Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to page-level navigation Go to the Disability Resource Centre Website Go to the DRC Booking Accommodation Portal Go to the Inclusive Technology Lab Website
The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
UBC Okanagan News
  • Research
  • People
    • Student Profile
    • Faculty Profile
    • Alumni Spotlight
  • Campus Life
    • Campus News
    • Student Life
    • Teaching & Learning
  • Community Engagement
  • About the Collection
    • Stories for Media
  • UBCO Events
  • Search All Stories
Home / 2017 / August / 30 / UBC Okanagan welcomes largest number of students to campus
Teaching & Learning

UBC Okanagan welcomes largest number of students to campus

August 30, 2017

UBC Okanagan is on track to welcome its largest class of students since the doors opened in 2005.

UBC Okanagan is on track to welcome its largest class of students since the doors opened in 2005.

Innovative programs continue to draw new students to UBC

Preliminary numbers indicate that UBC Okanagan is on track to welcome its largest class of students since the doors opened in 2005.

Deputy Registrar Fred Vogt cautions that final numbers will not be available until the end of summer, but results-to-date show a growing student population.

“So far, we are looking at about 2,250 new-to-program first-year students,” Vogt says. “In total, we will have more than 3,300 students starting new programs this year. This includes UBC students who are switching programs and starting second programs, like the Bachelor of Education and graduate degrees.”

Of the first-year students, 450 are international, coming from 98 countries. In total—including graduate students—Vogt says student population will be around 9,000, which will indeed be the most students UBC Okanagan has ever had on campus.

“We are very encouraged by the continued year-over-year strength in our enrolment numbers,” Vogt says. “Clearly, students and their families recognize that the availability of a world-class UBC education in a small campus setting and an inspiring location is a special opportunity. We are thrilled to welcome so many high-achieving students to UBC’s Okanagan campus.”

As more students come to learn, conduct research and work in the region, the impact of the university continues to grow, says UBC’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Okanagan campus Principal Deborah Buszard.

“As we have seen a steady climb in student numbers, we have also seen evidence of social and economic benefits accruing for the region, as many of our students contribute to local organizations through year-end projects, co-op placements and community-based research,” Buszard says.

Across both UBC campuses, there will be a total of 63,370 students—52,353 undergraduate students and some 11,000 graduate students. That breakdown includes 47,048 domestic students and 16,322 international students, with a total of 7,166 new first-year students at the Vancouver campus.

New for the school year at UBC Okanagan is HEAL 100, a new course open to all students regardless of program that will have a strong emphasis on health and well-being. Developed over the past year by the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, HEAL 100 offers an in-depth look at health studies with an emphasis on student health—focusing on education, research and their impact on a variety of student health issues.

Another new course available to all UBC Okanagan students examines food systems in their entirety. Food Systems I: System Thinking examines the food system as a circle—rather than a chain—and covers subjects such as food production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste.

“We look forward to welcoming the extraordinary new students who will be joining us from our local communities and around the world—that’s what makes this such a special place,” says Buszard.

UBC Okanagan back-to-school by numbers

  • 9,000 – Total student population
  • 2,250 – New-to-program first-year students
  • 3,300 – Students starting new programs
  • 450 – International first-year students
  • 98 – Countries represented
  • 151,763 – Cups of coffee sold at the campus cafeteria
  • 24,667 – Piece of whole fruit purchased (75 per cent grown locally)
  • 3,279 – Food and beverage discounts given for those that brought their own reusable containers
  • 6,000 – Approximate daily transit trips (students, staff and faculty) to and from campus

Back-to-school numbers across both campuses

  • 63,370 – Total student population
  • 52,353 – Undergraduate students
  • 11,000 – Graduate students
  • 47,048 – Domestic Students
  • 16,322 – International students

More information about back to school at UBC, including campus tips from UBC President Santa Ono, can be found at: www.ubc.ca/backtoschool

– 30 –

Media Contact

Patty Wellborn
E-mail: patty.wellborn@ubc.ca

Content type: Media Release
More content from: Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal (Office of the), Students (Office of the Associate Vice-President)

Trending Stories

  • Reducing the side effects of cancer therapy
  • Psychedelic mushroom microdoses can improve mood, mental health
  • UBCO’s largest graduating class marks 20 years of growth
  • How one student connects AI innovation to wildfire research
  • Indigenous language degrees move us a step closer to reconciliation
All Stories
Contact Media Relations

About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

Discover more about UBC Okanagan

Find a Program Admissions Book a Tour UBCO Facts
UBC Okanagan Campus News, University Relations

Innovation Precinct Annexation 1 (IA1)
3505 Spectrum Court
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 2Z1

We respectfully acknowledge the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, in whose traditional, ancestral, unceded territory UBC Okanagan is situated.

 

Search all stories

Subscribe to receive news by email

Visit UBC's Vancouver news room

Global and Admin Messages

News

Okanagan Campus

TikTok icon Linkedin icon

UBC Okanagan News
Okanagan Campus
3333 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Find us on
  
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility