You are reading the 2024/25 Academic Calendar. The 2023/24 version remains in effect until August 31, 2024 and is available here.

Applicants with International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement Courses

UBC recognizes these advanced secondary school programs for admission and for transfer credit.

Program requirements listed in Program Requirements for Canadian Secondary School Applicants will be applied to applicants, as appropriate, for the IB or AP curriculum presented for admission.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Students

For students who complete the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, admission to the University will require a minimum of 24 points including bonus points. Due to limited enrolment, a higher score will be required for admission to most programs.

A minimum final grade of "3" in IB English A1 or A2 (Standard or Higher Level) is required for all programs.

IB Diploma students are required to complete all courses that are part of their IB Diploma. All courses will be considered as part of the overall assessment. UBC will focus on all IB HL and SL subject areas that fall into course categories relevant to the applicant’s intended area of study to form the core assessment. It is encouraged, but not necessary, to take IB courses to the HL level in subject areas related to the intended area of study. Ab Initio language courses and grades will be used in the overall and core assessments for students completing the full IB diploma.

International Baccalaureate Certificate Students

International Baccalaureate certificate courses may be combined with an approved high school credential for the purpose of admission.

For students who present International Baccalaureate certificate courses, the admission average will be calculated on the higher of either the official IB final score or the final school grade. In those cases where an IB score is not available at the time of admission selection, the course grade will be used.

The grade conversion scale that will be used to determine admission based on official IB results is as follows. Note that the equivalences are based upon whether the IB course is presented at the Standard Level (SL) or the Higher Level (HL). Also, special notation is made to recognize students who take IB Math Higher Level.

 

IB SL Grade IB HL Grade IB HL Math Grade % Equivalent
-- -- 7 100
-- 7 6 98
7 6 5 96
6 5 4 90
5 4 3 86
4 3 -- 76
3 -- -- 70

International Baccalaureate Transfer Credit

Credit for equivalent first-year UBC courses will be awarded to students who achieve a grade of at least 5 in Higher Level IB Arts courses and 6 in Higher Level IB Science courses. Select Standard Level IB courses may also be awarded credit. Details are provided at you.ubc First Year Credit page.

Advanced Placement Students

Advanced Placement (AP) courses may be combined with an approved high school credential for the purpose of admission.

For students who present Advanced Placement courses, the admission average will be calculated on the higher of either the final AP exam score or the final school grade. In those cases where an AP examination grade is not available at the time of admission selection, the course grade will be used.

The grade conversion scale that will be used to determine admission based on official AP results is as follows:

 

AP Grade % Equivalent
5 96
4 86
3 80
2 70

Advanced Placement Transfer Credit

Credit for equivalent first-year UBC courses will be awarded to students who achieve a grade of 4 or better on the appropriate AP course. Details are available at you.ubc First Year Credit page.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Courses Approved to Satisfy Pre-requisites

Grade 12 Course Advanced Placement Course International Baccalaureate Course (Standard or Higher-Level)
Biology 12 Biology Biology
Chemistry 12 General Chemistry Chemistry
English 12 English Language and Composition English Language A
Physics 12 Physics (B or C) Physics
Principles of Mathematics 121   Mathematics2

1 One of AP Calculus (AB or BC) or the UBC-SFU-UVIC-UNBC Calculus Examination Certificate may be used as an elective course (in addition to Principles of Mathematics 12).

2 IB Math Studies does not satisfy the pre-requisite of Principles of Mathematics 12.

 


UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Pencil A pencil indicating that this is editable. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.