Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia is renowned B-school offering admission to Bachelors, Masters, and dual degrees in the field of business and management. The B-school is home to nearly 46% of international students offering popular programs like the Full-time MBA program, International MBA program, Master of Management, and Master of Business Analytics. 

Students willing to pursue higher education from Canada most likely take admissions in Sauder College, due to which the B-school has an extensively selective acceptance rate. For admission, an overall record Is taken into consideration by the B-school including standardized exams in the US, LOR, written essays, and application forms. The college takes approximately 8 weeks to declare admission decisions and later on students are required to fulfill further needs. 

Admission requirements

Meet the requirements

The UBC MBA selection process is rigorous. Candidates are carefully selected against competitive requirements to ensure that you learn from peers who have demonstrated vision, leadership and experience. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and are reviewed holistically. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee you admission into the UBC MBA.

Get details on how to apply and fees & expenses.

Want to obtain a preview of your applicant journey with UBC Sauder? See a step-by-step guide to the admissions process. 

Academic achievement

Requirements

• Three or four-year Bachelor’s degree with a B+ average, or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution*.
• Mail transcripts, degree certificates and translations
  Applicants who have completed their degrees at UBC will not need to send transcripts in.

 *Three-year degrees are accepted for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. If your country or region is not listed here, email us for clarification. 

Applicants who have previously completed an MBA program will not be able to apply to the UBC MBA. For further inquiries, please email us before starting an application.

About transcripts

Official transcripts must be arranged to be sent to

Robert H. Lee Graduate School
UBC Sauder School of Business
137-2053 Main Mall
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2
CANADA

If your university does not produce more official copies of your transcript, photocopy your transcript, and have the university stamp it with the official stamp. Mail it in a sealed, endorse envelope, with the Registrar’s signature or University stamp across the seal.

To expedite the admissions process, students can scan and upload their unofficial documents to the application portal for evaluation. However, official documentation will be required for final admission and it must be received by the document deadline. 

If you have applied to our programs within the last two years, it is not necessary to submit new letters of reference and new transcripts unless you have undertaken further academic studies, as we retain all documentation for a two-year period.

Learn more about submitting official documents

GMAT/GRE

Requirements

Either one of the following:

• 550 GMAT with at least a 50th percentile in the quantitative and verbal sections of the test
• 155 GRE score on both the verbal and quantitative sections

For a competitive edge

• 650 GMAT OR 320+ GRE score on combined verbal and quantitative section

About GMAT/ GRE scores

Students must arrange to have your scores (either GMAT or GRE) sent to us directly from the testing service organization, using the following codes.

GMAT: LQS-CP-02
GRE: 0965 (UBC) or 4201 (Department)

Scores are only accepted within the last five years. They are not considered official until you receive them from the GMAC or GRE office.

Waiver eligibility (August 2022 Entry)

GMAT/GRE waivers are only available for international applicants until October 5, 2021,  and for domestic applicants until January 6, 2022. Applications must be submitted in full including a statement of qualification* and all supporting documents (unofficial transcripts, degree certificates and official English test score, if applicable, uploaded to your account ).

To be eligible, candidates are required to meet one or more of the following requirements:

• A master’s degree with a minimum academic average of B+ or equivalent, combined with a bachelor’s degree being at least one of those a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) degree
  • For non-STEM degrees, a minimum of four quantitative courses is also required
• A UBC bachelor’s or master’s degree in STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics) or Commerce with a minimum academic average in the B+ range (76% at UBC)
  • For UBC non-STEM/Commerce degrees, a minimum of four quantitative courses is also required
• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum academic average of B+ or equivalent and a Level III CFA Exam
• A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree

* Statement of Qualification : In one page or less, please explain how you are eligible and why you deserve a GMAT/GRE waiver. The document should be in Word or PDF format and uploaded to the documents section of your application.

Additional Notes:

• If a candidate has two or more degrees, at least one degree must meet the minimum academic average requirement listed above.
• CPA certificates will not be considered.
• LSAT certificates will not be considered.
• No expired GMAT / GRE scores will be accepted.
• For academic average equivalency per country, please click here .

While completing your application form, under the Official Standardized Tests section, please fill in the following if you are requesting a GMAT/GRE waiver:

• Test taken: GMAT
• Date to be written: December 31, 2022

GMAT/GRE waivers are not guaranteed and approvals are made on a case-by-case basis. If a waiver cannot be granted, applicants will receive a notification that a GMAT or GRE test will be required for their application to move forward.

English proficiency

Requirements

Applicants must be able to speak, comprehend, and write fluently in English. An English proficiency exam is required for all candidates whose degrees are from a university outside Canada or the U.S.A. in which English was not the official language of instruction.

At the latest, scores will take up to 6 weeks – ensure you provide yourself with ample time from the deadline to write the test. You must arrange to have your scores sent to us directly from the testing service organization. 

Students may demonstrate proficiency by submitting scores from IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) and the IELTS Indicator test.

Either one of the following:

• Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL) or TOEFL Home Edition: 100, Print: 600, Computer: 250. Test Code: 0965
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) / IELTS Indicator* – Academic: 7.0 overall band
• Person Test of English (PTE) – Academic: 70
• Canadian Academic English Language Test (CAEL): 70 overall band
• Online Canadian Academic English Language Test^ (CAEL Online): 70 overall band

TOEFL offers computer, internet & paper-based tests, all of which are acceptable. Scores arrive 3-6 weeks after test is taken. Scores valid if written within last two years. We accept all valid TOEFL scores, including MyBestScore. If you are submitting MyBestScore, the score needs to be on the official report. 
Read more

TOEFL Home Edition:  This option is available for students who are unable to take the TOEFL iBT test at a test center due to public health concerns. The test is offered everywhere that TOEFL iBT testing is normally available, except Mainland China and Iran. Read more

IELTS: Admission based on Academic Reading & Writing modules, not General Training. Scores arrive 3 weeks after test is taken. Scores valid if written within last two years.Read more

*IELTS Indicator: The institution requires an overall IELTS Indicator band score of 7.0 and no IELTS Indicator score lower than 7.0. Our institution name is UBC Sauder School of Business. Read more

PTE Academic: Admission based on Academic test only. Scores valid if written within last two years. Forward results to us at mba@sauder.ubc.ca. Read more

^CAEL Online: The minimum overall band score (70 overall band) accepted by us will be the same as the CAEL CE test format.  Read more

Professional experience

Requirements

Minimum two years of full-time work experience gained after graduation from your Bachelor’s degree.

For a competitive edge

• At least 3 to 5 years of full-time work experience.
• Two references are required for all UBC MBA applicants. You will provide us with their email addresses through the application, and we will contact them by email. 
• Professional references are preferred, and must fill out the reference form online. Separate letters are not accepted.

*If you have applied to our programs within the last two years, it is not necessary to submit new letters of reference and new transcripts unless you have undertaken further academic studies, as we retain all documentation for a two-year period.

Maturity, motivation & fit

We assess your managerial and leadership potential, maturity, ambition and drive, through your essay questions, resume, professional references and interview.

Academic prep

The fast pace of the UBC MBA program necessitates that all students have a foundational proficiency in Quantitative Methods and familiarity with Statistics and Economics. To aid in ensuring that you have adequate knowledge in the above subjects, as well as relevant skills in Microsoft Excel and professional writing, a variety of online tutorials and resources to review has been compiled for admitted students.

How to apply

We have a rigorous selection process to find the right type of candidate that is best suited for the UBC MBA program.