Many applicants have questions about the waitlist and how it works. UBC’s waitlist is a bit complicated, so we hope these FAQs will help. Most of the questions are the same as in an earlier post – there have not been any changes to how we handle the waitlist this year.
Waitlist questions: applicants who have an application status of Waitlisted
- Can you tell me where I am on the waitlist? How long is the waitlist? How quickly is the waitlist moving?
Because there are multiple sites/learning communities in the program, our waitlist can be complicated. Unfortunately, we are not able to reveal where applicants are on the waitlist, how long it is, or how quickly it’s moving.
- When will you send the next round of offers?
The deadline for first round offers is Wednesday, May 21 and we will send the second round of offers in the following days. We will update the blog when the next round has gone out.
- I am on the waitlist but received an offer from another Canadian medical school. Can I accept the offer at the other institution but still remain on the waitlist for UBC?
Yes, that’s fine. If you get an offer from UBC and want to accept it, you will need to withdraw your acceptance from the other school.
- How long will I be on the waitlist?
It depends on how many people decline their offers. We can’t provide an estimated wait time because we have no way of knowing how many people will decline their offer. We usually try to shorten the waitlist at some point during the summer, but unfortunately it is possible to stay on the waitlist until late August.
- Can I change my site/learning community preferences? My circumstances have changed and a different first choice would work better for me.
Sorry, site/learning community preference selections are final and cannot be changed. However, if you receive an offer to the site/learning community you ultimately want to go to, you can accept the offer and stay at that site/learning community (see question 3 below).
Waitlist questions: applicants who have received an offer
- I received an offer, but it wasn’t to my first choice site/learning community. What are my options?
- You can accept the offer and most likely stay on the waitlist for your first choice site/learning community (and second, third, fourth, and fifth choice sites/learning communities, if applicable). There are a couple of rare exceptions, which is why we say you will “most likely” stay on the waitlist – applicants who selected the NMP but did not complete the Rural Training section of the application will not be waitlisted for the NMP, for example. However, the majority of applicants will be on the waitlist for their preferred site(s)/learning community(s). This happens automatically, so you do not need to contact the Admissions Office about it. Please note that if you accept the offer, you are agreeing to go to the site/learning community listed on your Response to Offer form. You will not be able to change sites/learning communities unless you get another offer.
- You can decline the offer to that site/learning community and most likely stay on the waitlist for your more preferred site(s)/learning community(s). Same as above – the vast majority of applicants will be waitlisted for their preferred site(s)/learning community(s), and this will happen automatically. The difference is that you are declining the offer and the site/learning community. This is taking a risk since you may not get an offer to a more preferred site/learning community, but sometimes you know a particular location won’t work for you, and in this case it’s better to free up the spot for someone else. Please note that accepting or declining the offer will not make a difference in terms of your position on the waitlist for your preferred site(s)/learning community(s) – your waitlist position will be the same either way.
- You could decline UBC completely. This would remove you from the waitlist and you would not get any further offers from us.
- You could not submit the Response to Offer form at all (although we would prefer you do!). Not submitting the form removes you from the waitlist for your preferred site(s)/learning community(s) and prevents you from receiving any other offers from UBC.
- Is my position on the waitlist of my preferred site(s)/learning community(s) affected by accepting or declining an offer to a less-preferred site/learning community?
No, your position is the same whether you accept or decline the offer.
- What if I have accepted an offer to my second (or third, fourth, fifth or sixth) choice and have decided I want to stay there? Do I have to accept an offer to my first choice site/learning community if I receive one?
No, you do not have to accept an offer to your first choice site/learning community if you are happy with the other site/learning community you were offered. Please message us to let us know so that we can take you off the waitlist for your preferred site(s)/learning community(s). Please be aware that this decision is final. You will not be put back on the waitlist for your first (or second, etc) choice site/learning community.
- What if I have received an offer to my first choice site/learning community but I want to go to my second (or third, fourth, fifth, or sixth) choice?
If your first offer is for your first choice site/learning community, you must remain at that site/learning community. You will not be given any other offers. This assumes you have not already accepted an offer to your second (or third, fourth, fifth, or sixth) choice site/learning community – if you have, please see #3 above.