The University of British Columbia (UBC) is apublicresearch university with campuses nearVancouver andKelowna, inBritish Columbia, Canada. With an annual research budget of $893million, UBC funds 9,992 projects annually in various fields of study within the industrial sector, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations.[9]
The University shall... provide for Such instruction in all branches of liberal education as may enable students to become proficient in... science, commerce, arts, literature, law, medicine, and all other branches of knowledge
— An Act to Establish and Incorporate a University for the Province of British Columbia,Acts of 1908, Chapter 53[16]
In 1877, six years after British Columbia joinedCanada, the Superintendent of Education,John Jessop, submitted a proposal to form a provincial university. The provincial legislature passedAn Act Respecting the University of British Columbia in 1890, but disagreements arose over whether to build the university onVancouver Island or the mainland.[17]
TheBritish Columbia University Act of 1908 formally called a provincial university into being, although its location was not specified.[18] The governance was modelled on the ProvincialUniversity of Toronto Act of 1906, which created abicameral system of university government consisting of a senate (faculty) responsible for academic policy and a board of governors (citizens) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the two bodies and to perform institutional leadership.[18] The Act constituted a 21-member senate withFrancis Carter-Cotton of Vancouver as chancellor.[19]
Henry Marshall Tory set up the college in 1906
Before the University Act, there were several attempts at creating a degree-granting university with help from the universities ofToronto andMcGill. Columbia College inNew Westminster, through its affiliation withVictoria College of the University of Toronto, began to offer university-level credit at the turn of the century, but McGill came to dominate higher education in the early 1900s.[20]
Original 1914 plan of the UBC campus, by architects Sharp and Thompson
Building on a successful affiliation between Vancouver and Victoria high schools with McGill University,Henry Marshall Tory[21] helped establish the McGill University College of British Columbia. From 1906 to 1915, McGill BC (as it was called) operated as a private institution, providing the first few years toward a degree at McGill University or elsewhere. The Henry Marshall Tory Medal was established in 1941.[22]
In the meantime, appeals were made to the government to revive the earlier legislation for a provincial institution, leading to the University Endowment Act in 1907[23] and the University Act in 1908. In 1910, the Point Grey site was chosen, and the government appointed Dr.Frank Fairchild Wesbrook as President in 1913 andLeonard Klinck as Dean of Agriculture in 1914. A declining economy and the outbreak of war in August 1914 compelled the university to postpone plans for building at Point Grey, and instead the former McGill University College site atFairview became home to the university until 1925.[20] On the first day of lectures, September 30, 1915, the new independent university absorbed McGill University College. The University of British Columbia awarded its first degrees in 1916, and Klinck became the second president in 1919, serving until 1944.
View of the UBC Fairview campus from the roof of King Edward High School (c. 1917) (Vancouver, British Columbia) (photo by Canadian Photo Co.)
In 1917,Evlyn Fenwick Farris became the first woman in Canada to be appointed to the board of governors of a university— a founding governor of UBC.[24] She was also the first woman to be appointed to the UBC Senate.[25] Active in its formation, the University Women's Club of Vancouver considered UBC its "godchild".[25]
World War I dominated campus life and the student body was "decimated" by enlistments for active service, with three hundred male UBC students in Company "D" alone. By the war's end, 697 male members of the university had enlisted. 109 students graduated in the three war-time congregations, all but one in the Faculty of Arts and Science.[20]
By 1920, the university had only three faculties: Arts, Applied Science, and Agriculture (with the Departments ofAgronomy,Animal Husbandry,Dairying, Horticulture, and Poultry). It only awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (BA),Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) and Bachelor of Science in agriculture (BSA).[26] There were 576 male students and 386 female students in the 1920–21 winter session, but only 64 academic staff, including 6 women.[27]
In the early part of the 20th century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law, and medicine. Although UBC did not offer degrees in these fields, it began to offer degrees in new professional areas such as engineering, agriculture, nursing, and school teaching. It also introduced graduate training based on the German-inspired American model of specialized course work and the completion of a research thesis, with students completing M.A. degrees in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.[18]
By 1922, the student body numbered over 1200 and embarked on a "Build the University" campaign. Students marched through the streets ofVancouver to draw attention to their plight, enlist popular support, and embarrass the government in what is now known as "The Great Trek".[28][29] Fifty-six thousand signatures were presented at the legislature in support of the campaign, which was ultimately successful. On September 22, 1925, lectures began at the new Point Grey campus. Except for the library, science, and Power House buildings, all the campus buildings were temporary buildings. Students built two playing fields, but the university had no dormitories and no social center. However, the university continued to grow.
