High School Admissions

Admission Requirements by Degree Group

Admission Requirements for Applicants from BC and Yukon High Schools

Successful completion of an approved grade 12 program leading to graduation with an acceptable BC/Yukon high school average calculated on the basis of the five best grade 12 courses from the listings in the Admission Requirements by Degree Groups table or First Entry Professional Program of your choice (see also “Special Entry”).

Special Early Provisional Admission

Students registered in grade 12 at a BC high school who are planning to attend UNBC in the September immediately following graduation are encouraged to apply for Special Early Admission no later than the end of February. A decision will be made based on the student’s self-declared Grade 11 and 12 grades and, no later than the end of February, a provisional offer of admission will normally be made to all applicants who meet or exceed the minimum grade point average and course requirements. The conditions associated with special early provisional admission are that the applicant’s academic average remains at or above the minimum, that all required courses are successfully completed, and that graduation requirements are satisfied. These conditions will be checked in August upon receipt of the final marks from the Ministry of Education.

The University reserves the right to withdraw a provisional offer of admission if the above conditions are not met.

A table illustrating which BC high school curriculum Grade 12 courses are considered as approved academic courses and which are considered as elective courses is available on the UNBC Admissions website: unbc.ca/admissions.

Early Provisional Admission from a BC High School

Students registered in grade 12 at a BC high school who are planning to attend UNBC in the September immediately following graduation are advised to apply for early admission (currently before the end of February). All applicants who do this and notify their school counsellor of their application to UNBC will automatically have their interim grade 12 marks submitted to UNBC by the Ministry of Education. A provisional decision will be made based on these grades and a provisional offer of admission will be made to applicants who are considered exceptional. The conditions associated with early provisional admission are that the applicant’s academic average remain at or above the minimum, that all required courses are successfully completed and that graduation requirements are satisfied. These conditions will be checked in August upon receipt of the final marks from the Ministry of Education. Where a student does not satisfy the three conditions, the University reserves the right to withdraw the provisional offer of admission.

BC High School Transcripts

Applicants who are required to submit official BC High School transcripts should contact the BC Ministry of Education:

Ministry of Education – Transcripts
PO Box 9886 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9T6
General Information Phone: (250) 356-7270
Or visit the Ministry of Education website:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/transcripts-and-certificates

Head Start Entry from a BC High School

Outstanding students who have completed BC grade 11, can demonstrate an exceptional academic record, and can provide evidence of above-average maturity, may apply for admission to UNBC. In many cases this may mean concurrently registering in one or two first-year introductory UNBC courses while completing grade 12. However, in exceptional cases, these applicants may be admitted to study as a full-time first-year student at UNBC.

To apply for Head Start entry, the application must be accompanied by an autobiographical letter indicating the applicant’s areas of interest and reasons for wishing to attend UNBC, along with letters of recommendation from the high school principal and at least one teacher or counsellor from the school, and a complete high school transcript. Questions and correspondence should be directed to the Office of the Registrar.

Dual High School/University Credit

High school students in grade 12, who are in good standing, and have the recommendation from their principal or guidance counsellor, may enroll with UNBC in order to earn credits that can be used jointly as elective credits towards high school graduation and as first year university credit towards a degree. This program is designed to allow high school students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a university-level course while at the same time earning credits towards their high school diploma. High school students who successfully complete a course(s) can also apply the earned credits towards their future university degree. The courses offered to high school students will be first-year UNBC courses. In order to qualify for dual credit, the British Columbia Ministry of Education requires that the course be approved by the student’s home high school before the student registers for the course.

High school students wishing to take a UNBC course to obtain dual credit must be in grade 12 and must be in good academic standing at the time of application. In addition, students must obtain the signature of their principal (or guidance counsellor) and a parent or guardian (if under 18 years old) indicating that they are capable of successfully completing a university level course.

While students may take up to three courses from UNBC for dual credit, they may only take one course at a time. Upon completion of the course, a transcript will be mailed to the student and to the high school. It should be noted that successful completion of a dual high school/university credit course does not guarantee future admission to UNBC.

International Baccalaureate

Students who are awarded an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma may be awarded up to 30 credit hours of transfer credit upon receipt of the official transcript from the IB headquarters. Students who are awarded the diploma must have an overall standing of four, with no course below a three. Diploma students are required to present three higher-level subjects and three subsidiary-level subjects in order to be eligible for transfer credit.

Students who are awarded the IB certificate must have a grade of four in each higher-level subject to be eligible for individual course transfer credit. Subsidiary-level subjects are not eligible for transfer credit on a certificate program.

