The University of British Columbia
Brock Hall, 1874 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
students.ubc.ca
University of British Columbia - Vancouver & Okanagan Campus
This information applies to the 2010-11 Academic year.
CONTENTS:
Transfer Notes
Transfer Policy
General Admission Requirement
Advanced Credit or Placement
International Students
English Language Admission Standard
Transfer Credit
Maximum Allowable Transfer Credit
Unassigned Credit
Upper-Level Courses
Preclusion of Credit
Credit Earned via Prior Learning Assessment or Challenge
Appealing for Additional Credit
Former UBC Students
Letter of Permission for UBC Students
An Equation of College and UBC Courses
Faculty/School
Specific UBC Program Requirements
Language Proficiency Index (LPI) Requirement for First-year Students
Applied Science
Economics
English
Visual Arts
Music
Faculty of Science
BC Institute of Technology
For More Information
Transfer Notes
TRANSFER POLICY
The application deadline for most programs is January 31. For information on UBC’s document deadlines, please visit https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/vancouver/dates.ezc .
A student who has completed courses in a university transfer program may be considered for admission to UBC with advance credit for up to 60 semester hours (60 UBC credits) under the following conditions:
GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENT
The minimum standing required for admission to the University is a "C" average (60% where 50% is a passing grade), or grade point average of 2.0 (calculated on a 4-point scale: A+=4.33, A=4.0, A-=3.67, B+=3.33, B=3, B-=2.67, C+=2.33, C=2, C-=1.67, D+=1.33, D=1, D-=0.67, F=0). Applicants presenting less than 24 credits are evaluated on the basis of both final secondary school grades and the partial post-secondary studies completed. Unless otherwise prescribed by the program to which admission is sought, academic standing is based on the average of the most recent 30 transferable credits attempted, including failures and repeated courses. Depending on the amount of transferable course credit taken, the admission GPA is calculated as follows:
| 0 to 6 credits taken | - Admission based on high school average only |
| 7 to 23 credits taken | - Admission based on high school average and post-secondary GPA calculated using all transferable credits taken |
| 24 to 30 credits taken | - Admission based on post-secondary GPA calculated using all transferable credits taken |
| More than 30 credits taken | - Admission based on post-secondary GPA calculated using most recent 30 transferable credits taken. When calculating a GPA based on the most recent 30 transferable credits takes us to the middle of a previous semester, the overall GPA of transferable credit from that semester will be used for the remaining required credits to reach a total of 30. |
Because of enrolment limitations, most programs require a higher average for admission than the University minimum, and may require a minimum standing in specified courses. Applicants should consult the relevant part in the UBC Calendar for a statement of admission requirements for the program to which they seek admission. To be eligible for second year, applicants must normally have successfully completed 30 credits, and satisfied all promotion requirements for advancement to that year. Applicants to third year must have successfully completed 54 to 60 credits, and satisfied all promotion requirements for advancement to that year.
ADVANCED CREDIT OR PLACEMENT
Advanced placement, and in many cases advanced credit, may be given in appropriate secondary school subjects where high academic achievement has been attained. This provision applies particularly to the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate (Higher Level), and General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) programs. Please refer to the IB and AP tables in the BC Transfer Guide.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
The University of British Columbia welcomes applications for admission from international students. International applicants may address their inquiries to the International Student Reception Office, The University of British Columbia, 1200 - 1874 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z1. Telephone: (604) 822-8999; Fax: (604) 822-9888; Email: askme@interchange.ubc.ca. Please visit our website for more information: https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADMISSION STANDARD
As English is the medium of instruction at the University of British Columbia all applicants, regardless of country of origin or of citizenship status, are required to demonstrate competence in the English language prior to admission. Competence is expected in all four of the following skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. For detailed information, please visit our web site at https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/vancouver/admissions.ezc?page=english
Transfer Credit
Successfully completed courses are granted transfer credit in accordance with agreed-upon equivalencies published in the BC Transfer Guide. Courses successfully completed at recognized institutions outside of the BCCAT sending framework will be assessed for transfer credit on a course-by-course basis. Where appropriate, such credit will be used to satisfy degree requirements of the program in which the applicant enrols. Students applying for transfer credit may be required to supply a copy of the calendar of the college or university at which they have previously studied in order that an assessment can be made.
Upper-level courses may be eligible for credit at UBC if the content is sufficiently similar to a UBC course. These courses will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis at the time of transfer to UBC.
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE TRANSFER CREDIT
In general, transfer credit is limited to the first two years of an undergraduate degree program, but credit at a more senior level is possible with the approval of the faculty concerned. No more than 60 credits of transfer credit, or 50 per cent of required program credits, are allowed in any program, and in some programs the maximum may be less.
UNASSIGNED CREDIT
Unassigned credit may be granted where a course-to-course equivalence cannot be established. This credit may be used as elective credit. Elective credit may be either in a particular discipline, e.g. "Economics (3) credits", or in a faculty, e.g. "Arts (6) credits". Students should be cautioned that there may be specific faculty requirements, as well as specific program requirements, that unassigned credit may not satisfy.
PRECLUSION OF CREDIT
Where a student is granted unassigned credit on transfer, the student will not also receive degree credit if a similar UBC course is taken subsequently. This applies in cases where the student has taken one half of a six-credit UBC course and where the college course is similar to a third- or fourth-year UBC course. In the tables this is normally clarified with the statement: precludes credit for . . . The name of the course refers to the UBC course unless otherwise stated.
