Vancouver
INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
THERE ARE NINE WAYS TO MEET THIS REQUIREMENT
Complete three or more consecutive years of recognized, full-time education in English within Canada immediately prior to attending UBC.
Complete four or more consecutive years of full-time education in English in a country other than Canada where English is the principal language. These four years must be immediately prior to attending UBC.
Achieve a grade of 70% or better on the provincial examination portion of BC English 12 or the equivalent.
Achieve a final grade of 4 or better on Advanced Placement (AP) English Language & Composition or AP Literature & Composition; or achieve a final grade of 5 or better on International Baccalaureate English A1 or A2 (higher-level or standard-level).
Achieve the competence standard indicated by one of the tests of English language proficiency that evaluates skills in listening, reading, speaking, and writing.
Successfully complete six credits of post-secondary first-year English studies at a recognized university in an English-speaking country. A transcript showing completion of these courses is due March 15. For students at North American post-secondary institutions registered in English courses in the January to April term, a final transcript showing completion of these courses will be accepted until May 15 if there are spaces left in your program.
Graduate from a recognized degree program at an accredited university at which English is the primary language of instruction in a country where English is the principal language.
Attend four or more years at an eligible international secondary school that uses English as the language of instruction but operates in a country where the primary language is not English. These four years must be immediately prior to attending UBC. You will need to submit a transcript as soon as possible to the Undergraduate Admissions office.
Achieve a UBC Certificate in English Language or CEL by completing Level 600 of the UBC Continuing Studies English for Academic Purposesprogram on UBC’s Vancouver campus.
If you are fully proficient in English but do not meet any of the nine options listed above, you may request a waiver for the English Language Admission Standard.
TESTS THAT SATISFY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADMISSION STANDARD ON UBC’S VANCOUVER CAMPUS
Test | Minimum score [1] | |
---|---|---|
CAE | Certificate in Advanced English | B |
CAEL | Canadian Academic English Language assessment | Overall score: 70 |
CAEL | With the speaking sub-test | 60 |
CELPIP | Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Test – Academic (CELPIT-A) portion of this test satisfies the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) requirement for first-year English courses at UBC. You must achieve a score of at least 5 on the essay section.) | |
CELPIP | CELPIT-A (Academic Reading and Writing) | 4L |
CELPIP | CELL (Listening) | 4L |
CELPIP | CELTOP (Speaking) | 4L |
CPE | Certificate of Proficiency in English | C |
IELTS | International English Language Testing System (Academic) | 6.5 with no part less than 6.0 |
MELAB | Michigan English Language Assessment Battery with the MELAB Oral Interview | 85 final score with 3 in the speaking test |
PTE | Pearson Test of English (Academic) | Overall score: 65 Reading: 60 Listening: 60 Writing: 60 Speaking: 60 |
TOEFL | Test of English as a Foreign Language (UBC’s institution code for the Test of English as a Foreign Language is 0965.) | |
TOEFL | TOEFL Internet-based test | Overall score: 90 Reading: 22 Listening: 22 Writing: 21 Speaking: 21 |
TOEFL | TOEFL Paper-based test with the TWE (Test of Written English) | 55 each for Reading, Listening, and Writing (4.0 on TWE) |
TOEFL | TOEFL Computer-based test with the essay | No longer accepted |
[1] Unless otherwise stated, the score is the minimum on each part of the examination. Minimum scores must be achieved in a single sitting of the test (i.e., scores across multiple instances of a test may not be used to satisfy minimum component requirements). Tests taken more than two years prior to application for admission will not be considered.
GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS(CHINA)
Graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school:
Upper Middle School Report of Grades.
Huikao or Academic proficiency test results provided by China Qualifications Verification (CQV).
Gaokao examinations results provided by CQV. UBC expects students to achieve a minimum provincial Tier 1 university cut-off score.
If you are not writing the Gaokao, you must submit one of the following standardized examination results: SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement exam results, A Levels, or International Baccalaureate Exams. Competitive results must be achieved in these examinations.
Admission average calculated on final year academic courses/exams:
Grades required for admission will vary by program, but based on the China grading scale, the minimum average needed to fall within the competitive range is approximately 84% (where the minimum pass grade is 60%).
