Welcome to the second post in our series about the offers process. Today let’s look at receiving an offer.
Let’s say you get an offer. Congratulations! Once you stop hyperventilating, you can log into the online application system and read the Acceptance Package Information (there will be a new tab called Offer where you can access this). This page has detailed information and instructions about specific requirements, so it’s important to read carefully. Then you will complete the Response to Offer form and pay the $1,000 deposit. There are some other forms to print and fill out that you’ll be able to access through the Acceptance Package Information page, but these are due at later dates. If you have taken classes since you applied in August, please remember to submit your final transcript by June 30.
If you got an offer but didn’t get the site you want, you’ll most likely be on the wait-list for your preferred site. Saying yes or no to your less-preferred site won’t affect your wait-list position at all, so you should make the decision about the less-preferred site based only on whether or not you are willing to live and study at the site you were offered. You’ll be in the same position on the wait-list for your first choice site regardless of your answer. Just keep in mind that this year, we will only offer you a place in a site that you expressed interest in; if you said “No Interest” to a site we won’t offer you a spot there.
Hi there,
What would happen in the case of a student getting an offer from UBC, but being wait-listed in Calgary, for example. If you accept the UBC offer and pay your $1000, but UofC is really your first choice but you are wait-listed for it, would you receive a refund if UofC rolls down their wait list and you get an offer from them later on that you want to take instead?
Ryan
You wouldn’t get a refund; the $1,000 deposit is non-refundable.
So let’s say I got my second preferred site for my offer, which means I’m waitlisted for my first choice. And then some time later, I get offered my first choice. Is it possible to stick with the second choice? After researching the different sites available, I feel my interests have changed.
Yes, if you accept an offer to your second choice site you can stick with that site even if you get an offer for your first choice site. We just have to adjust something in our computer system, so please let us know if this happens. Similarly, if you know as soon as you accept an offer to your second choice site that you want to stay there, please let us know so we can take you off the waitlist for your first choice.
Note: this applies only if you receive and accept an offer to one of your less-preferred sites. If your first offer is to your first choice site, you will not receive any further offers and won’t be allowed to go to one of your less-preferred sites.
Thanks for all the information. If I accept an offer for my second choice site and get put on the waitlist, will my $1000 deposit be transfered towards my first choice site if I accept a later offer to my first choice. Thanks for your time.
Yes! You only have to pay the $1,000 deposit once.
How long will we have to get back to UBC if we receive an offer on May 15? Each school seems to have a different time-line for responding, which is confusing. Any information would be great. Thanks!
The deadline for the first round of offers is Wednesday, May 23 at 12:00 p.m. PDT. This deadline was included in the last two reminder emails, so you might want to go back and review them just in case you missed any other important information.
Will we receive a snail mail as well if we’re granted an offer?
Yes. In addition to the electronic notifications, we are sending letters via snail mail to applicants who receive an offer.
In the event that someone is given an offer and needs to send in a certified cheque, due to banking at a credit union, who should the cheque be made out to?
Thank-you!
Please make the cheque out to The University of British Columbia. This information was included in the last two reminder emails, so you might want to go back and re-read those emails to make sure you haven’t accidentally overlooked anything else.
Would interac online from another bank (not listed in your post/email) work? VanCity for eg?
Only the banks listed have Interac Online set up. Vancity might have something that sounds similar, like Interac E-Transfer, but it’s not the same as Interac Online and unfortunately can’t be used to pay the deposit.
When is the latest that anyone on the wait list can expect an answer regarding an offer? Thank you!
Some people can stay on the waitlist until late August, right before school starts, but most people will get an answer before then. Please read the post on being waitlisted for more information.
If I am on the wait-list for my first preferred location, how will I be notified- will there be an email or just an update in the OAS? Also, if I accept the current offer, will that in any way affect my position on the wait-list?
It will be basically the same process – you will receive a new offer letter via email and will have to fill out a new Response to Offer form through OAS. You won’t have to pay the deposit again, though. For your second question, please refer to the second paragraph of the post.