Soon, however, the effects of thedepression began to be felt. Theprovincial government, upon which the university depended heavily, cut the annual grant severely. In 1932–33, salaries were cut by up to 23%. Posts remained vacant, and a few faculty lost their jobs. Most graduate courses were dropped. In 1935, the university established the Department of Extension. Just as things began to improve,World War II began, and Canada declared war on September 10, 1939. Soon afterwards, University President Klinck wrote:
' From the day of the declaration of war, the University has been prepared to put at the disposal of the Government all possible assistance by way of laboratories, equipment and trained personnel, insofar as such action is consistent with the maintenance of reasonably efficient instructional standards. To do less would be unthinkable. '[17]
Heavy rains and melting snowfall eroded a deep ravine across the north end of the campus, in the Grand Campus Washout of 1935. The campus did not havestorm drains andsurface runoff went down a ravine to the beach. When the university carved a ditch to drain flooding on University Avenue, the rush of water steepened the ravine and eroded it back as fast as 10 feet (3.0 m) per hour. The resulting gully eventually consumed 100,000 cubic yards (76,455 m3), two bridges and buildings nearGraham House. The university was closed for four and a half days. Afterwards, the gully was filled with debris from a nearby landslide, and only traces are visible today.[30]
Military training on the campus became popular and was later made mandatory. WWII marked the first provision of money from thefederal government to the university for research purposes. This laid a foundation for future research grants from the federal government of Canada.
By the end of World War II, Point Grey's facilities could not meet the influx of veterans returning to their studies. The university needed new staff, courses, faculties and buildings for teaching and accommodation. The student population rose from 2,974 in 1944–45 to 9,374 in 1947–48. SurplusArmy andAir Force camps were used for both classrooms and accommodations. The university took over fifteen complete camps during the 1945–46 session, with a sixteenth camp onLittle Mountain, in Vancouver, converted into suites for married students. Most of the camps were dismantled and carried by barge or truck to the university, where the huts were scattered across the campus.
Student numbers hit 9,374 in 1948; more than 53% of the students werewar veterans in 1947–67. Between 1947 and 1951, the university built twenty new permanent buildings. Those included the War Memorial Gym, which was built with money raised primarily by the students and dedicated on October 26, 1951.[31][32]
In the 1961–62 academic year, the university had an enrolment of 12,602 students, including 798 graduate students.[33] The next year, the single-University policy in the West was changed as existing colleges of the provincial Universities gained autonomy as Universities – theUniversity of Victoria was established in 1963.[18]
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau announced the creation of theMuseum of Anthropology at UBC on July 1, 1971. At a construction cost of $2.5million the museum building, designed byArthur Erickson, opened in 1976.[33] That same year, the university launched a normal school program under the direction ofSally Rogow to train educators on methods to teach students with multiple disabilities or who were visually impaired.[34]
In 1993, UBC concluded its "World of Opportunity" capital campaign that started in 1988. In total the university raised $262 million for the campaign. An additional $72 million in "non-campaign fundraising" was also raised.[36] During the administration of President Strangway, UBC abandoned its previous design and planning process and private donors started to have more influence on building design.[37]
In 2015, UBC concluded its "Start an Evolution" capital campaign. The campaign's quiet phase started in April 2008 and it launched publicly in September 2011. The initial goal was to raise $1.5 billion. The campaign surpassed that goal and raised $1.624 billion.[38]
UBC's 15th president was ProfessorSanta J. Ono. He assumed the presidency on August 15, 2016. He served previously as the 28th president of theUniversity of Cincinnati. Dr.Martha Piper – who served as the 11th president of the university – served as interim president from September 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, following the resignation of Dr.Arvind Gupta.
In early May 2020, UBC announced it would be holding a virtual graduation for the class of 2020 amid concerns over theCOVID-19 pandemic.[39] The university received $419,248 from theGovernment of Canada to promote uptake ofCOVID-19 vaccines among public health leaders, community figures,Indigenous peoples and leadership in municipal government.[40]
The main campus is located atPoint Grey, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from downtown Vancouver. It lies on forcefully taken territory of theMusqueam people.[41][42][43][44] It is near several beaches and has views of theNorth Shore Mountains. The 7.63-square-kilometre (1,890-acre)Pacific Spirit Regional Park serves as a green-belt between the campus and the city. Buildings on the Vancouver campus occupy 1.09 million m2 (11.7 million sq ft) gross on 1.7 square kilometres (420 acres) of maintained land. The campus street plan is mostly in a grid of malls (some of which are pedestrian-only). Lower Mall and West Mall are in the southwestern part of the peninsula, with Main, East and Wesbrook Malls northeast of them.
