British Columbia has five of the top universities in Canada: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia, and Royal Roads University. These institutes offer strong award winning faculty for research and teaching, the highest quality facilities available in the world, and excellent technological support for teaching and learning.

Variety and Quality

BC’s Universities offer a variety of excellent programs for international students including a wide range of undergraduate courses, executive training and MBAs, and graduate degrees in a variety of disciplines. Both UBC and Uvic have English Language Institutes which cater specifically to the needs of second language learners. SFU offers an English Bridge program to assist those whose first language is not English in their transition to regular studies.

All of our Universities are fully accredited by the provincial government and active in international exchange, international project work, and developing links to institutions overseas.

UNIVERSITIES

University of British Columbia

This is the province’s largest university and one of Canada’s premier institutions. In the ninety years since it was incorporated, UBC has achieved a world-wide reputation for outstanding scholarship and research. With 33,000 students, it is the third largest university in Canada.

UBC offers USL, undergraduate, post-graduate, and professional programs within 12 faculties and 10 schools. The university’s magnificent campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean a short distance from downtown Vancouver, one of the world’s most liveable cities. UBC has on-campus residences, cafeterias and Student Union Building, an excellent recreation and sports complex, over 200 student clubs, and the most extensive intramural sports program in Canada. Orientation programs are provided for international students by the UBC International House.

Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University is consistently ranked as one of the top three comprehensive universities in Canada, and has been ranked first for the last two consecutive years. With more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students, SFU is large enough to offer more than 120 programs, but small enough to make each student feel welcome. SFU’s main Burnaby campus is in a spectacular setting on top of Burnaby Mountain, framed by mountains and the Pacific Ocean and situated just 16 kilometres from Vancouver city centre.

SFU offers a year-round trimester system, wide ranging cooperative education and interdisciplinary programs, distance education courses, and an extensive network of micro-computing facilities. There are five faculties: Applied Science, Arts, Business Administration, Education, and Science. All offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

On-campus residences, cafeterias, and Student Union Building are part of the SFU campus. There are excellent sports facilities and many student clubs with an intramural sports program.

University of Victoria

The University of Victoria is located on the beautiful West Coast of Canada in the city of Victoria, and is regularly ranked as one of the top comprehensive Universities in Canada. As a medium-sized university, Uvic combines the best attributes of both small and large institutions: relatively small classes with a great variety of programmes, students, and faculty. The university has approximately 15,000 full and part-time undergraduate students with almost 500 of those students coming from overseas.

The university has seven faculties: Arts and Science, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Graduate Studies, Human and Social Development, and Law. The 381 acre campus offers student residences, outstanding recreational facilities, and a Student Union Building. There are over 70 clubs on campus covering a wide spectrum of interests including athletic, cultural, and intellectual pursuits.

University of Northern British Columbia

The University of Northern British Columbia campus is set atop Cranbrook Hill overlooking the city of Prince George and the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The campus itself is just a few minutes drive from downtown Prince George and UNBC’s size, location, and youth allow for a close knit community with excellent teaching staff, as well as being supported by the latest technology.

Opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on August 17, 1994, 239 students graduated in May 1997 including 33 with Master’s Degrees. UNBC has strong international linkages to the Circumpolar North and the Asia Pacific; has received $7.29 million in research funding in 1996/97 for 135 projects; has had over $500,000 in funding awarded for projects in the Russian North since 1995; and has had two UNBC faculty members named British Columbia Professor of the Year for 1997 and BC Forester of the Year for 1997.

UNBC has an energetic, dynamic faculty; is a small university with many opportunities for campus involvement. On-campus residences are available, there is an office dedicated to international student orientation and activities, and there is easy access to outdoor recreational pursuits.

Royal Roads University

Royal Roads University is located just minutes from downtown Victoria on a 640 acre campus which includes mature natural forests, fabulous gardens, waterfront access, and stunning views of the glacier capped Olympic mountains across the strait of Juan de Fuca.

Royal Roads University is unique, as no other post-secondary institution in Canada has the unusual combination of qualities that it has to offer:

• an emphasis on attracting mid-career professionals in need of retraining, as well as those entering the workforce for the first time;
• unprecedented partnerships with industry, government, and other post-secondary institutions that ensure students receive the best available education and training relevant to today’s world;
• flexible, market driven curriculum that attracts students from around the world;
• students with 2 years of post-secondary may be able to complete their undergraduate degree in only 12 months of intensive study;
• graduate programs consist of 2 five-week on-campus residency periods followed by the use of distance learning technologies.

Royal Roads is a small student-centred University that can offer personal attention to each and every student. There are on-campus residences available, as well as sports and recreation facilities.

Conclusion

The quality of education and support services available to international students at British Columbia’s five Universities is second to none in the world. Each University is unique and has a great deal to offer students in the areas of education, support, extra-curricular activities, and learning environment. This, combined with a relatively inexpensive Canadian dollar, also makes British Columbia’s Universities affordable for international students.

Contact

The British Columbia Centre for International Education 6^th Floor, 1483 Douglas St., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3K4.

Tel: (250) 978-4242 - Fax: (250) 878-4249
e-mail: bccie@bccie.bc.ca
Web Site: http://www.bccie.bc.ca

This article first appeared in TransWorld Education