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS(CHINA)
Program | Minimum requirements |
---|---|
Applied Science (Engineering) |
|
Arts |
|
Commerce (UBC Sauder School of Business) |
|
Fine Arts (direct-entry specializations only; excludes Creative Writing) |
|
Forest Resources Management; Forest Operations; Forest Sciences | BSF, BUF + BSc (Forest Sciences)
BSc (Natural Resources Conservation)
BSc (Wood Products Processing)
|
International Economics |
|
Kinesiology |
|
Land and Food Systems |
|
Media Studies |
|
Science |
|
Okanagan
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
THERE ARE NINE WAYS TO MEET THIS REQUIREMENT
TESTS THAT SATISFY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADMISSION STANDARD ON UBC’S OKANAGAN CAMPUS
Test | Minimum score [1] | |
---|---|---|
CAE | Certificate in Advanced English (Administered by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations organization.) | B |
CAEL | Canadian Academic English Language assessment | Overall score: 70 |
CAEL | With the speaking sub-test | 60 |
CELPIP | Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Test – Academic (CELPIT-A) portion of this test satisfies the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) requirement for first-year English courses at UBC with a score of at least 5 on the essay section.) | |
CELPIP | CELPIT-A (Academic Reading and Writing) (The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Test – Academic (CELPIT-A) portion of this test satisfies the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) requirement for first-year English courses at UBC with a score of at least 5 on the essay section.) | 4L or 4H |
CELPIP | CELL (Listening) | 4L or 4H |
CELPIP | CELTOP (Speaking) | 4L or 4H |
CPE | Certificate of Proficiency in English (The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Test – Academic (CELPIT-A) portion of this test satisfies the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) requirement for first-year English courses at UBC with a score of at least 5 on the essay section.) | C |
IELTS | International English Language Testing System (Academic) | 6.5 with no part less than 6.0 |
MELAB | Michigan English Language Assessment Battery with the MELAB Oral Interview | 85 |
OC EAP | Okanagan College English for Academic Purposes | Completion of level 4 (Level 4 requires completion of Okanagan College EAPD 040, EAPW 040, and EAPR 040. UBC requires a grade of 70% or higher in each course to satisfy the English Language Admission Standard.) |
PTE | Pearson Test of English (Academic) | Overall score: 65 Reading: 60 (minimum score) Listening: 60 (minimum score) Writing: 60 (minimum score) Speaking: 60 (minimum score) |
TOEFL | Test of English as a Foreign Language (UBC’s institution code for the Test of English as a Foreign Language is 0965.) | |
TOEFL | Internet-based test | Overall score: 90 Reading: 22 (minimum score) Listening: 22 (minimum score) Writing: 21 (minimum score) Speaking: 21 (minimum score) |
TOEFL | Paper-based test with the TWE (Test of Written English) | 55 each of Reading, Listening, and Writing (4.0 on TWE) |
TOEFL | Computer-based test with the essay | No longer accepted |
[1] Unless otherwise stated, the score is the minimum on each part of the examination. Minimum scores must be achieved in a single sitting of the test (i.e., scores across multiple instances of a test may not be used to satisfy minimum component requirements). Tests taken more than two years prior to application for admission will not be considered.
GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS(CHINA)
Graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school:
Upper Middle School Report of Grades.
Huikao or Academic proficiency test results provided by China Qualifications Verification (CQV).
Gaokao examinations results provided by CQV. UBC expects students to achieve a minimum provincial Tier 1 university cut-off score.
If you are not writing the Gaokao, you must submit one of the following standardized examination results: SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement exam results, A Levels, or International Baccalaureate Exam Certificates. Competitive results must be achieved in these examinations.
Admission average calculated on final year academic courses/exams:
Grades required for admission will vary by program, but based on the China grading scale, the minimum average needed to fall within the competitive range is approximately 75% (where the minimum pass grade is 60%).
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS(CHINA)
Program | Minimum requirements |
---|---|
Applied Science (Engineering) |
|
Arts |
|
Human Kinetics |
|
Interdisciplinary Performance |
|
Management |
|
Media Studies |
|
Science |
|
Visual Arts |
|
Complete three or more consecutive years of full-time education in English in a recognized Canadian provincial curriculum (within Canada or at an off-shore school) immediately prior to attending UBC.
Complete four or more consecutive years of full-time education in English in a country other than Canada where English is the principal language. These four years must be immediately prior to attending UBC.
Achieve a grade of 70% or better on the provincial examination portion of BC English 12 or the equivalent.
Achieve a final grade of 4 or better on Advanced Placement (AP) English Language & Composition or AP Literature & Composition; or achieve a final grade of 5 or better on International Baccalaureate English A1 or A2 (higher-level or standard-level).
Achieve the competence standard indicated by one of the tests of English language proficiency that evaluates skills in listening, reading, speaking, and writing.
Successfully complete six credits of post-secondary first-year English studies at a recognized university in an English-speaking country. A transcript showing completion of these courses is due March 15. For students at North American post-secondary institutions registered in English courses in the January to April term, a final transcript showing completion of these courses will be accepted until May 15 if there are spaces left in your program.
Graduate from a recognized degree program at an accredited university at which English is the primary language of instruction in a country where English is the principal language.
Attend four or more years at an eligible international secondary school that uses English as the language of instruction but operates in a country where the primary language is not English. These four years must be immediately prior to attending UBC. You will need to submit a transcript as soon as possible to the Undergraduate Admissions office.
Achieve a UBC Certificate in English Language or CEL by completing Level 600 of the UBC Continuing Studies English for Academic Purposesprogram on UBC’s Vancouver campus.
If you are fully proficient in English but do not meet any of the nine options listed above, you may request a waiver for the English Language Admission Standard.