The campus is not within Vancouver's city limits and therefore UBC is policed by theRCMP rather than theVancouver Police Department. However, theVancouver Fire Department provides service to UBC under a contract. In addition to UBC RCMP, there is also the UBC Campus Security that patrols the campus. Postage sent to any building on campus includes Vancouver in the address.
The Iona Building, built in 1927, is currently home to the UBC Vancouver School of Economics. It previously housed theVancouver School of Theology.
The campus is home to numerous gardens. TheUBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, the first UBC department, holds a collection of over 8000 different kinds of plants used for research, conservation and education. The UBC botanical garden's original site was at the "Old Arboretum". All that remains of it today are trees planted in 1916 byJohn Davidson. The old arboretum is now home to many buildings including the First Nations House of Learning. TheNitobe Memorial Garden, built to honor Japanese scholarInazo Nitobe,features a fully functionalJapanese tea house called Ichibō-an, surrounded by an outerroji tea garden with a waiting bench, and an inner garden.. The garden is behind the university's Asian Centre, which was built using steel girders fromJapan's exhibit atOsaka Expo.[45]
The campus also features theChan Centre for the Performing Arts: a performing arts center containing theChan Shun Concert Hall, Telus Studio Theatre and the Royal Bank Cinema. It is often the site of convocation ceremonies and the filming location for the4400 Center on the television showThe 4400,[46] as well as the Madacorp entrance set onKyle XY.[47] It has also been featured as the Cloud 9 Ballroom in the re-imaginedBattlestar Galactica (Season 1, Episode 11:Colonial Day).[48]
Since the mid-1980s UBC has worked with property developers to build several large residential developments throughout UBC's campus. Such developments include: Chancellor Place, Hampton Place, Hawthorn Place and Wesbrook Village.[49]
The campus had a 2019 enrolment of 10,708[54] undergraduate and graduate students and has its own academic Senate.[55] UBC Okanagan offers 62 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs in a diversity of disciplines including Arts, Science, Fine Arts, Engineering, Nursing, Human Kinetics, Education, Management, Social Work and Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies. UBC's Faculty of Medicine delivers medical doctor training through the Southern Medical Program[56] with facilities at UBC Okanagan and a clinical academic campus atKelowna General Hospital.
From 2005 through 2012, the Okanagan campus completed a $450million expansion with construction of several residential, teaching and research buildings. The expansion included the Charles E. Fipke Centre for Innovative Research, University Centre, the Engineering Management and Education building, the Arts and Sciences Centre, Reichwald Health Sciences Centre and several new student residence buildings. The Commons building was opened in 2019 as an expansion to the Library building.[57] Two additional student housing facilities, Skeena and Nechako, opened in 2020 and 2021 respectively.[58]
In 2010, UBC Okanagan campus grew from 105 ha. to 208.6 ha.[59] Like the Point Grey campus, the Okanagan campus attracts Canadian and international students.
UBC Okanagan is currently expanding its campus to downtown Kelowna. Construction on the 43 storey downtown campus building was approved in August 2023[60] and is expected to be completed by 2027.[61] Eight storeys will be used as academic space for health programs, as the campus will be in close proximity toInterior Health offices andKelowna General Hospital. The building will also include public engagement spaces, an art gallery, cafes, retailers and 473 rental housing units.[62]
The UBC Library, which has 7.8million volumes, 2.1million e-books, more than 370,000 e-journals and more than 700,000 items in locally produced digital collections, is Canada's second-largest academic library.[63] From 2014 to 2015, there were more than 3.8million on-campus visits and over 9.5million visits to its website.[64]
The library has fifteen branches and divisions across the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan campuses.[63]
The former Main Library underwent construction and was renamed theIrving K. Barber Learning Centre. Opened in April 2008, the Learning Centre incorporates the centre heritage block of the old Main Library with two new expansion wings and features anautomated storage and retrieval system (ASRS), the first of its kind in Canada.[65]
UBC has a number of different collections that have been donated and acquired. Major GeneralVictor Odlum CB, CMG, DSO, VD donated his library of 10,000 books, which has been housed in "the Rockwoods Centre Library" of the UBC Library since 1963. After Videomatica's 2011 closure, UBC and SFU acquired their $1.7-million collection. UBC received about 28,000 movie DVDs, 4,000 VHS titles and 900 Blu-ray discs which are housed at UBC Library's Koerner branch on the Vancouver campus.[66] In 2014, renowned art collector and antiques specialist, Uno Langmann, donated the Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. Photographs,[67] which consists of more than 18,000 rare and unique early photographs from the 1850s to the 1970s. It is considered the premiere private collection of early provincial photos and an important illustrated history of early photographic methods. In 2016, the library acquired one of the world's most rare and extraordinary books, theKelmscottChaucer from 1896. The book was printed in a limited edition of only 438 copies, but there are only 48 copies in the world with its particular type of binding.[68]
