The BIE program has a broad-based admission policy that incorporates a number of factors including performance in specific high school courses, evidence of relevant learning and achievements both in and out of school, and other indicators of suitability for the program. The BIE curriculum emphasizes international aspects of economics and thus will admit an internationally diverse cohort of students, with admissions balanced between domestic and international applicants.
B.C. Secondary School Applicants (or equivalent)
Applicants must satisfy University admission requirements and B.I.E. admission requirements. The average used in admission considerations for the B.I.E. will be calculated using grades from English 12 (or equivalent) and one of Principles of Mathematics 12 or Pre-Calculus 12 or their equivalent and two other approved Grade 12 courses.
Math Requirement: Admitted applicants must take either MATH 104, 184 or another first-year calculus course in the first year of the B.I.E. and so must have established eligibility to take one of: MATH 100, 102, 104, 120, 180, or 184. For details on requirements see the Mathematics Department website. Applicants who have already completed 6 credits of first-year-level calculus are exempt from these requirements. While not a factor in the admissions decision, many students find that taking a secondary school calculus course helps them succeed in our first year math course; it is strongly recommended.
Average Required: Although we do not admit students solely on the basis of grades, academic performance is extremely important. Only applicants with an interim average of 84% or higher are eligible to be considered for admission. Please note that the course grades used in the calculation of your average will depend on where you are currently attending secondary school and the grading scale used by your school. All grades are converted into percentage grades based on a 50% pass scale. Detailed information on secondary school course requirements and equivalents for all applicants as well as information on how your admission average will be calculated can be found on the Undergraduate Admissions website.
College/University Transfer Students (including UBC students transferring from other programs)
Admission into the second year of the program is very limited. Transfer application to the second-year is only accepted if space is available in the program. *Evaluation for second year transfer applications will start in May. Admission decisions will be made throughout the summer until all seats are filled.
Prerequisites required to be considered for admission to Year 2
To be eligible for admission to second year of the B.I.E. program, students must have completed the following UBC courses (or their equivalents at a recognized post-secondary institution ):
- ECON 101 and 102
- MATH 104 (or 184) and 105
- One of ASTU 150, ENGL 100, Arts One or ASTU 100 (CAP) with a minimum grade of 60%. ENGL 112 may be substituted in the calculation of the admission average for students transferring from other faculties but admitted transfer students should note that they must subsequently complete a Writing Component course.
Transfer credit will only be assessed after you’ve formally applied for admission to the program and each case will be assessed individually. Please contact Triny Shen, BIE Academic Advisor for any questions.
Average required to be considered for admission to Year 2
Applicants must be in good academic standing and meet a minimum overall average of 60% calculated on the last 30 credits of coursework and a minimum core average of 65% calculated on the required Math course, all Economics and all English courses. All attempts at core courses are used in the calculation of your core average. However meeting the minimum average does not guarantee your admission into the BIE program. In order to be a competitive applicant, strong performance in the core courses is highly recommended.
Applicants are not admitted into the third and fourth years of the Program. Starting September 2014, the B.I.E. program no longer accepts transfer applications to the first year of the Program.
How to Apply (for all applicants other than current UBC Faculty of Arts students)
Apply via “youbc Vancouver” and indicate the BIE program as the first or second choice program. Please note that applicants who are unsuccessful in gaining admission to the BIE program will automatically be considered for admission to the Bachelor of Arts. So, for example, if an applicant who selects the Bachelor of International Economics as first choice and the Bachelor of Commerce as second choice is not admitted to either program, the applicant would automatically be considered for the Bachelor of Arts program.
How to Apply (for current UBC Faculty of Arts students)
Students currently registered in the Faculty of Arts at UBC who wish to apply to the second year of the B.I.E. program should apply to the Vancouver School of Economics directly.
*Application for September 2014 entry is closed. New applications will no longer be accepted at this time. Application for September 2015 entry will be open in the beginning of 2015. Interested applicants can refer to the 2014 application form as an example. Please contact Triny Shen, BIE Academic Advisor for any questions.
Printed applications from current UBC Faculty of Arts students must be submitted either in person or by mail to our office at Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Room 997, 1873 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z1. Applications can also be submitted electronically to Bie.Vse@ubc.ca. All applications should be clearly labelled “Second Year Application to the BIE Program”. Note that sometimes the UBC spam filter will mistaken regular emails as junk emails. Please use the subject field with caution.