CREDIT EARNED VIA PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT or CHALLENGE
Credits earned via prior learning assessment (PLA), challenge credit, or the equivalent, at another recognized post-secondary institution are acceptable at UBC, provided that the course to which those credits apply is recognized by the University as suitable for transfer credit. The University accepts only PLA credits which are assigned to specific courses.
APPEALING FOR ADDITIONAL CREDIT
Students who feel an error has been made in the credit granted on transfer should first make a written request to the Registrar's Office for a review of credit granted on transfer*. If they are not satisfied with the review decision they may consult the Dean's office of the faculty to which they have been admitted.
*Please see the following website for more information about transfer credit review and assignment: http://www.students.ubc.ca/coursesreg/transfer-credit/newly-admitted-students/
FORMER UBC STUDENTS
Students who are repeating first or second year studies at a college after failing at UBC should consult the University Calendar to ensure that they meet re-admission requirements for the faculty/school concerned.
LETTER OF PERMISSION FOR UBC STUDENTS
After the start of the first UBC academic session to which a student has been admitted, transfer credit from another institution will only be granted if prior permission has been obtained from the faculty in which the student is registered.
AN EQUATION OF COLLEGE AND UBC COURSES
The BC Transfer Guide compares courses at the various colleges and universities with courses offered at UBC.
The courses listed are taken from the academic offerings of the colleges. These courses are intended to serve as a basis for further studies at a post-college level. Courses offered by the colleges in vocationally oriented programs are not intended to prepare students for transfer to universities and are, therefore, not listed in the BC Transfer Guide.
Where two college courses are equated to a six credit course at UBC, unless otherwise stated, each component will be granted three credits under the same subject title.
In some disciplines, such as art, music, theatre, it is impossible to provide an exact matching of college and university courses. In these situations the college courses are accepted on transfer in the category of elective credit in the particular discipline. A student, continuing study in the discipline concerned, should plan their University program with a faculty advisor to make the best use of previous studies.
College students who anticipate transferring to an honours program at the University must submit a letter of recommendation from the college along with the honours application to the head of the department concerned. Permission of the head of the department is required before a student can enroll in an honours program.
Faculty/School
SPECIFIC UBC PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Specific requirements for each faculty are outlined in the appropriate sections of the UBC Calendar at www.students.ubc.ca
Where individual college courses transfer into the same UBC course, certain faculties may require a specific combination. Students should check with the faculty adviser of the faculty concerned.
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY INDEX (LPI) REQUIREMENT FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH
All programs require at least three credits of first-year English; most require six credits. Before enrolling in any first-year English course, Arts One, or Science One, students must complete the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) and achieve a minimum score of level 5 (30/40) on the essay section of the examination.
Some students are exempt from the LPI requirement; all other students must complete the LPI. For detailed information, please visit our website at http://www.english.ubc.ca/ugrad/1styear/3_2009.htm or contact the LPI office, Room 6, 2125 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4; telephone (604) 822-4146; fax (604) 822-9144. For further information about eligibility for first-year English courses, contact the English Department; telephone (604) 822-4247 or (604) 822-5651.
The following information pertains to specific program regulations regarding course transfer. Information on all UBC programs and faculties can be found on the UBC web site at www.students.ubc.ca
APPLIED SCIENCE - Engineering Transfer Programs
The following institutions offer first year Engineering transfer programs for students wishing to continue in Engineering at UBC: Capilano College, Thompson Rivers University, University College of the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College, Vancouver Island University, College of New Caledonia, Selkirk College.
Students who have completed first-year Engineering at a college offering a UBC transfer program are eligible to be considered for admission to second year Engineering provided that they have obtained an overall grade point average of at least 2.5.
For detailed information on these programs, students should consult their college advisers.
ECONOMICS
No more than six UBC credits (in addition to Principles of Economics courses) towards an undergraduate degree may be obtained from college courses in Economics that do not have Principles of Economics as a prerequisite. This limit applies to all such courses taken at any college.
ENGLISH
No more than 12 credits of first-year English may be applied towards an undergraduate degree.
VISUAL ARTS
For students intending to pursue the BFA or BA in Visual Arts (Major or Honours) programs, the maximum Visual Arts (VISA) transfer credit that can be applied is nine credits of VISA 180 or 182, VISA 183 and VISA 110, twelve credits of VISA at the second-year level, and three credits of any lower-level VISA course.
MUSIC
Where two college courses are equated to a UBC Music course carrying less than six credits, no credit will be granted for either course when taken alone.
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
All transfer applicants must present credit for MATH 100 (or equivalent) in order to be considered for admission. Transfer students should consult the Faculty of Science’s Credit Exclusion Lists for information concerning UBC courses for which there is sufficient overlap that credit may only be obtained once.
B.C. INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
The amount of credit on transfer from BCIT depends upon the studies taken as they relate to the studies contemplated at university. Each applicant is assessed for credit on an individual basis.
For More Information
Undergraduate Admissions, Enrollment Services
The University of British Columbia
Brock Hall, 1874 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Telephone: (604) 822-3014
Fax: (604) 822-3599
Web site: www.students.ubc.ca
Email: www.askme.vancouver.ubc.ca
November 2011