TheMorris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at UBC is mandated to research, exhibit, collect, publish, educate and develop programs in the field of contemporary art and in contemporary approaches to the practice of art history and criticism. The Belkin maintains and manages the university's art collection of over 5,000 objects, including the Outdoor Art Collection and an archive of over 30,000 items. Works from the permanent collection and archives, with an emphasis on recent acquisitions, are exhibited on an annual basis and are also used by other institutions for research and loans. The Belkin has an active publication program and participates in programming that includes lectures, tours, concerts and symposia related to art history, criticism and curating.[69]
The University of British Columbia CIRS building is designed to be net positive in four environmental aspects.[70] It uses energy obtained from the Earth and Ocean Sciences (EOSC) Building to heat itself, which wastes around 900 megawatts due to ten air changes every hour.[71] The building's wood holds nearly 600 tons of carbon, offsetting more carbon than its construction and maintenance created.[72] Sustainable features include a water supply sourced entirely from rainwater, an on-site sewage treatment facility converting waste into reusable water and compost, and the use of wood from pine beetle-killed trees, minimizing the need for logging.[70]
The building relies primarily on solar energy for electricity, and all areas use natural lighting during the day.[70] These green technologies and sustainable operating practices reduce the building's ecological footprint and enhance the well-being of its occupants.
For over 20 years, UBC has implemented water consumption policies through two initiatives, ECOTrek and UBC Renew. ECOTrek is Canada's largest sustainability project, which involved a massivewater andenergy-saving initiative, rebuilding almost 300 academic buildings at UBC. This project achieved a World Clean Energy nomination.[73] The water management aspect included updates totoilets,urinals, basins, and water-cooled equipment, along with the installation of steam and water meters to monitor and quantify water consumption across campus.
The UBC Renew project focuses on renovating aging institutional buildings instead of demolishing and constructing new ones. Demolition can have significant environmental impacts, such as soil pollution, increased air pollutants, and higher water consumption. Renovating old buildings helps save large volumes of water and reduces energy costs.[74]
The university retrofitted its facilities withcomposting toilets; however, these did not function correctly.[75] As of 2019, UBC consumed about four billion liters of water a year, which could fill 1,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools.[76]
Beyond the UBC sustainability team, a student-driven initiative is taking place in making a bottled-water free campus in hopes of reducingbottled water on campus and to encourage students to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors. Production of bottled water puts strain on the environment and increases landfill space. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature 2001 report, about 1.5million tons of plastic is used for bottling 89billion liters of water each year.[77]
The Walter C. Koerner Library and president's office, designed by UBC alumnusArthur Erickson
UBC's administration, as mandated by the University Act, is composed of a chancellor, convocation, board, senate and faculties of the university.[78] The board of governors, which is primarily appointed by theprovincial government, manages property and financial affairs, while the senate manages the university's academic matters. Both include faculty and students who are elected. Degrees and diplomas are conferred by the convocation, which is composed of alumni, administrators and faculty, with a quorum of twenty members. The president of the university is the university's chief executive officer and a member of the senate, board of governors, convocation and also serves as vice chancellor.
Buchanan Tower, home to the offices of various departments in the Faculty of Arts, such as English, History, French, Hispanic and Italian Studies, and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice.Aerial view of the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC
UBC's academic activity is organized into "faculties" and "schools".[79] UBC has twelve faculties at its Vancouver campus and seven at its Okanagan campus.[80] At the Vancouver campus, the Faculty of Arts, which dates back to the 1915 Fairview Campus, is the largest faculty with twenty departments and schools. With the split of the Faculty of Arts and Science in 1964, the Faculty of Science is the second largest faculty with nine departments. TheSauder School of Business is UBC's Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration. The School of Architecture offers a program accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board at the bachelor level (B.Arch.) and the master's level (M.Arch.).[81] As of December 2012[update], a new school was created:UBC Vancouver School of Economics in conjunction with the Sauder School of Business.[82][83][84] The university's first inter-faculty school, the School of Biomedical Engineering, was established in 2017 as a partnership between the Faculties of Applied Science and Medicine.[85]
In 2014, UBC created a new "International Programs" designation separate from the traditional definition of a faculty. To accompany this designation, the university created Vantage College to allow international students who do not meet the English language requirements for general admission to enter the university's transition program.[86]
The dual degree program is a highly selective program in which undergraduate students earn two Bachelor of Arts degrees from bothSciences Po inFrance and UBC in four years. Previously, students could earn one Bachelor of Arts and one Bachelor of Commerce (Sauder School of Business); however, this program was discontinued with the last student intake occurring in September 2017. Currently, students in the dual degree program can only earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from UBC, along with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sciences Po, which can both be in different majors pertaining to the social sciences. Students spend two years at one of three Sciences Po regional campuses in France (Le Havre,Menton, orReims), each of which is devoted to a particular region of the world. After two years, students matriculate at UBC. Graduates are guaranteed admission to a Sciences Po graduate program within one-year of graduation.[87]
