You must accept your offer of admission to UBC, and pay your registration deposit by June 1, in order to:

• keep your place at UBC
• be eligible for course registration
• keep an offer of student housing

How do I accept my offer?

By June 1, go to the Student Service Centre, log in and click “Accept/decline my offer.”  To accept, you must pay a deposit of:

• $250 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents (non-refundable)
• $500 for international students (a partial refund may be allowed before August 31)

This deposit is credited to your first term’s tuition.

If you’ve decided UBC isn’t right for you, then please indicate you decline the offer – this will ensure your place can be offered to another student.

Can I defer my offer to next year?

In some circumstances, you may be permitted to defer your offer of admission for up to one year. You must still accept the offer and pay your deposit before making a deferral request.

Photo credit: Keerati

We are still receiving a large number of documents, and as we get closer to another set of deadlines this has been a very popular question.

Kathryn answered some general document questions in her February post, Has UBC received my documents? This is a great source of information, especially if you have already sent your documents to us but aren’t sure if they will arrive in our office by the deadline.

What if my document deadline has already passed?

You are still welcome to send in your documents, but they will only be considered if there is still space available in your chosen program. We’re going through thousands of applications right now, so it will be several weeks before we know if there will be spaces available for students who fall into this category.

If we receive your documents after the deadline, we will still match them to your application. Also, if we can no longer consider your documents we will keep them for up to 12 months in case you decide to apply to UBC again next year.

Keep your eye out for status updates on the SSC as your documents are updated and decisions are made!

Please note that we can’t answer questions about individual applications on the blog. If you have questions specific to your application, contact us so we can look into your file.

Best of luck as the end of term nears!

Congratulations to those of you who have received an offer of admission!

If you are still waiting for a decision on your first choice or even for second choices, you should be hearing from us shortly.

A lot of newly admitted students are contacting us with questions. I thought it might be helpful to cover some of the most common questions we’re hearing right now.

1. When will I receive a decision on my first choice?

Many of you have been accepted to your second choice but are waiting for an answer on your first choice.

The best thing to do is check your application status on the Student Service Centre (SSC) to see what it says about your first choice. There are a few possible reasons why your application is  pending.

If your application status doesn’t make it clear why your evaluation is still pending, your best bet is to contact us so we can look into your file and find out what we need.

In most cases, we don’t have enough information to complete your evaluation. For example, we need a final transcript or proof that you’ve met a pre-requisite. This topic was covered in Camille’s most recent post Application status updates. Be sure to read the full post and comments, as you may find the answer to your questions there!

2. Will accepting or declining my second choice affect my first choice?

The short answer is no.

When you go to accept/decline your offer on the SSC, you will be asked two questions:

1. whether you accept or decline the offer
2. whether you still want to be considered for your first choice

Accepting or declining your second choice will not affect your first choice evaluation in any way, as long as you indicate that you still want to be considered for it.

In a similar vein, a lot of newly admitted students are also asking if its okay to wait to decide. They’re thinking of not replying to their second choice offer until they hear back about their first.

It’s okay to do this as long as your evaluation is complete before the deadline to accept your offer. I don’t recommend this route. It’s best to let us know you are accepting the offer well before the deadline.

If you know for sure that you want to attend UBC regardless of the results of your first choice evaluation, why wait and potentially jeopardize your offer by forgetting and missing the deadline?

3. Will my acceptance deposit transfer to my first choice?

Acceptance deposits are non-refundable. However, if you accept your second choice offer, pay the deposit, and later want to switch to your first choice program, you won’t have to pay again. And remember, your acceptance deposit will act as your registration deposit when it comes time to choose your courses.

4. Where is my admissions package?

Admissions packages are sent out via regular mail a few days after an evaluation is complete. As a result, they may take some time to arrive.

If your SSC application status states that an admissions package was mailed, give it about four weeks to arrive.

If your package does not arrive after a month, you can contact us to have another one sent. Be sure to check that your mailing address is up-to-date on the SSC (under Personal Info).

If your application status says that you have been admitted but doesn’t mention a package being sent, there may be a reason why. For example, if your first choice is still pending we may wait for the results before mailing anything.

If you are unsure of why your package hasn’t been sent, as always, feel free to contact us.

In the meantime, much of the information from the admissions package is available online for both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

5. What are my next steps?

Now that you have been admitted, you are likely thinking about what you can do to prepare. Course planning, housing, paying tuition, and orientations are just some of the things new students are asking about.

Check out Your Next Steps for your starting point.

6. I want to change my program!

Many of you are already thinking about changing faculties and/or campus. Maybe you were admitted to your second choice but you still want to try for your first. While this isn’t possible for the 2012 Session, you can apply to change faculty or campus for the 2013 Session.

• To change campuses, check out the academic calendar for information about changing from Vancouver to the Okanagan, and vice versa.
• To change programs, see the academic calendar for information about changing faculties at the Okanagan and the Vancouver campus.

Keep in mind that most programs have pre-requisite subjects you have to meet to be admissible. If you know what program you are interested in, you can research the requirements using our prospective student website, the Vancouver Academic Calendar, the Okanagan Academic Calendar and/or the individual program’s website.

If you would like to speak to someone regarding switching faculties and/or campuses you can always contact the Welcome Centre at either campus.

Hopefully I’ve covered some of your pressing questions!  If not, we’re always available via email, telephone, or in person.

There are some important dates to be aware of before the start of classes in September. Make note of the dates that apply to you!

April

• 30: Science One program application deadline

May

• May 1: Deadline for Vancouver and Okanagan campus housing applications.

June

• June 1: Last date to accept UBC’s Offer of Admission
  
• June 28: Last day to register for Jump Start Vancouver (please note: this is a change to the August date in the Registration & Orientation Guide)
  
• June 30: Submit financial support applications to ensure funds are available for Term 1
• Canadian citizens & permanent residents: Canada and provincial student loans and UBC bursary programs
• U.S. students: Stafford/PLUS loans

July

• July 15: Deadline to apply for early arrival housing (not needed by Jump Start participants)
• July 15: Deadline to apply for a deferral of admission
• July 21: Deadline to request permission to write the September 1 LPI on the Vancouver campus

August

• August 15: General Bursary & Work Study applications available for Canadian citizens & permanent residents
• August 16: Jump Start Vancouver starts!
• August 26: Jump Start Okanagan starts!
• August 29: Kick Start Okanagan starts!

September

• September 1: residence move-in day – Vancouver 
• September 2: residence move-in day – Okanagan
• September 4: Academic year begins. Most undergraduate classes are cancelled for Imagine & Create
  
• September 5: Last day to pay your first installment of tuition fees
  
• September 13: Canadian citizens & permanent residents General Bursary applications due