University of british columbia tuition fees for international students

Paying Your Fees

Students pay their fees online through the Student Service Centre.  All graduate students are responsible for keeping up-to-date in paying tuition and student fees until the completion of their program.  Students who have an outstanding balance due on their fee account will encounter difficulties:

• interest accrues on outstanding balances, adding to the amount owed
• students are placed on "financial hold", restricting the ability to register in courses
• a student cannot obtain official transcripts or a degree certificate with an outstanding fee balance

If you encounter financial difficulty during your studies, discuss this issue with your graduate supervisor and make an appointment at Student Financial Aid and Awards as soon as possible.

Graduate Tuition Fees

Tuition at UBC is one of the lowest in Canada and lower than most international universities. More...

Graduate Student Fees

All UBC students pay mandatory fees related to student facilities, student governments, the UPASS transit pass and health insurance.  More...

Cost of Living

Anticipating and managing your living expenses is an important part of student success.  More...

For most programs, graduate tuition is assessed as an annual program fee, which is divided into three equal installments due at the beginning of academic terms starting in September, January and May.  This fee is the same regardless of how many course credits the student is registered in.

Some graduate programs charge tuition on a per-credit basis, such as online or professional programs.

Current tuition fees for all graduate programs can be found in the Graduate Degree Program listing and the UBC Calendar online:

• Master's Tuition Fees
• Doctoral Tuition Fees

Domestic vs International

For the purpose of tuition charges, the classification between domestic and international students is based on citizenship/permanent residency.

• Domestic: Canadian citizens or permanent residents (as well as refugees and diplomats)
• International: all applicants without Canadian citizenship or permanent residency in Canada (landed immigrants), including US citizens, are international students.

If you hold multiple citizenships and one of these is Canadian, you will be a domestic student.

Full-time tuition fees (Schedule A)

All graduate students (except those in some online programs) are assessed full-time tuition fees (Schedule A), unless they apply for part-time status (Schedule B) at the beginning of their program.  Doctoral students must pay tuition based on Schedule A.

Part-time tuition fees for master's students (Schedule B)

In some programs, master's students have the option of pursuing the degree through part-time study. The expected academic workload of students classified as part-time is determined by the graduate program. Master's students classified as part-time are assessed tuition fees according to Schedule B.

Students who wish to be classified as part-time must obtain approval from their graduate program advisor and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies prior to the beginning of the first term of the program.

Students classified as part-time are advised that:

• they are not eligible to receive interest-free status government loans, University fellowships or scholarships;
• they are not eligible for teaching assistantships, research assistantships, student housing, or assigned desk space at the University; and
• the five-year maximum time allowed for the masters program also applies to part-time students.

Students who pay tuition fees according to Schedule B are not permitted to revert back to Schedule A after the initial payment of the tuition fees in the first term of the program.

Part-Time Tuition Fees for Doctoral Students (Schedule C)

Effective for students beginning their programs as of September 2018 or later, doctoral students in some programs will have the option of pursuing the degree through part-time study. Doctoral students classified as part-time are assessed tuition fees according to Schedule B. Further information about part-time doctoral classification is available under Student Status and Classification.

Continuing tuition fees

Each graduate program has a minimum number of tuition installments required, according to either Schedule A or B (see listings in Calendar).  After the minimum number of installments has been paid, the student pays three more installments of regular fees, and then fees are reduced to "continuing" tuition installments for the remaining duration of the student's normal time eligibility in the program (five years for master's, six years for doctoral).

Extension tuition fees

If a student is granted an extension of time eligibility in their graduate program, "extension" tuition installments are assessed for the duration of the time allowed on extension. See listings in Calendar.

Senior Citizens

BC residents who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents aged 65 years or over during the session in which they are registered are not assessed application, tuition, or student fees. The Distance Education administrative fee and some special fees may be assessed. Fees will be assessed to senior citizens for programs in areas such as Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Nursing, or any faculty or school where existing facilities and resources are limited.

Tuition Increases

All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date.