The University of British Columbia has ranked in a number ofpost-secondary rankings. In the 2022Academic Ranking of World Universities rankings, the university ranked 44th in the world and second in Canada.[88] The 2026QS World University Rankings ranked the University 40th in the world and third in Canada.[89] The 2024Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked the University 41st in the world and second in Canada.[90] In the 2022–23U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking, the university ranked 35th in the world and second in Canada.[93] The Canadian-basedMaclean's magazine ranked the University of British Columbia third in their 2023 Canadian Medical Doctoral University category and in their 2023 reputation survey.[94][95] The university was ranked in spite of having opted out – along with several other universities in Canada – of participating inMaclean's graduate survey since 2006.[96] InNewsweek's 2011 global university rankings, the university was ranked eighth among institutions outside the United States and second in Canada (after theUniversity of Toronto).[97]
Along with academic and research-based rankings, the university has also been ranked by publications that evaluate the employment prospects of its graduates. In theTimes Higher Education's 2022 global employability ranking, the university ranked 36th in the world and third in Canada.[92]
The mean admission average during the 2023–24 school year for domestic first-year students was 89–91 per cent.[99] The acceptance rate for domestic applications in 2025 was 50.4 per cent, of which 57.1 per cent enrolled.[100] In 2014/15, UBC employed 3,270 full-timeFaculty members, 10,942 non-faculty members and 8,031 students. It reported 871 unpaid employees.
University of British Columbia has a total of 72,585 students across both campuses. International students, amounting to 20,237, make up 28% of the university's student population. There are 2,303 indigenous students, making up 3.2% of the student population.[101]
The University of British Columbia is a member ofUniversitas 21, an international association of research-led institutions and the only Canadian member of theAssociation of Pacific Rim Universities, a consortium of 42 leading research universities in thePacific Rim.[102][103] In 2017, the University of British Columbia had the second-largest sponsored research income (external sources of funding) out of any Canadian university, totallingC$577 million.[104] In the same year, the university's faculty averaged a sponsored research income of $249,900, the eighth highest in the country, while graduate students averaged a sponsored research income of $55,200.[104]
The university operates and manages several research centers:
In 1972, a consortium of the University of British Columbia and four other universities from Alberta and British Columbia established theBamfield Marine Sciences Centre. Located on Vancouver Island, the center provides year-round research facilities and technical assistance for biologists, ecologists and oceanographers.[107]
TheUBC Farm is a 24-hectare (59-acre) learning and research farm in UBC's South Campus area. It features Saturday Farm Markets from early June until early October, selling organic produce and eggs to the community.
TRIUMF, a laboratory specializing inparticle andnuclear physics, is also situated at the university. The name was formerly an acronym for Tri-University Meson Facility, but TRIUMF is now owned and operated by a consortium of eleven Canadian universities. The consortium runs TRIUMF through a contribution of funds from theNational Research Council of Canada and makes TRIUMF's facilities available to Canadian scientists and to scientists from around the world.[108]
BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and UBC have establishedProfessorships in Cannabis Science in 2018 following Canada'slegalization of cannabis.[109]
The Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions is a research institute for the teaching and study of innovation in democratic practice and institutions. Established in 2002, the center conducts research and teaching in cooperation with scholars, public officials, NGOs and students.[110] The center is formally housed in the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) and operates in association with faculty in the UBC Department of Political Science.[111] It was initially funded from the Merilees Chair through a donation by Gail andStephen Jarislowsky.[112]
In 2017, UBC inked a $3 million research agreement withHuawei for big data and fuel cell technology. The university refused to release the agreement without an access to information request.[113]
UBC's Longhouse is the university's centre forIndigenous activities. The university has an associate dean of Indigenous Education and has developed a governing board and senate policies as well as Aboriginal governed councils within the university structure.[114] UBC offers degrees in First Nations and Indigenous Studies through a program in the Arts Faculty,[115] and a Chinook Diploma Program in the Sauder School of Business;[116] it also runs the Chinook Summer Biz Camp, to foster entrepreneurship among First Nations and Métis high school students. It hosts a Bridge Through Sport Program, Summer Science Program, Native Youth Program and Cedar Day Camp and After school Program. Its First Nations Forestry Initiatives were developed in partnership with specific Aboriginal communities to meet their needs in their more remote areas.[citation needed]
In 2024–25, UBC's budget exceeded $3.8billion and the university posted balanced financial results.[117] Government grants account for approximately 40 per cent of total revenues, and student tuition approximately 41 per cent.
