How to Apply to Commerce at UBC: Direct Entry to the Sauder Bachelor of Commerce and a Commerce-Specific Personal Profile, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus, commerce is taught by the UBC Sauder School of Business, and the degree is the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom): four years, with an optional co-op and no honours option. Unlike UBC’s Arts and Science degrees, you apply to Commerce directly from high school, and both grades and your personal profile count. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on UBC’s admissions website and the Vancouver Academic Calendar, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC students and international students in Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Program structure: common foundation first, option in third year

• First year: principles of economics (ECON 101/102), calculus (MATH 100) and introductory commerce courses, 30 credits in total.
• Second year: core courses in accounting, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behaviour and more.
• Option from third year: ten specializations: Accounting, Business Technology Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance, General Business Management, Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management, Marketing, Operations and Logistics, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, and Real Estate; plus optional concentrations in Business Analytics, Business Law, International Business, and Sustainability and Social Impact.
• Other combinations: the Business and Computer Science combined major and the Bachelor + Master of Management dual degree have their own requirements.
• Okanagan campus (Kelowna) also offers a Bachelor of Commerce through its Faculty of Management, which you can list as your second choice.

2. How admission works: grades plus a broad-based review

• The Calendar says Sauder uses Broad-Based Admission, considering academic performance and other qualities, and every applicant must submit the B.Com. Personal Profile. Enrolment is limited, so the average needed is higher than UBC’s published minimum, and meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission.
• Students with strong standing in their final year of high school may be admitted on interim grades.
• Personal profile: every UBC high school applicant writes one, with answers of 500–2,100 characters (about 50–500 words), plus two referees (for current high school students, one must be a school official such as a counsellor or teacher). UBC contacts referees directly after offers go out. Commerce adds two questions:
  • explain how you responded to a problem or unfamiliar situation: what you did, the outcome and what you learned;
  • how you are positively impacting your community and how you plan to use your UBC Sauder experience to enhance those efforts.
  UBC assesses profiles on engagement and accomplishment, leadership, substance and voice.

3. Students at Canadian high schools

• British Columbia:
  • required: English Studies 12 (or English First Peoples 12) and Pre-Calculus 12; no specific Grade 11 courses;
  • at least 70% in Grade 11 or 12 English; at least six Grade 12 courses are recommended;
  • UBC considers all academic Grade 11 and 12 grades, paying special attention to courses related to Commerce. Suggested areas are language arts, mathematics and computation (chemistry and physics count here), and selected social studies such as economics, ethics, geography, law and psychology.
• Ontario: ENG4U and MHF4U (Advanced Functions).
• Sending grades: BC grades go directly from the Ministry of Education; Canadian applicants outside BC and Ontario upload spring transcripts between March 1 and 15, 2027.
• Fee status: international students at Canadian high schools pay international tuition but are assessed on their provincial curriculum.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Graduation: a university-preparatory senior secondary program, with your upper middle school transcript and CSSD-verified Huikao (academic proficiency test) and Gaokao results.
• Gaokao: at least the provincial Tier 1 university cut-off. If you are not writing the Gaokao, submit at least three AP exams in distinct subjects with competitive results.
• Subject requirement: three years of upper middle school math (pre-calculus).
• Average: grades needed vary by degree and year; UBC’s past reference is an 84% average on China’s 60%-pass scale. Commerce is competitive, so admitted students usually present more.
• International curricula: IB students need the full Diploma with at least three HL courses; Commerce requires IB Math Analysis and Approaches (SL or HL) or Math Applications and Interpretations HL. Math AI SL and Math Studies are not accepted.

5. English requirements

• There are nine ways to meet UBC’s English standard, such as four consecutive years of full-time study in English in an English-speaking country other than Canada, or at an English-medium international school in a non-English-speaking country.
• Test scores (single sitting, from January 1, 2025 onwards):
  • IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0;
  • TOEFL iBT 90 overall (Reading and Listening 22, Writing and Speaking 21), or 4.5 on the new scale;
  • Duolingo 125 overall.
• English documents are due February 15, 2027.

6. Timeline

• Early October 2026: application opens.
• November 15, 2026: international students applying for the International Scholars Program submit the UBC application and award application. It requires a school nomination and a review of family finances.
• December 1, 2026: deadline for Canadian citizens and permanent residents applying for awards such as the Presidential Scholars Awards.
• January 15, 2027: application deadline.
• November 2026 to June 2027: decisions for high school applicants on a continuous basis.
• March 15, 2027: document deadline for high school applicants from outside Canada.
• March to April 2027: entrance awards such as International Major Entrance Scholarships announced; International Scholars awards in April.
• May 1 or June 1, 2027: accept your offer and pay the deposit, as shown in your admission letter.

7. Tuition and awards

• Tuition: UBC’s first-year cost estimator lists international tuition for Commerce (Vancouver) at CAD 66,678, plus about CAD 1,663 in student fees and CAD 1,700 for books and supplies (the estimator does not state the year; check the current tuition notice).
• International Scholars Program: based on financial need and merit, requires a school nomination, apply by November 15.
• International students not applying to that program are automatically considered for merit awards such as the International Major Entrance Scholarship once admitted.

8. Co-op

• Sauder Co-op is optional; students apply in September of second or third year. Selection is based on academic performance and workplace suitability, enrolment depends on available placements, and admission does not guarantee a placement.
• At least three work terms are required, including one in Term 1 or Term 2 of the Winter Session. Co-op typically adds two terms to the degree, and program fees apply.

9. Transfer students

• Transfers enter second or third year only, including students moving from other UBC faculties, and they submit the Commerce personal profile.
• Second year: at least 24 transferable credits, including ECON 101 and 102 and MATH 100 (or equivalents).
• Third year: at least 48 transferable credits, including COMM 190, 191 and 192, ECON 101 and 102, MATH 100, and four of COMM 203, 204, 205, 293, 294, 295, 296 and 298 (or equivalents).
• Grades: a GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4-point scale to be considered, which does not guarantee admission.
• Credit limit: transfer credit can cover at most 50% of degree requirements; upper-level commerce core and option core courses must be taken in the UBC BCom.
• Students with a business degree or many business courses are not eligible.
• BC college students can check course equivalents in the BC Transfer Guide.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• First choice Commerce (Vancouver); consider Commerce (Okanagan) as a second choice
• Three years of senior math including pre-calculus; Gaokao at the provincial Tier 1 cut-off, or three or more AP exams
• Personal profile (with the two Commerce questions) and two referees
• IELTS 6.5 (6.0 each), TOEFL 90 or Duolingo 125 by February 15
• For the International Scholars Program, apply and arrange your school nomination by November 15

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• English Studies 12 (at least 70% in English) and Pre-Calculus 12
• Apply by January 15 and take the personal profile seriously

Transfer students:

• Second year: 24 credits including ECON 101, 102 and MATH 100; third year: 48 credits including the listed commerce courses
• GPA of at least 2.50, plus the Commerce personal profile

Sources: UBC, Commerce (Vancouver); Commerce (Okanagan); Personal profile; Dates and deadlines; English language competency; Transfer students; First-year cost; International Scholars; Awards for international students; Calendar: B.Com. admission; Calendar: degree requirements; Calendar: co-operative education. Information is for September 2027 entry (2027/28 Winter Session). Check UBC for the latest details.