How to Apply

Applications for admission for the 2024/25 academic year are due on January 15, 2024; including the BCS program supplemental application. Visit the UBC admissions webpage for updated information: https://account.you.ubc.ca/s/apply-ubc

To apply to UBC, you'll use the EducationPlannerBC website. Sign up for an EducationPlannerBC account to get started, or log in to your existing account if you already have one.

Apply to UBC at EducationPlannerBC

If you are you a current UBC student graduating in May, or are returning to UBC, you can apply through the UBC Applicant Service Centre  (this will not affect graduation from your current program). 

When completing the online application to UBC, select the Vancouver campus and the Bachelor of Computer Science.

Note well:  You must submit official transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions to UBC Admissions. If you are a current UBC student or UBC graduate, you do not need to submit UBC transcripts, but you MUST submit transcripts from all other post-secondary institutions you've attended.

Application to the CS department 

Please visit https://it.ubc.ca/services/accounts-passwords/campus-wide-login-cwl/how-create-account for instructions on how to create a CWL account under the Student Accounts (CWL Account Upgrader) section.

Once a CWL account is created, the BCS supplemental application can be accessed. The deadline to submit the supplemental application is  January 15, 2024 and you should meet the following criteria:

  1. You must have applied and paid UBC's application fee, or your application to the CS department will not be processed and the fee will not be refunded
  2. Provide your resume
  3. Contact information provided (name, email and phone number for two (2) references. Referees will be contacted to submit references online and references must be received by January 15, 2024.
  4. Pay a $100, non-refundable application fee (Interac, Visa or Mastercard only)
  5. Provide evidence of completion of BC Principles of Mathematics 12 (e.g. BC high school, Pre-calculus Math 12, or equivalent)
  6. Communication requirement, 3 credits (any eligible course from the Faculty of Science’s B.Sc. Communication Requirement) or a degree from a university in which English is the primary language of instruction

Admissions has two phases:

Phase I.  The BCS program reviews applications. You may be contacted for a face-to-face or remote interview (particularly strong candidates may not need to interview). We will then forward a list of successful applicants to UBC Admissions.

Phase 2. UBC Admissions verifies that candidates hold a recognized Bachelor's degree and that they have met all program prerequisites including Math, English, and an appropriate GPA. If you successfully meet all requirements and judgements, you will be admitted to both UBC and the BCS (ICS) program by UBC Admissions.

Please read through the details below to ensure your application arrives on time and receives full consideration.

Details

UBC's official admissions, promotion and program information is available in the BCS Calendar Entry. You must meet the requirements listed there.

BCS Interpretation of Admissions Criteria

UBC evaluates your application to BCS for completion of the minimum requirements listed in the BCS Calendar Entry (e.g., a recognized prior Bachelor's degree or the mathematics and English requirements). UBC also calculates a "30-credit GPA" (effective, UBC-equivalent GPA in the most recent 30 credits of undergraduate coursework) used by BCS admissions. The BCS leadership may also impose additional minima on applications based on recent history of competitiveness and applicant success in the program. If so, these will be listed on the BCS application page.

Beyond that, the BCS program reviews each complete application (including essays, resume, reference letters, and transcripts) according to four broad criteria that are roughly equally weighted:

  1. Suitability of academic background: relative to the needs of the BCS program. By default, this is your 30-credit GPA. We may adjust this on the basis of factors including: grades in highly relevant coursework (especially any introductory computing courses taken); graduate coursework (not normally counted in the 30-credit GPA); excessive computing background (where we generally consider strong work in the equivalent of UBC CPSC 110, 121, and 210 a positive; CPSC 213, 221, and 310 neutral; and additional coursework increasingly negative, because it is too close to a computing degree); and unusually challenging or easy coursework (e.g., we might classify an applicant with a Biological Engineering degree who retakes introductory biology as part of their last 30 credit GPA as unusually easy coursework).
  2. Realistic plan for success: How well you have set yourself up for success in the program. Your grades and coursework (particularly in areas related to computing) also impact this criterion. We consider factors like if you have explored computing on the job or via online coursework. Additionally, we look for evidence you can manage heavy workloads or are transitioning into a new discipline. Here, and in the subsequent criterion, your application will be stronger where you build on a realistic understanding of the program. 
     
  3. Motivation for program: How prepared you are to enthusiastically engage with computing and keep doing so for the duration of a challenging 2-3 year program. You should explain to us why BCS is a good choice for you and why you're a good choice for BCS. We want to understand your excitement for, and commitment to computing, BCS, and UBC, founded through your background. Ideally, your application should back up your enthusiasm with evidence. 
     
  4. Contribution to community: We want to hear how you plan to contribute to your community, the UBC community and computing community through your actions upon attaining your BCS. We also want to hear how you will help create a diverse and vibrant community of students in BCS. Of particular interest is if you have previously contributed strongly and positively to your colleagues and community. We will also consider how you fit into a program that draws ideas and perspectives from a diverse range of backgrounds across many dimensions.

Your GPA has a significant impact on our evaluation of your application, but is far from the only deciding factor.

Resources

Timeline

If you require more information about the application process, please contact bcs-info@cs.ubc.ca.

Katayoon Kasaian (2009 Grad)
For Katayoon Kasaian, perhaps the most exciting thing about the BCS program was the co-op program. She was placed at the Genome Sciences Centre (GSC) at the BC Cancer Agency, working as an annotator for the open source database the agency maintains. “And for me,” she says, “this was magical. It really clicked with me.”
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David He (2006 Grad)
When David He took professor the 314 graphics class, he thought ‘Oh my god, this is what I’m here for! That was the first time in my life when I stayed up for days without sleeping, working on an assignment." The excitement of that discovery propelled David into a co-op placement with Electronic Arts, then considered top in the gaming industry.
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Andrew Ip (2005 Grad)
Andrew Ip had a spotty background with computers prior to entering UBC. “Most of my experience,” he says with a grin, “came through playing computer games.” In high school he had become interested in web development so enrolled in a CS class in the fall of 1999. What ensued ultimately led to his success.
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Elena Kholondyreva
Elena Kholondyreva (2007 Grad)
When Elena Kholondyreva was 10 years old, she had a hankering for a Barbie-styled dollhouse. In her hometown in Belarus, such dollhouses didn’t exist. So, Elena decided to build one. “But it was a house with a difference,” she says laughing. “I wired it with electricity and had a little 10-switch panel that controlled the lighting in all of the rooms. It even had a glowing fireplace made with red lights.”
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Dr. Sohrab Shah
Dr. Sohrab Shah (2008 Grad)
Through largely self-taught work in web design, Sohrab Shah realized there were “some interesting things going on under the hood,” in computer science. Sohrab decided to enroll in UBC CS for a second bachelor’s degree. After researching his options, he decided on UBC’s computer science department. Making this switch proved serendipitous to say the least...
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