Tuition fees vary significantly between Canadian citizens (and permanent residents) and international students. In addition, for both undergraduate and graduate programs, tuition rates vary among the university's faculties. Students must also pay for various living expenses such as housing, food and health care. As of the 2012–2013 school year[update], these expenses were estimated at around $13,000 CAD per academic year.[118][119][120]
UBC tuition for 2024 was $6,079.20 before adding other mandatory administrative fees for a Canadian student in a basic 30-unit program, though there is some variation in this figure. Tuition for international students is significantly higher (8–9 times higher than domestic students). In 2024, tuition for international students ranged from $49,548.40 CAD to $64,651.30 CAD.[121]
In 2001–02, UBC had one of the lowest undergraduate tuition rates in Canada, at an average of $2,181 CAD per year for a full-time program due to a government-instituted tuition freeze.
In 2001, the BC Liberal party defeated the NDP in British Columbia and lifted the tuition freeze. In 2002–03 undergraduate and graduate tuition rose by an average of 30% and up to 40% in some faculties. This has led to better facilities, but also tostudent unrest and contributed to a teaching assistantunion strike.
UBC again increased tuition by 30% in the 2003–04 year, again by approximately 15% in the 2004–05 season and 2% in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 years. Increases were lower than expected because, in the 2005Speech from the Throne, the government announced tuition increases would be capped to inflation.[122] In 2006–07, the Canadian average undergraduate tuition fee was $4,347 and the BC average was $4,960.[123] In 2014, the board of governors passed a one-time 10% tuition increase for all new incoming international students.[124] In December 2015, UBC's board of governors passed a motion increasing international tuition by more than 46.8% for the academic years 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–2019. This announcement was met with indignation by many of the university's students as this was the second major increase in international tuition in less than a year, taking total international student tuition fee increases to above 60% within 4 years (minimum international tuition will be bench marked at $35,071 CAD in the year 2018–19).[125]
In the academic year 2019/2020, graduate programs assess tuition fees that vary significantly, depending on the program and the student's citizenship.[126][127] AllPhD students, though, are guaranteed a minimum funding package of $24,000 a year for four years, though policies differ again by program.[128]
TheAlma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia, or AMS, represents UBC undergraduate students within the Vancouver campus. The society's mandate is to improve the quality of educational, social and personal lives of UBC students. The AMS lobbies the UBC administration on behalf of the student body, provides services such as the AMS/GSS Health and Dental Plan, supports and administers student clubs and maintains the Student Union Building, known as the Nest, and the services it houses. A constituency (undergraduate society) exists within each school and faculty of the university and acts as the subsidiary of the AMS within those schools and faculties.
The Graduate Student Society (GSS), which operates as an independent entity, represents graduate students. A council representing each graduate program and an executive elected by graduate students as a whole governs the GSS.[129]
The university also has elected student representatives sitting on, as voting members, the board of governors (three student representatives) and the academic senate (18 student representatives),[130] as laid out in the British Columbia University Act.[131] Although the university is the official body that elects the students, the university delegates these representative elections to the AMS.
On the Okanagan Campus, the Students' Union Okanagan, or UBCSUO, is the elected representation of the student body. Composed of a board of directors and executive team, the UBCSUO lobbies the administration and provincial government on behalf of the student body, manages the student health and dental plan, as well as hosts social programming throughout the year. The Student Union Offices are located within the University Centre Building. In the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the SUO initiated the Emergency Bursary Program which supported UBC students with nearly $1,000,000 in emergency funding.[132]
The new Student Union Building, which opened in 2015The interior of the new Student Union Building contains a "bird's nest" where students may relax and study.
The heart of student activity at UBC Vancouver is the centrally located Student Union Building, generally called the AMS Student Nest, or simply "the Nest".[134] Opened on June 1, 2015, The Nest, built for $107 million, is much larger than its predecessor, and has numerous amenities including a performance centre, an art exhibition space ("Hatch Art Gallery"), a large ballroom, a three-storey climbing wall, radio broadcast facilities, a daycare, shops and food outlets, a pub ("The Gallery"), a nightclub (“The Pit”), and a 10,740 square foot rooftop garden and public space with a water feature and outdoor seating.[135][136][137][138] Connected to the Nest via underground tunnel in the adjacent Student Life Building, the 425-seat Norman Bouchard Memorial Theatre ("The Norm Theatre") is also run by the student union.[139]
Exterior of the main UBC Bookstore.
