Introduction

The University of British Columbia is a public institution located in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The university was established in 1908 and opened in 1915. It has two main campuses – the Vancouver campus and the Okanagan campus located in Kelowna. The Vancouver campus is the larger of the two, accommodating more than 85 percent of UBC students. In a recent year, 23 percent of students at the Vancouver campus and around 13 percent at the Okanagan campus were international. Tuition costs at UBC vary by degree program and are higher for international students. University housing is guaranteed for first-year UBC undergraduates, and newly admitted international students who are second-year undergrads receive housing priority too. Housing is also available for returning undergraduate and graduate students.

The Vancouver campus offers more than two dozen academic divisions, while the Okanagan campus has eight. The academic calendars for both campuses include two-term winter and summer sessions, although the summer session is optional. The primary language of instruction at UBC is English. First-year international students can opt to enroll in the Vantage One program at UBC's Vantage College, which aims to help students improve their English, in part by stretching their first year of study from eight to 11 months. Following completion, students transition into the second year of their UBC degree program. Examples of UBC research facilities include Canada’s national TRIUMF subatomic physics laboratory, the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm and the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention.