Admissions & finance

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree with a B average, or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution.

*Generally, a four-year degree is required. Three-year Bachelor’s are accepted from Australia, New Zealand, U.K., and Europe. Refer to this for details on each country.

**Candidates with a lower academic average may be accepted if they have significant professional experience and/or a high GMAT/GRE score, subject to the approval of the Director, Recruitment & Admissions of the Robert H. Lee Graduate School.

For a competitive edge

A Bachelors degree with a B+ or 76% or 3.3 average is recommended.

About transcripts

Official transcripts must be arranged to be sent to

Robert H. Lee Graduate School
UBC Sauder School of Business
137-2053 Main Mall
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2
CANADA

If your university does not produce more official copies of your transcript, photocopy your transcript, and have the university stamp it with the official stamp. Mail it in a sealed, endorse envelope, with the Registrar’s signature or University stamp across the seal.

To expedite the admissions process, students can scan and upload their unofficial documents for evaluation. However, official documentation will be required for final admission and it must be received by the document deadline. 

If you have applied to our programs within the last two years, it is not necessary to submit new letters of reference and new transcripts unless you have undertaken further academic studies, as we retain all documentation for a two-year period.

*Please note that our GMAT/GRE waiver deadline has been extended from Aug 18 to Oct 8, and final application deadline has been extended from Sep 30 to Oct 8.

Requirements

Minimum 2 years of full-time work experience gained after graduation from a Bachelor's degree

For a competitive edge

7+ years of full-time work experience

Requirements

This is no minimum GMAT/GRE score, but the GMAT/GRE is highly recommended for applicants with non-quantitative educational backgrounds. Our program code is LQS-CP-94.

Applicants with strong quantitative backgrounds may apply for a GMAT waiver.

For a competitive edge

550 GMAT with at least a 50th percentile in the quantitative and verbal sections of the test or at least 155 GRE score on both the verbal and quantitative sections. 

GMAT/GRE waiver eligibility (November 2023 Entry)

To request a GMAT/GRE waiver, applications must be submitted in full including all supporting documents (unofficial documents uploaded to your account) by October 8, 2023.

To be eligible, candidates are required to submit a statement of qualification* and meet one or more of the following requirements: 

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce or Business Administration with a minimum academic average of B+ or equivalent; or
• A Bachelor or Master of Engineering degree (any major) with a minimum academic average of B+ or equivalent; or
• A Bachelor or Master of Science in Mathematics, Statistics, Computational Sciences with a minimum academic average of B+ or equivalent; or
• A Medical Doctor degree / Physician; or
• A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree; or
• CFA Level II Completed

*Statement of Qualification: Please provide a detailed explanation how you are eligible and why you qualify for a GMAT/GRE waiver. Your statement should be 200-250 words in length and clearly demonstrate how you meet the waiver eligibility criteria listed above. The document should be in Word or PDF format and uploaded to the Documents section of your application. If you have any questions about the process of applying for a waiver, please contact us via email at imba@sauder.ubc.ca.

Additional Notes: 

• If a candidate has two or more degrees, at least one degree must meet the minimum academic average requirement listed above.
• LSAT certificates will not be considered.   
• No expired GMAT / GRE scores will be accepted.
• For academic average equivalency per country, please click here. 

Special GMAT/GRE waiver eligibility (November 2023 Entry)

Applicants who submit a complete application including all supporting documents (unofficial documents uploaded to their account) by February 3, 2023 will be eligible for the special GMAT/GRE waiver.

To be eligible for the special GMAT/GRE waiver, applicants are required to submit a statement of qualification and meet the following requirements:

• 8+ years of working experience AND
• A recognized Bachelor's Degree
• Submit the application by February 3, 2023 and submit supporting documents by March 3, 2023

Please note that a GMAT/GRE waiver is not guaranteed as we will review each candidates' eligibility individually on a case-by-case basis. If a waiver cannot be granted, applicants will receive a notification that a GMAT or GRE test will be required for their application to move forward. Kindly note that all supporting documents including test scores (if applicable) are required to be received by UBC Sauder before the document deadline.

Requirements

Applicants must be required to speak, comprehend, and write fluently in English. An approved English proficiency exam is required for all candidates whose degrees are from a university outside Canada or the United States in which English is not the official language of instruction.

Either one of the following:

• Test of English as a Foreign language: TOEFL iBT 80+
  • Program code: 0965
• International English Language Testing System: IELTS Academic 6.5+
  • No code required - please send to UBC
• UBC English Language Institute: UBC ELI 5+
• Canadian Academic English Language Test: CAEL 70 overall band
• Online Canadian Academic English Language Test^ (CAEL Online): 70 overall band

TOEFL offers an internet-based test. Scores arrive 3-6 weeks after test is taken. Scores valid if written within last two years. We accept all valid TOEFL scores, including MyBestScore. If you are submitting MyBestScore, the score needs to be on the official report. 
Read more

IELTS: Admission based on Academic Reading & Writing modules, not General Training. Scores arrive 3 weeks after test is taken. Scores valid if written within last two years. Read more

PTE Academic: Admission based on Academic test only. Scores valid if written within last two years. Forward results to us at imba@sauder.ubc.ca. Read more

PTE Online- Academic: 70
Admission based on Academic test only. Scores valid if written within last two years. Forward results to us at mm@sauder.ubc.ca.

UBC ELI: Read more (for test schedule)

^CAEL Online: The minimum overall band score (70 overall band) accepted by us will be the same as the CAEL CE test format.  Read more

Requirements

The UBC IMBA program does not provide student visa eligibility in China. Applicants are responsible for determining whether they have the necessary visa or residential status to apply and study for the duration of the International MBA program. Without an appropriate visa or residential status, applications to the program may be considered ineligible by the admissions committee.