How likely is it to move up on the waitlist of your preferred location (VFMP)? Do applicants who are waitlisted have more priority than applicants whho received offer to one of the sites? Or are all applicants for 2012 on the same big waitlist?
We really don’t know how many people will decline so we can’t say how likely you are to move up the waitlist. Applicants who are waitlisted do not have more priority than applicants who received an offer and are waitlisted to one of their more preferred sites.
Hi, I have a question, was accepted for my first choice. However, my life situation has changed since the time I made my choices, and I may actually prefer to go to the site listed as my second choice. To be clear, I have no problem going to my first site, but would prefer the other.
If I were to be put on the wait list for the other site, would this affect my current offer? Thank you.
We actually addressed this in an earlier comment; please see our response to Kevin above.
One last clarification from that post. So I got an offer for my first choice, accepted, and now can’t switch.
Can I change my preference? First to second and vice versa?
If not, no prob.
That’s right – if you get your first choice right away, you won’t get another offer, and you can’t switch to another site some other way. You can’t change your site preferences, either. We have to keep the first choice as the final offer or the waitlist for each site would really long (since everyone who got their first choice could theoretically choose a different site). Thank you for your understanding!
I was born in BC and did receive all the normal childhood vaccinations but I do not have the card anymore. Will you accept titres as proof of vaccinations? Are you aware of a registry somewhere? I have already spoken to BC Medical and the health Authority. Thank you
Please contact Max for this. His email is on the Acceptance Package Information page.
Can you please clarify the final transcript requirement for UBC students… I’ve already authorized you to access my transcripts in the fall, but I took a course in the fall, so I need to submit a final transcript. Somewhere it said I wouldn’t need to give permission again, but do I need to do something else, because it is saying “not received” on my status page. Thanks.
You don’t need to do anything else; it’s just taking us some time to update the final transcript status for applicants who already have a UBC electronic transcript access request email on file.
I know the welcome letter says that we will be receiving UBC student numbers in mid-June, however, UBC Housing requires a student number to apply for residence. Is it possible to obtain our student numbers any earlier, and who would we contact to do this? (If possible, it would help in getting an earlier position on waitlists for certain buildings.)
Also, I just wanted to say what a great resource this blog has been over the last year – I found it very useful throughout the application process. I hope you’ll keep using it for future cycles!
We know student numbers are needed for a lot of things and will try to send out them out as soon as we can, hopefully early in the week of June 11. If you require a student number for special UBC housing such as family housing, please contact Admissions. Unfortunately we will not be able to provide student numbers early for general UBC housing. On-campus accommodation is limited and can be difficult to obtain even with a student number, so please make sure your housing search includes off-campus locations as well. Student Affairs can help with general housing questions. Finally, if you are looking for short-term housing for the fall term only, there are a limited number of residence spaces set aside for NMP, IMP and SMP students for their first term in Vancouver. Please contact Student Affairs about this.
Glad you have found the blog helpful!
Hi!
This is a bit of a confusing question: I’ve attended several institutions during my undergrad. When I submit final transcripts, do I have to re-order transcripts from every single university I have attended in the past – UBC has the final transcripts since I am not taking classes at any of those, or do I just send the one that I was taking classes at these past 2 years (grad school) and thus had some classes labelled “in progress” at the last time I sent my transcripts in? It really adds up to pay for ordering transcripts and having them couriered so I can track them – so if that isn’t necessary, I’d love to just send in one!
Thank you so much!
Good news – you only need to submit transcripts from the institution where you had courses in progress the last time you submitted transcripts. If there are no changes to the other transcripts (i.e., you haven’t taken any courses at those institutions since you last submitted transcripts), you do not need to send in new copies of those transcripts. Just mark the applicable box on the application and we will transfer them to your new file. As a reminder, this only applies to applicants from 2011/2012; applicants who didn’t apply in 2011/2012 will need to submit all new documents.