Pathways to UBC Forestry

Direct Entry – International

Canada is internationally recognized as a country that delivers the highest standards of education, and UBC is no exception. As a UBC student, you will be part of a diverse community that is home to some of the brightest minds in the world. Every student who applies to UBC must meet general admission and program-specific requirements.

Directly from an International High School

Earn a bachelor’s degree from UBC Forestry. Apply as an International Student directly from high school and explore Vancouver, Canada.

View Requirements


Transfer from a University or College

Transfer after 1 or 2 years at another accredited institution and earn a bachelor’s degree from UBC Forestry.

View Requirements


Visit for 1 or 2 Semesters

Already studying natural resource sciences at another university? Visit and study at UBC Forestry for one or two semesters as a Visiting Student. Earn credit towards your degree at home.

Consult with your program advisor in your home country and email our Student Services team to approve your selection of courses before you leave for UBC.

Email Student Services


Exchange Program

You can also come to UBC Forestry as an exchange student if you are enrolled in a program in another institution with a bilateral exchange agreement with UBC Forestry. Contact your international office at your home university to see if you have an exchange agreement with UBC Forestry.

Go to the Go Global Website

Post-secondary Transfer

Admissions Pathway: Transfer from a College or University

This is your pathway if you have taken a minimum of 24 transferable credits at a recognized college or university. Please note that if you have completed between 6 and 23 transferable credits, your basis of admission is a combination of your high school and college or university work. Both your secondary school and post-secondary studies must satisfy the UBC entrance requirements for your program of choice.

If you have completed 24 or more transferable credits at the post-secondary level, UBC will calculate your GPA based on your post-secondary courses. If you have earned more than 30 transferable credits, you will be evaluated on your most recent 30 transferable and relevant credits of study, including any failed or repeated courses.

While your post-secondary can act as your basis of admission, you must also meet the Faculty of Forestry’s secondary school entrance prerequisites.

Transfer Credit

To help you determine if your post-secondary work is transferable to UBC, please see the BC Transfer Guide. In BC, post-secondary institutions guarantee credit for courses or programs completed at other institutions, provided that these are listed in this Guide.

If a satisfactory grade has been achieved and if UBC offers an equivalent course, UBC will grant transfer credit for any course successfully completed at a recognized post-secondary institiution. The maximum allowable transfer credit is no more than 50% of required program credits or up to a maximum of 60 credits.

For program-specific advising on transfer credit, please email forestry.undergrad@ubc.ca.

UBC Forestry Transfer Programs with Colleges in British Columbia

The Faculty of Forestry has developed relationships with colleges throughout BC that specialize in undergraduate science programs and technical forestry. This provides the opportunity for students to study at their local community college first and then transfer to UBC after completing requirements agreed to UBC Forestry and its partner institution.

See a listing of these colleges and how to transfer on our Transfer from Colleges in British Columbia page.

Admissions Pathway: After Completion of a 2-Year Technical Diploma

This is your pathway if you have completed a technical diploma in forestry, wood manufacturing or technical engineering. If you have successfully completed the requirements for a two-year technical diploma, with a minimum average of 65%, you may be able to use your diploma as your basis of admission to UBC.

While your Diploma can act as your basis of admission, you must also meet the Faculty of Forestry’s secondary school entrance prerequisites. Your diploma may give you advanced standing in your Faculty of Forestry program. Transfer credits or exemptions for specific courses are determined on an individual basis or are based on existing agreements between the technical institution and UBC. For more information about diploma transfers to the Faculty of Forestry, please contact the Admissions Advisor by phone at 604-822-1834 or by email: forestry.undergrad@ubc.ca.

Other Admissions Pathways

Conditional Admissions Program

For academically outstanding students who do not yet meet UBC’s English Language Admission Standard

Students who have a strong record of academic achievement but do not yet meet the UBC English language requirement may be eligible for the Conditional Admission Program (CAP), which offers English language preparation leading to undergraduate degree programs.
For more information, visit https://you.ubc.ca/category/admission-requirements/

Admissions Pathway after Completion of a University Degree

This is your pathway if you already have a university degree. If you have a bachelor’s degree from UBC or another university, you can use it as your basis of admission to the Faculty of Forestry. You must have achieved an overall minimum average of 60% or a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in your most recent 60 credits of university work. The actual entrance GPA for each Faculty of Forestry program may be higher than the minimum average set by the University, due to competition for available space in the program.

As well as meeting the grade point admission requirements, you must also have the course prerequisites required by your program of choice. This might include high school courses and/or university-level work.

Admissions Pathway for Unclassified Students

If you are interested in attending UBC in order to take undergraduate courses from the Faculty of Forestry but do not wish to obtain an undergraduate degree, then you may qualify for admission as an unclassified student. In order to be eligible for admission to UBC as an unclassified student you must either:

  • hold a degree from an accredited university, or
  • have proof of registration as a Pupil or Allied Science Forester-in-Training (ASFIT) with the Association of BC Professional Foresters (ABCPF).

Once admitted as an unclassified student, you are welcome to take any undergraduate course offered by UBC, provided you meet the published course prerequisites. However, admission as an unclassified student does not guarantee space will be available in a course you wish to register for, nor does it imply future admission as a regular degree student.

For more information, please contact the Director of Student Services or check out UBC’s admission website.

Please check current application and document deadlines before applying to UBC.

Admissions Pathway for Distance Education Students

The Faculty of Forestry offers a number of undergraduate courses by distance education for anyone who is unable to attend classes on campus. All correspondence courses are offered through the Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology (CTLT).

In order to register for OLT courses, you must first be a UBC student. Please note that not every course is offered in every session. All distance education courses are a minimum of 7 months in length. You must meet the stated prerequisites and co-requisites for a course in order to be able to register.

Distance education courses are not intended for full-time degree students; however, the courses offered by OLT are fully accredited towards degree programs offered by the Faculty of Forestry.

2+2/3+2 Transfer Program

The 2+2/3+2 Programs represent a very successful collaboration between the UBC Faculty of Forestry and several Chinese forestry universities. These transfer programs involve two or three years of post-secondary education in China, followed by program completion at UBC. Successful graduates receive a UBC degree. Students in these programs join one of the Bachelor of Science degree programs in UBC Forestry. The Faculty of Forestry has taken many actions (e.g., summer orientation and intensive Forestry Peer Mentoring Program) to support these transfer students, especially during their transitioning period.

Forestry Transfer Student Hub

Connect to UBC Forestry Transfer Student Hub. Discover, learn, live, and grow.

Land One

What is Land One?

Land One is a limited-enrolment integrated course suite option for first-year UBC students that Forestry offers, together with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. It’s a different and immersive way of experiencing your first year at UBC. The cohort option eases your transition to university and builds a strong connection to your home faculty through the relationships you’ll develop with your peers and instructors. This is an in-person program so students in the Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship program are not eligible for Land One.

Course Structure

You’ll take your core first-year courses in math, biology, economics, and communications in an integrated format, where you get to explore complex issues related to food security, climate change, sustainability, and land use through a coordinated curriculum. Your professors will bring the content to life using relevant examples from your home faculty, and you’ll interpret it using real-world cases from both Indigenous and Western perspectives. In today’s world, we all know that it is these strong relationships that carry you further, faster.

Land One Experience

During your Land One experience, you will visit the UBC Farm to learn more about sustainable food systems. You will also be part of a 2-day field trip to our Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, where you’ll experience first-hand the coastal old growth rainforest and get a chance to bond with other students and instructors in this special gateway program. You’ll round out your first year with the remaining first-year credits required of your degree program. This option is particularly useful if you plan to major in Forest Resources Management or if you’re taking your Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation.

Advantages of this Option

The Land One program also aims to provide personalized mentoring, support, and guidance to students when needed, and to enhance their education through experiential learning (e.g. field trips, hands-on activities) and by providing a real-world context as a backdrop to their foundational, first-year courses. Ultimately, our goal is to provide students with a ‘toolkit’ to increase the likelihood of success in the later years of their education and careers. All these characteristics make Land One an excellent choice for dedicated and motivated incoming students, especially those who want a remarkable first-year experience and would like to acquire the necessary skills to tackle complex, real-world problems.

How to Apply for Land One

Find out more and learn how to apply on the Land One website.