Admissions & finance

Minimum Academic Requirements for Graduate Studies

Further information on requirements for graduate students from other countries is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies web site and the University Calendar web site.

Grading systems differ widely between countries. We recommend that applicants have academic backgrounds within the general requirements listed below to ensure a reasonable chance of gaining admission to graduate studies at the Master's level.

Canada and USA: A four year Bachelor's degree with an overall B+ standing in third and fourth year level courses prescribed by the department concerned as prerequisite to the Master's program. From Quebec, a three year Bachelor's degree is acceptable provided the Diplome d'Etudes Collegiales has been previously awarded.

Denmark, Norway, and Sweden: The minimum qualification is the Candidatus, Sivilingenor or Hogskolexmen or equivalent.

France (and other schools modeled after the French system):Diplome or Maitrise; or title Ingenieur with at least overall "Bien" standing. Applicants should arrange for the submission of official releve de notes showing all courses and grades/mentions for each year of study to be sent directly by the home university to UBC.

Germany: Hauptdiplom, Magister Artium or Staatsexamen with at least overall "Gut" standing. Applicants should arrange for the submission of all examination records, Seminarscheine, and diplom certificates to be sent directly by the home university to UBC.

India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh: BEng., BSc (Eng), BTech, BSc (Nurs), BArch, or a Master's degree in a non-engineering field is required for eligibility to UBC's Masters' programs. All degrees must be awarded with First Class/Division standing. Applicants must arrange for the submission of certified copies of detailed mark sheets and degree certificates to be sent to UBC in envelopes sealed and endorsed by the issuing institution.

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan: A four year Bachelor's degree with an overall B+ average.

Mexico: Licenciado/Licenciatura or Titulo (professional title) requiring at least four years of study with an overall 8/10 or "Bien" standing. Applicants must arrange for the submission of original language transcripts and degree certificates, and English translations of these, to be sent directly from the home university.

New Zealand and Australia: Honours or Bachelor's degree requiring four years of study with an overall minimum standing of Second Class, Upper Division.

People's Republic of China: A four year Bachelor's degree with an overall "B+" average (85% or better). Applicants must arrange for the submission of official transcripts in Chinese and certified (literal) translations to be sent directly from the home university to UBC. Official proof of degree conferral is required in the form of Chinese and certified English degree certificates.

Philippines: Must complete both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in all disciplines with First Class standing or 1.50 (reversed scale).

United Kingdom (and other Commonwealth countries whose system follow that of the UK): Honours Bachelor's degree with at least Upper Class standing. Official statements from the University Registrar indicating program of study, courses taken, and grades achieved are required. An attested copy of the degree certificate showing class and division of degree awarded must also be submitted.

To expedite the admissions review process, you can upload a scanned copy (PDF format) of the OFFICIAL transcripts and degree certificates for each post-secondary institution that you have attended (including exchange programs).  We can then use the scanned copies of the official transcripts to review your file.   

If the official transcript has information written on the back of the document (for example, a marking key), please upload a scanned copy of the back of the transcript.  We also need to receive the information written on the back of the official transcript.

Official transcripts and degree certificates issued in a language other than English must also be accompanied by a certified English translation.  Information about the translation of transcripts can be found here.

Applicants who have been offered admission to our PhD program will be required to submit all the official transcripts and degree certificates in sealed envelopes that have been endorsed by the issuing universities.  Further instructions regarding the delivery of the official transcripts and degree certificates will be given to the admitted applicants at the time of admission. 

If it takes a long time for the issuing institution to generate another set of official transcripts and degree certificates (and certified translations if required), it is strongly recommended that you order extra official transcripts and degree certificates (and certified translations if required) in sealed official envelopes in advance.  You will need to open one official set to scan the official documents.  In the event that we ask you to send in the official documents, you will be able to send the other set of sealed official documents immediately.

Applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation supporting their application. We prefer that recommendations be written by people who know the demands of rigorous, research-oriented MSc program and can comment confidently on the applicant's ability to complete the program successfully as well his or her potential as a researcher. This usually means that referees are academics familiar with the applicant's scholastic and research potential. Where applicants have been away from an academic environment for an extended period of time, non-academic references may be substituted. In this case, care should be taken to emphasize to the referee that the applicant's academic research potential, rather than managerial or teaching capability, is of primary interest to the Admissions Committee. 

Referees will be able to submit e-references.  The applicant must enter each referee's e-mail address on the online application form.  Please note that for referees, we are not able to able to accept free e-mail accounts such as those with Gmail or Yahoo email addresses.  After you have submitted the online application form, the referees will be asked to submit their reference using a secure link.  They can use the online reference form or they can choose to upload a reference letter.

If the referee prefers not to use the e-reference system, the referee must mail the original signed (in ink) reference letter in a sealed envelope that has been endorsed (signed) by the referee.  The original signed reference must be mailed to:

MSc Program
Robert H. Lee Graduate School
Sauder School of Business
137-2053 Main Mall, Vancouver BC Canada V6T 1Z2

All applicants are strongly encouraged to take the GMAT or GRE no later than early December.

The GMAT or GRE is mandatory for all applicants and files will not be evaluated before the official GMAT or GRE score has been received. We will not accept photocopies or faxed score reports. GMAT and GRE scores are valid if written within the last five years.

Official GMAT scores must be sent to our MSc program. Please ask them to send the official GMAT scores to the UBC Sauder School of Business MSc Program (please note that our program is located in Vancouver, Canada). Official GRE scores should be sent to UBC.

The institution code for UBC is 0965.

Applicants from a university outside of Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to the PhD Program are:

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): minimum score of 100 (internet version) or 250 (computer version) or 600 (paper version).

UBC requires an official score to be sent to us electronically directly from the test centre/ETS.

On the TOEFL score request form you will be asked to specify the receiving institutions where you would like the results being sent to. To ensure UBC receives your results correctly, you have to use the following details:

• In the electronic score request form in your ETS manager, use institution code 0965 and pick "Graduate Organization" in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
• If you use a paper request form, use institution code 0965 and institution name "University of British Columbia".
• Both electronic and paper form ask for a department name/code. Either pick the value of an appropriate fit to your study area or 99 for other.
• If you are asked to give a reason for taking the TOEFL test then select/enter: "to enter a college or university as a graduate student"

IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing Service): minimum overall band score of 7.0 with no other component score less than 6.5. 

UBC requires an official score to be sent to us electronically from the test centre.

On the IELTS application form you will be asked to specify institutions where you would like the results being sent to. To ensure UBC receives your results correctly, you have to use the following details on the application:

• Name and address of college / institution / university: University of British Columbia - Graduate School Admissions
• Address: 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2, Canada

MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): minimum overall score of 84.  Please arrange to have the official scores sent from the testing agency to PhD Program.

Because of the rigorous nature of the doctoral program, a student cannot expect to develop significant skills at the same time courses are being taken. English proficiency is necessary.