission requirements.

The Master of Management program is not administered by the College of Graduate Studies, and must be applied to directly through the program website.

Master’s Applicants

Applicants for a master’s degree program must hold the academic equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree from UBC with:

  • a minimum overall average in the B+ grade range (76-79% at UBC) in third-year level and above courses; or
  • academic standing with at least 12 credits of third- or fourth-year courses in the A grade range (80% or higher at UBC) in the field of study; or
  • applicants who have a four-year baccalaureate degree, or its academic equivalent, which does not meet the requirements stated above, but who have had significant formal training and relevant professional experience to offset such deficiencies, may be granted admission on the recommendation of the appropriate graduate program or faculty and approval of the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

Doctoral Applicants

Applicants for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) must have completed one of the following requirements prior to admission:

  • a master’s degree (or equivalent) from an approved institution, with clear evidence of research ability or potential and a minimum overall average in the B+ grade range (76-79% at UBC) in all graduate courses;
  • a bachelor’s degree, with one year of study in a master’s program with 12 credits of first-class average, of which, normally, 9 credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least 9 credits must be of first-class standing, and clear evidence of research ability or potential. Transfer directly into a doctoral program is normally accomplished after the first year of study and will not be permitted after the completion of the second year in a master’s program; or
  • in exceptional cases, applicants who hold an honours bachelor’s degree with an overall average in the A grade range and who demonstrate advanced research ability may be granted direct admission to a doctoral degree program on recommendation of the admitting graduate program and approval of the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

To maintain registration as a doctoral student, students entering directly from a bachelor’s degree must, during the first year of study, complete 12 credits with a first-class average, of which at least 9 credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least 9 credits must be of first-class standing.

Other Resources

Other sites with helpful application information:

Master’s applicants

  • The College of Graduate Studies welcomes and encourages applications from international students who hold a credential deemed academically equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s degree from UBC and who demonstrate superior academic standing.
  • Specific minimum admission requirements for graduates from different countries are listed in the International Student Evaluation Manual.
  • Students who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents must apply for a study permit (student visa) to enter Canada. Applications can be made through any Canadian Consulate or High Commission.
  • These are the minimum requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies. Individual graduate programs may have additional admission requirements. Consult the graduate program listings in the Academic Calendar to confirm the admission requirements for specific degree programs.
  • Applicants from a university at which English is not the primary language of instruction must meet Language Proficiency Requirements prior to being extended an offer of admission.
  • A formal application for admission (and the required fee) must be submitted for an official evaluation of academic credentials. The required overall grade is normally calculated from courses taken in the last two years of full-time study.
  • For a list of countries and related minimum academic requirements for international applicants, click here.

Doctoral Applicants

  • The College of Graduate Studies welcomes and encourages applications from international students who hold a credential deemed academically equivalent to an approved Canadian two-year master’s degree and who demonstrate superior academic standing. Specific minimum admission requirements for graduates from different countries are listed in the International Student Evaluation Manual.
  • Students who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents must apply for a study permit (student visa) to enter Canada. Applications can be made through any Canadian Consulate or High Commission.
  • These are the minimum requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies. Individual graduate programs may have additional admission requirements. Consult the graduate program listings in this Calendar to confirm the admission requirements for specific degree programs.
  • Applicants from a university at which English is not the primary language of instruction must meet Language Proficiency Requirements prior to being extended an offer of admission.
  • A formal application for admission (and the required fee) must be submitted for an official evaluation of academic credentials. The required overall grade is normally calculated from courses taken in the last two years of full-time study.
  • For a list of countries and related minimum academic requirements for international applicants, click here.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

Note: Individual graduate programs may set higher English language proficiency scores than those listed above.  Please check the program requirements for your area of study.

As a temporary COVID-19 response, the College of Graduate Studies will be accepting the following additional English language tests to meet our admission requirements.

TOEFL iBT – Home Edition
  • Minimum requirement for admission = See below TOEFL score requirements
CAEL Online
  • Minimum requirement for admission = overall 70, with 60 on the speaking sub-test
Duolingo English Test
  • Minimum requirement for admission = 125 overall on a single sitting of the test

Important Note: Submission of these test scores is limited to applicants who do not have access to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or CAEL tests.

Applicants from a university outside Canada at which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. Test scores must have been taken within the last 24 months. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to graduate studies are:

  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 90 overall with a minimum score of 22 in Reading & Listening and a minimum score of 21 in Writing & Speaking (Internet version); minimum score of 22 in Reading & Listening and a minimum score of 21 in Writing (paper version)  (The College of Graduate Studies accepts MyBest Scores). The TOEFL code for UBC’s Okanagan campus is: 0965; or
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing Service): Academic minimum overall band score of 6.5, with no individual score less than 6.0. Please note, IELTS Indicator is not currently accepted for applications to UBC Okanagan. When ordering test scores, please use our office address (located at the bottom of this page) and list the following under additional information:
    • Name of Department Head: College of Graduate Studies
    • Email id for Department Head: Gradadmissions.ok@ubc.ca
    • Contact Number of Department Head: 250 807 8772

English language test scores must be received by the College of Graduate Studies directly from the testing agency to be considered official. Photocopies of test scores will not be accepted as official. 

The English proficiency test checklist item will be removed for eligible applicants once your file is reviewed by an officer. Please allow 10 business days for processing.

Please refer to the Master’s Degrees and Doctoral Degrees pages of the  College of Graduate Studies’ entry in the UBC Okanagan Campus Calendar for official English Requirements.

Appeals

Many fully qualified applicants are not offered admission for various reasons such as limited capacity, unavailability of supervision, lack of funding, rigorous competition, etc.”

Applicants who believe 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 College of Graduate Studies for review by the Dean of the College or designate. This written appeal must be received by the College of Graduate Studies within 14 calendar days of the date of issue on the notification of an admission or readmission decision.

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

If the appeal is denied by the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies, the applicant may submit a written appeal to the Senate Admission and Awards Committee for review, and the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies will send a written explanation of their reason for denying the appeal.

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

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.

Applicants who have provided untrue, incomplete, fraudulent or plagiarized information within their application may, at the sole discretion of UBC, have their admission offer revoked.

Applicants who believe that their offer of admission has been unjustly revoked by the College of Graduate Studies 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 College of Graduate Studies for review by the Dean of the College or designate. This written appeal must be received by the College of Graduate Studies within 14 calendar days of the date of the revocation decision email notifying that the offer of admission has been revoked.

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

Appeals to the Senate Admissions and Awards Committee on admission decisions will be considered on applications for the current academic year only.

The appeal will be sent to the Senate Admissions and Awards Committee for review, and the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies will send a written explanation of their reasons for denying the appeal.

The Committee may allow an appeal where it decides that the College of Graduate 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 College’s published procedures.

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