General Information
Application for admission to the Faculty must be made online. Procedures, policies, and admission requirements to UBC and the Faculty are specified in Admissions.
Admission from Secondary School
Students interested in Science One must, in addition to applying for admission to the Faculty, also submit a formal application directly to the Science One office.
Admissibility is determined on the basis of a number of factors including performance in specific high school courses, the overall academic rigor of the program, evidence of relevant learning and achievements both in and out of school, and other indicators of suitability for the Bachelor of Science program at UBC.
Details are available from the Faculty and you.ubc.ca.
Many students are admitted on the basis of interim grades to ensure that offers of admission meet the needs of both the applicant and the university for timely decision-making. Students who are admitted on interim grades and whose final grades drop below the final competitive admission average may be contacted by the Faculty and required to participate in workshops and peer support programs to facilitate academic success.
Admission as a Post-Secondary Transfer
Students applying to the Faculty of Science by transfer from other post-secondary institutions should note that at least 60 credits (for a Major) or 66 (for Honours) must be earned while registered in the UBC B.Sc. degree (see Requirements to Receive a Degree or Diploma), including at least 30 upper-level Science credits for majors and 42 credits for honours. Further, there are limits on the number of credits that can be attempted and an applicant who has exceeded the limit will not be admitted (see below).
Students who have not completed the Communication Requirement upon admission need to be aware that they will not be eligible for promotion to 4th year class standing without that requirement being completed (see below).
Transfer applicants to Science must also present the required high school academic pre-requisites, as listed in Admission. In some cases, university transferable coursework may satisfy these pre-requisites. Any transfer applicant who did not take Chemistry 11 or Physics 11 or acceptable equivalent from outside of BC must have taken transferable first-year courses as a replacement. These courses are critical to degree progression within the Faculty.
A student with unsatisfactory standing from another post-secondary institution will not be admitted directly. Successful completion of at least 30 credits of university-transferable courses at a recognized post-secondary institution with an average grade that meets the admission requirement set for the year of application is required before the previous unsatisfactory standing will be ignored. An exception may be made for an applicant who meets the normal admission requirements for the Faculty of Science, but was given unsatisfactory standing and is not permitted to continue in the applicant's current program or institution because of failure to follow the prescribed program of study. In such a case, the applicant may appeal to the Undergraduate Admissions Office of Enrolment Services.
Students admitted by transfer will be admitted to the class standing that is appropriate according to the Promotion Requirements and Degree Progression. The Promotion Requirements are based on the number of credits completed (both total and in Science courses), degree of completion of the Lower-Level Requirements, and degree of completion of courses required for the chosen specialization. Because there are degree requirements that must be met with limits of attempted credits, students who have not met those requirements within those limits will not be admitted. For details, see Promotion Requirements and Degree Progression.
An applicant will not be assessed for admission if the transcript shows credit but no grade for any course that is:
- required for an admission evaluation,
- part of the Lower-Level Requirements for the B.Sc., or
- required for a specialization (major, etc.).
That applicant may appeal to their former institution for permission to reveal to the Undergraduate Admissions Office of Enrolment Services at UBC the grade commensurate with their achievement in the course(s). If the applicant is or was a UBC student in another degree program, then the appeal for revealing a grade should be made to the Undergraduate Admissions Office of Enrolment Services, which will consult the Faculty of Science. See Credit/D/Fail Grading for Elective Undergraduate Courses and Credit/D/Fail under Credit at UBC and Elsewhere.
See also Transfer Credit
UBC Langara Indigenous Transfer Partnership (ITP)
The UBC-Langara Aboriginal Transfer Partnership is a collaboration between the University of British Columbia and Langara College offering First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students a clear pathway to a UBC Science degree with potential access to awards and supports to facilitate a successful transition from Langara to UBC’s Vancouver campus.
To be eligible to transfer to UBC through this partnership, students must meet the general requirements for admission as a post-secondary transfer student (above) as well as the following specific requirements:
- Successful completion of at least 30 (and no more than 60) credits transferable to UBC at Langara (within the last four years). For more information, see the ITP website.
For more information, see the ITP website.
Students who do not meet the program’s requirements may be considered for admission as a transfer student and can be considered through UBC’s Aboriginal Admissions Policy.
Transfer from Another UBC Program
UBC students who wish to transfer to the Faculty of Science must follow the procedures, policies, and admission requirements specified in Readmission or Change of Degree Program/Campus.
Students applying for admission from another UBC program are subject to the requirements noted above under Admission as a Post-secondary Transfer.
UBC Vantage College students who pass all courses in any Science stream in the International Program with a competitive average will be offered admission into the B.Sc. degree program. See Admissibility into UBC Degree Programs
Mature Applicants
Science does not accept applicants who fall within the general criteria of Mature Applicant. Preparatory study at a college, in Adult Basic Education and/or introductory university-transfer science courses, depending on the applicant's educational background and time away from formal studies, are required to provide the knowledge and skills for a successful application.
Second Degree Studies
Applicants with a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution may apply to pursue a second bachelor's degree in a discipline distinct from that of the first degree. See Second Degree Studies.
Appeals on Admission Decisions
Please refer to Appeals.