Unclassified studies

Enrolment at UBC’s Okanagan campus as an Unclassified student is intended for those students who have a previous university degree and want to enrol in courses not intended to lead to a particular UBC degree or diploma. Enrolment can be full- or part-time and can include a wide variety of courses. All courses are credit courses and will appear on your official UBC transcript.

Eligibility

  • You meet the English language requirement.
  • You have completed a bachelor degree from a recognized institution.
  • You can provide a final official transcript showing your degree conferral.

Senior citizens 65 years of age and older can apply through Senior Access Studies.

Cost

All students who are accepted into Unclassified Studies will be assessed an application fee and will be required to pay an acceptance deposit upon successful admission.
Tuition fees for UBC students are assessed on a per-credit basis and depend on the level of the course and the faculty in which it is offered.

Most undergraduate courses are three credits (one term) or six credits (two terms) in value, although there are exceptions. The Workday course schedule will detail the credit value of a course. Students studying at UBC’s Okanagan Campus are assessed student fees in addition to their tuition.

Most student fees are assessed on a per-credit basis, so depending on how many credits you are taking, the total amount of student fees owing will fluctuate.

Visit the Academic Calendar for the most up to date fees and policies.
Expect to pay about $100–$150 for course materials, per course, available through the UBC Bookstore.

Application

Course start date Application deadline
May (Summer Session Term 1 or 2) March 15
September (Winter Session Term 1) July 15
January (Winter Session Term 2) November 15

UBC Alumni:

UBC alumni do not need to submit an application or pay an application fee for unclassified eligibility; it is granted upon request. The above application deadlines do not apply.

Email your request for Unclassified eligibility to recreginquiry.ubco@ubc.ca, after your degree is conferred, including your:

  • Full name
  • UBC student number
  • Date of birth
  • Current home address
  • Citizenship status
  • Dates you attended UBC
  • Intended start date
  • Campus preference (Vancouver or Okanagan)

If you have applied for graduation and want to register in courses:

Applying for graduation blocks future registration under your current program of study. If you want to enrol in courses after completing your program, you can enrol as an Unclassified student following the instructions above for UBC Alumni.

If you’re new to UBC:

If you wish to take on-campus courses, please apply to be an Unclassified student by following the steps below:

Step one:

Ensure that you meet the English Language Requirement.

Step two:

Visit the Course Schedule to view the courses offered and choose the course(s) that you are interested in taking.

Step three:

Apply through Education Planner BC:

  • Create an Education Planner BC account online
  • Fill in your personal information, contact information, and academic history
  • Click “Start Applying” and select the University of British Columbia
  • In the UBC application, select the appropriate Admission Category based on your academic history
  • Select “UBC Okanagan” and “Unclassified Studies” under First Program Choice.

Step four:

UBC Admissions will email you with a confirmation of your application and your next steps.

Step five:

After completing your application, email any additional and required documents to non.degree@ubc.ca.

If you have previously been admitted to and registered in courses at UBC:

As a student record has already been established in the UBC system with your information, please email non.degree@ubc.ca with the following details to begin your admission process:

Under subject line use Non-Degree Studies – Unclassified Student

In your email, include the following:

  • Full name
  • UBC student number, if available
  • Date of birth
  • Your Non-Degree Category, which is “Unclassified”
  • Intended start date
  • Campus preference (Vancouver or Okanagan)

What else do I need to know?

  • Depending on the time of year, it may take several weeks for your documents to reach our office and be processed.
  • Admission as an Unclassified student does not guarantee entrance to the courses requested or subsequent admission to a degree program at UBC.
  • Non-Degree students are not eligible for Credit/D/F grading. You may consider auditing courses.