Students who are completing a partial IB diploma may qualify for admission providing that another recognized secondary school diploma will also be completed.

A list of acceptable IB courses is available in the BC Transfer Guide (available online at bctransferguide.ca).

Advanced Placement

Students who take College Board Advanced Placement courses in high school may be awarded transfer credit upon receipt of the official exam results from the College Board. UNBC's institution code (2023) is required when ordering official transcripts. Courses completed with a grade of four or above will be awarded transfer credit. Students who have completed AP courses with a grade of three may be considered for Advanced Standing. Advanced Standing allows a student to register in a higher level course without the prerequisite. However, as credit is not awarded, advanced standing will not reduce the number of credits that a student must accumulate to obtain a UNBC degree. As a result, a student must make up this credit by completing another course to be used towards their degree requirements. A listing of acceptable AP courses for transfer credit is available on the BC Transfer Guide's website at www.bctransferguide.ca/learn-more-about/advanced-placement.

British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma

Applicants must be at least 19 years of age and have successfully completed the BC Adult Graduation Diploma and the appropriate entrance requirements for their desired degree group at the grade 12 level with an overall average of 65% or better. Applicants in this category are not required to complete a fifth grade 12 course as noted in the Admission Requirements by Degree Groups table.

Admission from Secondary Schools and CEGEP in Other Canadian Provinces

	English Studies 12	Pre-Calculus 12	Anatomy & Physiology 12	Life Sciences 11	Chemistry 12	Chemistry 11	Physics 12
Alberta & Northwest Territories	ELA 30-1	Math 30-1	Biology 30	Biology 20	Chemistry 30	Chemistry 20	Physics 30
Saskatchewan	English A30 and English B30	Pre-Calculus 30	Biology 30	Biology 20	Chemistry 30	Chemistry 20	Physics 30
Manitoba	English 40S (Comprehensive/ Literary/Transac - tional Focus)	Pre-Calculus 40S	Biology 40S	Biology 30S	Chemistry 40S	Chemistry 30S	Physics 40S
Ontario	ENG4U	MHF4U	SBI4U	SBI3U	SCH4U	SCH3U	SPH4U
Quebec Grade 12	Please contact us at futurestudents@unbc.ca or 250-960-6306
Quebec CEGEP	Please contact us at futurestudents@unbc.ca or 250-960-6306
Nova Scotia	English 12 or English 12 African Heritage	Advanced Math 12 or Math 12	Anatomy & Physiology 12	Biology 11	Chemistry 12	Chemistry 11	Physics 12
New Brunswick	English 121 or 122	Pre-Calculus A 120 and Pre-Calculus B 120	Anatomy & Physiology 122	Biology 112	Chemistry 122	Chemistry 112	Physics 121 or 122
Prince Edward Island	English 611 or 621	Math 621B	Biology 621	Biology 521	Chemistry 611 (A) or 621 (A)	Chemistry 511 (A) or 521 (A)	Physics 621
Newfoundland & Labrador	English 3201	Math 3204 or 3205	Biology 3201	Biology 2201	Chemistry 3202	Chemistry 2202	Physics 3204
Nunavut	ELA 30-1	Math 30-1	Biology 30	Biology 20	Chemistry 30	Chemistry 20	Physics 30

Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Successful completion of an academic grade 12 program that leads to graduation and includes at least five courses with an overall 65% average selected from:

English Language Arts 30-1
at least three additional courses selected from the following: Aboriginal Studies 30, Biology 30, Blackfoot Language and Culture 30, Chemistry 30, Chinese Language and Culture 30, Cree 30, Cree Language and Culture 30, English 35, Experiential Science 30, Français 30-1 or 30-2, French 30, French 31A/B/C, French Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2, German 30/30S, German 31, German Language and Culture 30, German Language Arts 30, Gonawo K'e 35, Inuktitut 35, Inuktitut Studies 35, Italian Language and Culture 30, Japanese Language and Culture 30, Latin 30, Mathematics 30-1, Mathematics 30-2, Mathematics 31, Physics 30, Pure Mathematics 30, Science 30, Social Studies 30-1 or 30-2, South Slavey 35, Spanish Language and Culture 30, Ukrainian Language and Culture 30/30S, Ukrainian Language Arts 30
additional level 30 or level 31 courses necessary for the successful completion of grade 12. The fifth course subject must be distinct from the four academic courses (e.g., English Language Arts 30-1 and English Language Arts 30-2 cannot both be used).

