Language of instruction
The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s West Coast spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo.
The Okanagan campus is located in British Columbia’s “four-season playground”, where students can explore Okanagan Lake’s clear waters and sandy beaches, Skaha Bluffs – a world-famous rock climbing destination, and the many wineries of the Okanagan Valley.
The Vancouver campus is surrounded by forest on 3 sides and ocean on the 4th and is just a 30 minute bus ride to Vancouver’s downtown core.
Semester dates
| UQ Semester | Host Semester | Dates |
| Semester 1 | Winter Term | January–April |
| Semester 2 | Fall Term | September–December |
* UBC Okanagan is only available for single-semester exchange.
* University of Toronto only accept applications from Law students once per year. Therefore, law students must apply to UQ abroad in UQ semester 2 for study in Fall term, Winter term or Full year.
View UBC's academic calendar for the Vancouver campus and Okanagan campus.
Guides and additional information
UBC has online resources to help you get the most out of your exchange:
Campuses
You can choose to study at either of UBC's 2 campuses:
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.
Student testimonials
- B. Business Management / CommerceSemester 1, 2016
- Bachelor of ScienceSemester 1, 2016
- B. Economics / ScienceSemester 2, 2017
Full-time study load
Undergraduate students:
15 credits at UBC is equivalent to 8 UQ units.
Postgraduate students:
9 credits at UBC is equivalent to 8 UQ units.
Minimum academic requirements
You will need a minimum cumulative GPA of 5.2 to study at UBC.
Find courses
Search the Credit Precedent Database to find courses offered by your host university that have been previously approved for credit at UQ. The database should be used as a general guide only.
Search the UBC course catalogue if courses do not appear in the database.
Study areas taught in English
Course restrictions
The below list of courses are restricted or very limited at UBC Vancouver, however are widely available at UBC Okanagan:
- Film / theatre
- Kinesiology
- Economics
- Commerce
- Law
UBC provide a full list of course restrictions at both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan.
Students are nominated to UBC under either Engineering, Law, Commerce or Uni-wide streams. Students must take at least 60% of their classes within the stream to which they are nominated. While students are eligible to enrol in up to 40% of their classes outside their nominated stream, priority for class enrolment/registration will be given to students nominated to the relevant stream.
- Economics falls under the Uni-wide stream, not commerce.
- Students nominated to the commerce stream are unlikely to be able to enrol in economics courses, due to demand.
- Students nominated to the uni-wide stream are unlikely to be able to enrol in commerce/business courses, due to demand.
Engineering: Students nominated to the engineering stream are given preference for engineering courses, but enrolment in specific engineering courses is not guaranteed. Students must meet courses pre-requisites to be considered.
Architecture: Postgraduate students only. Students must have at least four years of architectural training prior to their exchange at UBC. Students are expected to take one 9-credit studio + two additional 3-credit courses.
Additional academic information
The majority of History courses are taught for the full year.
Students who apply for UQ Semester 2 (UBC Fall term) will have a greater selection of courses. Students who apply for UQ Semester 1 (UBC Winter term) may need to a level of flexiblity in the courses that they choose.
- 100-199: Undergradutate (first year)
- 200: Second-year
- 300: Third-year
- 400: Fourth-year (final year of undergraduate degree)
- 500+: Graduate-level courses
UBC has online resources to help navigate their academic policies:
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.
Accommodation
UBC has on-campus residential options available to exchange students at both campuses.
Vancouver Campus:
On-campus accommodation at UBC Vancouver is not guaranteed. On-campus accommodation is very competitive, especially during UBC's Fall term or for Full Year students.
Students admitted to CIE (Engineering), will not have access to on-campus accommodation in Fall term. Students studying in Winter term will be given priority access to on-campus housing.
Students wanting on-campus accommodation are encouraged to look at UBC's Okanagan Campus (see below).
Okanagan Campus:
All incoming exchange students are given priority access to housing at UBC Okanagan if they apply by the deadline (May 1st for September term and October 1st for January term).
Cost of living
UBC has provided a breakdown of key costs students can expect to encounter while studying at the university.
Financial support
A range of funding for student exchange including scholarships, grants and loans are available to UQ students.
Insurance
Students approved to participate in the Student Exchange Program are automatically covered by UQ’s Travel Insurance for the country of their host university only.
For more information, read the Student Travel Insurance Policy Summary on UQ’s Travel Insurance web page (login required).
If you plan to travel outside of your host country, you should purchase additional insurance.
All UBC exchange students are required to purchase the mandatory health insurance, iMED.
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.
Organise your visa
It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa for the country where you will be studying. As UQ Abroad is not a visa-issuing authority we cannot provide visa advice.
Contact the High Commission of Canada for visa information.
UBC provide information about various visa options while on exchange.
Travel risk levels
The University of Queensland cannot and does not allow UQ Abroad students to travel to any country with a risk level of 3 (Reconsider your need to travel) or above, as assessed by the Australian Government.
If a country's risk level changes to 3 or above, UQ Abroad programs to that country are suspended until the risk level improves.
Find out the risk level and travel advice for your host country on the Smartraveller website.
Register your travel plans
We recommend that you register your travel plans on the Smartraveller website so that the Australian Government can contact you or your family in an emergency.
Non-Australian citizens should register with their closest consulate.
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.