UBC International Scholars Program 2027 — Fully Funded Bachelor's in Canada
Fully funded Bachelor scholarship in Canada for All nationalities students 2026
UBC's need-based International Scholars Program can cover the full cost of a Canadian bachelor's degree. International school leavers must apply by 15 November 2026.
Eligibility
- International student entering UBC directly from secondary school
- High school graduation no earlier than June 2026
- All-A grades or the equivalent in your national system
- Documented significant financial need
- Meets the English Language Admission Standard by 31 January 2027
- First-choice programme not on UBC's excluded list
The University of British Columbia runs two separate international entrance systems, and they are easy to confuse. The merit awards are automatic and comparatively small. The International Scholars Program is the need-based one, it is the only route that can meet the full cost of a UBC degree, and it closes on 15 November 2026, ten days from today. If you are an international student finishing secondary school and the cost of a Canadian degree is the obstacle, this is the deadline that matters.
What it covers
The program is a need-and-merit award sized to your assessed financial need, calculated as the cost of tuition and living at UBC minus whatever your family can genuinely contribute. Awards can run up to the full cost of the academic program and living expenses, which is why UBC describes the stream as covering students who could not otherwise attend at all. The exact value is not published and is not fixed: it is set per student after a financial assessment that requires official documents on family income, expenses and assets.
The money is only part of it. Scholars join a cohort with dedicated advising, workshops and retreats, and the award is renewable for the length of the degree provided you remain in good standing. There is no separate stipend, no cash payment and no allowance for flights, so budget for travel and for the difference between the assessed need and real life in Vancouver, which is not a cheap city.
One structural point decides everything else: applicants to the International Scholars Program are considered only in this stream. You cannot be assessed for the automatic merit awards as well. Students who would clearly win a merit scholarship and who have modest but not severe financial need should run both scenarios before choosing, because the two paths are mutually exclusive.
Who can apply
You must be an international student entering UBC directly from secondary school, applying for your first undergraduate degree, and you must have graduated high school no earlier than June 2026. You need superior academic achievement, which UBC defines as all As or the equivalent in your system, and you must meet the English Language Admission Standard for direct entry. Students who fall short on English can still be considered through the Vantage One pathway, which has its own award.
Significant financial need is a formal test, not a preference. You must be able to show that your family cannot fund a meaningful share of the cost and has no access to external funding. The program also excludes several professional and joint degrees, including nursing, dental hygiene, medical laboratory science, the Bachelor plus Master of Management, and dual or joint degrees between campuses or with other institutions. Check the list before you name your first-choice programme, because the award attaches to the programme you are admitted to.
Eligibility: run this self-check before you start
Did you finish secondary school in 2026 or later? Are your grades all As, or the top band in your national system? Can your family produce official income, asset and expense documents? Is your first-choice programme off the excluded list? Can you secure a school nominator and a separate teacher referee? Will you meet the English standard by 31 January 2027? If the answer to the financial question is no, do not apply here: apply through the ordinary admission route and let the merit awards assess you automatically.
Deadline and what the calendar really means
Applications opened on 5 October 2026 and close on 15 November 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Supporting documents and the English requirement are due by 31 January 2027, shortlisted applicants record a video interview between January and March, and results are released between February and April. There is a hard sequencing rule: you must submit the UBC admissions application before you can open the award application, and the award application needs a nominator and a teacher referee who are two different people.
UBC states plainly that applications started close to the deadline are less likely to succeed, which is a polite way of saying the essays are read as writing samples. Ten days is enough time if you already have a nominator; it is not enough time if you are starting from zero.
How to apply
Submit the UBC application for Winter Session 2027 first, listing your first and second choice programmes. Then create the award application account, invite your nominator and your teacher referee, and give them the context they need rather than a link and a deadline. Complete the four short essays, each of roughly 150 to 250 words, and assemble the financial documents. Submit before 15 November, then send the supporting documents and English evidence well before 31 January.
Documents checklist
Academic transcripts for the last three years, translated if necessary. Predicted or final results. English language evidence, or a plan to meet the standard by January. Family income and asset documentation, with translations. The nominator's statement and the teacher reference. A passport copy. A short record of leadership and community work, because the essays ask for evidence rather than adjectives.
Common mistakes
Applying for a merit award and assuming it can be converted later. Naming an excluded programme as first choice. Using the same person as nominator and referee, which voids the application. Writing essays about ambition in general instead of what you actually did, for how many people, over how long. Submitting financial documents that show a comfortable household, which fails the need test no matter how strong the grades are. And treating the 15 November date as flexible because the document deadline is in January.
Tips to win
The strongest applications connect three things: a specific programme, a specific problem you have already worked on, and a specific plan for what you will do with the degree. UBC's award streams include one aimed at students whose education has been disrupted by conflict or severe poverty, so if that is your situation, say so plainly and give evidence rather than euphemism. Ask your nominator to describe an incident, not a character trait. Keep the financial section boring, complete and consistent with the documents you upload.
Related scholarships on OEAC
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=39
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=36
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=67
Official programme page
If you are not sure whether your profile fits, or you want a second pair of eyes on the project description before the December cut-off, contact an OEAC advisor and we will review your documents with you.
Last updated: 5 November 2026.
Always confirm the deadline and eligibility on the official page before you apply. Scholarship dates change between rounds, and this listing is a summary — the provider's own page is the authoritative source. OEAC Network lists scholarships for free and is not an agent for any university or funding body.