Other student facilities on campus include the Ladha Science Student Centre (funded through a donation from Abdul Ladha, a levy on Science undergraduate students, the VP Students and the dean of Science) and the Arts Student Center. The UBC Bookstore's two locations on the Vancouver campus: the main store at 6200 University Boulevard and a store atSauder School of Business join the stores at the Okanagan and Robson Square Campuses in offering a variety of products and services. The bookstores return a dividend to UBC each year, which is re-invested in the campus or in student and community organizations.[140]
UBC's 19 Greek organizations make up Canada's largest and most activeGreek system. The Alma Mater Society recognizes an Inter Fraternal Council (IFC) as a club and weekly meetings of the fraternities under IFC take place at their respective fraternity houses. There are eleven fraternities on campus, the first of which wasZeta Psi, in January 1926.
UBC was ranked eighth among Canada's topparty schools by the websiteAsk Men.[141]
The UBC Point Grey campus has a resident population of about 10,041 students[142] who live in anunincorporated area, outside theCity of Vancouver known asElectoral Area A within and partly administered byMetro Vancouver.[143] Neighbouring theUniversity Endowment Lands, on-campus residential services are provided by theProvince of BC and by UBC. Emergency Planning is administered byMetro Vancouver. Because UBC is not in a municipality, there is no mayor, council, or other democratic municipal representation for on-campus residents, although residents can vote for the director ofElectoral Area A.[144] British Columbia's Residential Tenancy Act does not protect UBC residents because university accommodations for students and employees are exempt.[145]
As of the 2017–2018 school year[update], there are threedormitory style residences on campus, primarily for first and second-year students: Totem Park, Place Vanier and Orchard Commons.[146]
Students also have suite-style residence options on the Point Grey campus. TheGage Towers consist of three 17-floor towers.[147]
Orchard Commons, Braeburn House
Brock Commons Tallwood House opened in 2017, becoming the tallest mass timber building in the world.[148][149] Brock Commons South building finished completion and became open for students in June 2024.[150]
The University of British Columbia's sports teams are called theThunderbirds. The Thunderbirds participate in theU SportsCanada West Universities Athletic Association for most varsity sports. However, several varsity teams at UBC compete in theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Around 2007–2008[update], UBC considered joining theNCAA Division II.[151][152] With a long history of competing in sports, the Thunderbirds have garnered a number of championships. In particular, the women swimmers who had represented UBC had brought back 22 conference championships and 16 national championships.[153]
Indoor climbing at the Student Union Building.
The University of British Columbia has a number of athletic facilities open to both their varsity teams as well as to their students. The stadium with the largest seating capacity at UBC is the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is home to the varsity ice hockey teams and was also used as a venue for the2010 Winter Olympics.[154] Other facilities at UBC includeThunderbird Stadium, home to the university's football and soccer varsity teams, UBC Aquatic Centre, home to the university's swimming teams, the War Memorial Gymnasium, home to the university's basketball and volleyball varsity teams and Thunderbird Park, home to the university's many other outdoor varsity teams.[155]
The university has also had a long history of sending a number of students to represent their countries at the Olympics. Since having its first athlete sent to the Olympics in 1928, a total of 231 individuals from UBC have represented their respective countries at the Olympics. The total number of individual medals athletes from UBC had won was 61, with 19 gold, 21 silver and 24 bronze. The majority of these medals won had come from the sport of rowing.[156]
UBC's marching band, the Thunderbird Marching Band, was founded in September 2012 and is entirely student-run. The band performs at variousThunderbirds football, basketball, rugby and hockey games, as well as other campus events. It is the only university-level marching band in Western Canada.[157]
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such ascommencement andconvocation and athletic games are: "Hail, U.B.C" with words and music by Harold King, "High on Olympus" with words by D. C. Morton and music by J. C. F. Haeffner.[158] and "Hail, UBC!" (2009) with words and music by Steve Chatman.[159]
A small number of large-scale, campus-wide events occur annually at UBC which are organized by university institutions, the AMS and student constituencies of various faculties and departments.
The UBC Engineering Cairn, a chamfered tetrahedral concrete block with a large red "E" on each of its three sides, shown here in its unvandalized state. Painting the cairn is a favourite hobby of student clubs and rival faculties.