Saskatchewan

Successful completion of an academic level three (grade 12) program that leads to graduation and includes at least seven academic courses with an overall 65% average (five of which are at the 30 level) selected from:

English A30 and B30
Math A30, or B30, or C30 or Precalculus 30
at least three additional courses numbered 30 selected from the following subjects: Biology 30, Calculus 30, Chemistry 30, Computer Science 30, Economics 30, Français A30 or B30, French 30, Geography 30, Geology 30, German 30, History 30, Latin 30, Law 30, Mandarin 30, Mathematics 30, Native Studies 30, Physics 30, Psychology 30, Social Studies 30, Spanish 30, Ukrainian 30, Ukrainian Language Arts 30
additional acceptable courses necessary to graduate

Manitoba

Successful completion of an academic Sr 4 level (grade 12) program that leads to graduation and includes at least five courses with an overall average of 65% selected from:

English 40S (One of Comprehensive Focus, Literary Focus, or Transactional Focus)
three or more of the additional courses should be selected from the following: Biology 40S, Chemistry 40S, Computer Science 40S, Français 40S, Geography 40S, History 40S, Language 40S, Law 40S, Mathematics 40S, Native Canadian Languages 40S, Physics 40S, Pre Calculus 40S, Social Science 40S/World Issues 40S, Western Civilization 40S
one additional course from above or another area at the 40A (advanced), 40G (general), or 40S (specialized) level and any further work necessary to graduate

Ontario

Successful completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), or equivalent, including five grade 12 U or 4U/4M courses with an overall 65% average including:

English 4U
four additional 4U/4M courses

All high school courses applied as prerequisites for UNBC courses must be drawn from the “University” designation. Not more than one course proposed for admission may be drawn from the “Arts” category.

Quebec

Successful completion of at least 12 acceptable university preparatory CEGEP courses with a minimum overall average of 70%, selected from:

at least two pre-university English courses
10 additional pre-university courses deemed appropriate for entry into the academic program of choice

Students who complete more than 12 pre-university CEGEP courses with a minimum grade of 70% in each course may receive up to 30 credit hours of transfer credit.

Quebec Grade 12

Applicants who successfully complete a Quebec grade 12 program with an overall 65% average must present:

English
at least three additional university preparatory courses selected from Mathematics, Sciences, Languages, Literature, Social Sciences, History, Geography
additional academic subjects required for graduation

New Brunswick

Successful completion of an academic (college preparatory) program that leads to graduation with an overall 65% average and including at least six courses from:

English 121 or 122
at least three additional grade 12 academic courses coded 120/121/122 selected from Advanced Mathematics, Atlantic Literature, Biology, Calculus, Canadian Literature, Chemistry, Computer Education, Economics, Environmental Studies, Français, French, Geography, Geology, History, Latin, Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Statistics, Writing, World Issues
additional academic course(s) necessary to graduate

Prince Edward Island

Successful completion of an academic or advanced academic program that leads to graduation with an overall 65% average and including:

English 611 or 621
at least three additional courses numbered 611 or 621 selected from Biology, Chemistry, Computer Studies, Economics, Exploring Civilizations, Français, French, Geography, History, Mathematics, other languages, Physics, Political Science, Sociology
additional academic course(s) necessary to graduate

Nova Scotia

Successful completion of an academic program (university preparatory) that leads to graduation with an overall 65% average and including at least five subjects from:

English 12, or English 12: African Heritage
at least two courses numbered 12 selected from Biology, Canadian Literature, Chemistry, French, Gaelic, Geography, German, Global History, Latin, Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics, Pre-Calculus Mathematics, other languages, Physics, Spanish
additional 12 courses from above or from Comparative Religion, Computer Studies, Earth Sciences, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Food Science, Global Geography, Geology, Law, Modern World Problems, Music, Political Science, Sociology or Statistics
additional academic course(s) necessary to graduate

Newfoundland and Labrador

Successful completion of an academic program that leads to graduation with an overall 65% average, and including at least 13 credits selected from:

English 3201 or completion of the former Language 3101 and either Thematic Literature 3201 or Literary Heritage 3202
Mathematics 3200, 3201, 3204 or 3205
at least one of Biology 3201, Chemistry 3202, Physics 3204, Earth Systems 3209
at least one of Advanced Writing 3103, Computer Technology 3200, Environmental Science 3205, Global Issues 3205, World Literature 3216, World Religions 3101/3106 or Geography, History or languages at the 3000 level
at least two additional credits at the 3000 level
additional academic course(s) necessary to graduate

Updated: July 2, 2024