Several traditional athletic events take place at UBC every year. Storm the Wall is anintramural relay race put on by UBC Recreation in April, with a course consisting of swimming, biking, and running legs culminating in the climbing of a 12-foot (3.7 m) wall.[160] Day of the Longboat is anintramural event put on at the end of September/early October by UBC Recreation. It is a major voyageur canoe race with teams competing in a 2km paddle around the waters of Jericho Sailing Centre.[161]
Faculty constituencies, such as the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) and Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), hold events annually. Many of the major constituencies, such as for Arts, Science and Engineering, hold their own faculty weeks to celebrate their faculties. The events may include keynote speeches, merchandise sales and dances. Arts County Fair was an annual concert and party on the last day of classes in April, put on by the AUS and occurring at Thunderbird Stadium. Past headliners have includedSam Roberts,The New Pornographers andMetric.[162] Due to increasing financial difficulties (mostly resulting from mounting security and related costs) the AUS announced they would not continue the event in 2008.[163] In its place, the Alma Mater Society of UBC hosted the AMS Block Party to celebrate the end of classes, featuring headliners such asSteve Aoki.[164]
During the Spring exam season, the Ski & Board Club organizes the Undie Run, a charity event that encourages people to donate their clothes to the Big Brothers & Sisters organization in Vancouver.[165] Students meet at the Student Union Building, remove the clothes they are going to donate and then run around campus in their underwear. Students run through places like the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and Place Vanier Residence before ending at the Martha Piper Plaza fountain.
To celebrate the beginning of classes, UBC Orientations organizes several events for first-year students, such as Imagine UBC, GALA and UBC Jump Start. Imagine UBC is an orientation day andpep rally for first-year undergraduate students that replaces the first day of class after Labour Day at UBC Vancouver.[166]
The UBC EngineeringCairn is one of three cairns on campus, and is commonly repainted by students with various messages ranging from the humorous to the commemorative.[167][168]
In March 2012, UBC was the partner Host University of theHarvard World Model United Nations Conference (WorldMUN 2012 Vancouver). As the world's largest student-organized Model UN conference, this was also the largest student conference to have ever been organized by UBC and the largest student conference on Canadian soil.[169][170] There were 2,200 student delegates and nearly 200 faculty advisors from 270 universities from over 60 countries. The organizing committee amassed over 500 student volunteers from across the UBC campus and the local student community to execute the week-long event.
Bjarni Tryggvason B.ASc 1972, Icelandic-Canadian astronaut and academic who participated inNASA missionSTS-85.
Throughout UBC's history, faculty, alumni and former students have played prominent roles in many different fields. Many UBC alumni and faculty have gone on to win awards including eightNobel Prizes and 74Rhodes Scholarships.[80][178]
Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activistDavid Suzuki was a professor in UBC's genetics department from 1963 until his retirement in 2001.
Coat of arms of the University of British Columbia
Notes
Granted September 23, 1915, by Garter Principal King of Arms.[212]
Escutcheon
Argent three bars wavy Azure issuant from the base a demi-sun in splendour Proper on a chief Azure an open book Proper edged and buckled Or inscribed in letters Proper TUUM EST, meaning "It Is Yours".[213]
^Williams, M. Y. (Winter 1966)."The Grand Campus Washout"(PDF).UBC Alumni Chronicle.20 (4):9–11.Archived(PDF) from the original on July 3, 2007. RetrievedDecember 24, 2006. Includes several contemporary photos of the Washout.
^abPound, Richard W. (2005).Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates. Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
^Tuttle, Dean; Tuttle, Naomi (2011)."Sally Rogow".APH. Louisville, Kentucky: American Printing House for the Blind. Archived fromthe original on August 21, 2016. RetrievedOctober 17, 2017.
^"Education". November 21, 2014.Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. RetrievedJuly 3, 2015.
^"UBC 10 Year Finance Plan"(PDF).VP Finance, University of British Columbia. September 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on December 12, 2013. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2015.
^"ECONomics update"(PDF).Vancouver School of Economics at University of British Columbia. 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on April 25, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2015.
William A. Bruneau,A Matter of Identities: A History of the UBC Faculty Association, 1920–1990. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Faculty Association, 1990.
Eric Damer and Herbert Rosengarten.UBC: The First 100 Years. Vancouver: Friesens, 2009.
Michiel Horn."Under the Gaze of George Vancouver: The University of British Columbia and the Provincial Government, 1913–1939." BC Studies 83 (Autumn 1989).
William C. GibsonWesbrook & His University (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press)
Sheldon GoldfarbThe Hundred-Year Trek: A History of Student Life at UBC. Victoria: Heritage House, 2017.
H. T. Logan,Tuum Est: A History of the University of British Columbia. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1958.
Wayne Skene. "UBC: a Portrait." Vancouver: Tribute Books, 2003.
Lee Stewart."It's Up to You": Women at UBC in the Early Years. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1990.
George Woodcock & Tim Fitzharris.The University of British Columbia – A Souvenir. (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1986).
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