Applications to the Asian Studies graduate programs open on October 1. Deadline for completed applications is December 1 and reference deadline is December 15.
Before applying, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact their prospective supervisor(s) to confirm their availability and interest.
MA Admission Requirements
In order to be considered into the MA Asian Studies program at UBC, applicants must have the following:
- A Bachelor of Arts degree from an accredited university-level institution.
- At least four years of study in a relevant discipline with a B+ average in 300- and 400-level courses (for Canadian and U.S. Master’s applicants) and B+ overall average for international applicants.
- Reading competence in the language most useful for proposed graduate work. This also consists of three to four years of previous, relevant coursework, or the equivalent.
Important note to students with three-year bachelor’s degrees from European institutions (except UK): European bachelor’s degrees of three years’ duration are considered on a case-by-case basis for graduate admission eligibility. There can be no definitive answer about the admission eligibility of your degree until you have submitted an entire application package.
For more information about UBC’s minimum admission requirements please visit here and here.
PhD Admission Requirements
In order to be considered into the PhD Asian Studies program at UBC, applicants must have the following:
- Master of Arts in Asian Studies or related field or equivalent from an accredited university-level institution.
- Overall average of B+ (76% at UBC) in master’s degree program.
- Before admittance, candidates for the Ph.D. program must have an adequate command of one of the following languages: Arabic (for Islamic Studies topics), Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Japanese, Korean, Persian (for Indo-Persian topics), Punjabi, Sanskrit, or Tibetan. For Chinese specifically, reading knowledge of both modern and classical forms is expected.
For more information about UBC’s minimum admission requirements please visit here and here.
Application Procedures
Applicants should apply with a proposed research topic in an area of specialization of one of more members of the program faculty. Applicants are encouraged to contact faculty to inquire about the possibility of working in a given area of study, and may name one or more faculty members as potential supervisors. Applicants without a suitable supervisor in the program will not be accepted.
Interested applicants must complete the following in order to be considered into the Asian Studies graduate program:
- Online UBC graduate school application
- Research Proposal (up to 600 words, also called the “statement of intent” in the online application)
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
- Three Reference Letters
- Evidence of English language competence if needed
- Writing sample (PhD program only)
Prospective Supervisors
You are welcome to contact our professors in your field of study if you need assistance with your research proposal or like one of them to act as your supervisor.
Click here to see our most updated list of supervisors in each Asian Studies language and culture field.
Next admission is Winter 2024 (starting September 2024).
Application deadline: November 30, 2023.
The on-line application system is open between October 15thand November 30th. Before October 15th you may preview the application.
Please be advised that we don’t accept late applications and we don’t have January or May admissions.
Apply online at http://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/apply-online A non-refundable application fee made payable to U.B.C. Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is required.
The online application requires credit card payment via Visa or Mastercard, or Interac/debit card payments from individuals with banking accounts at Scotiabank, Royal Bank, or TD Canada Trust.
More at https://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/online-application-fee
This is a short outline of your proposed area of study and specific topic of research, maximum 600 words. Be sure to include the geographic area, discipline and time period of your proposed research in the outline. Please be specific as your research proposal will determine which professor will supervise you, suitability to the program as well as its feasibility.
Your application cannot be assessed if your research topic is not clear.
In your application, copy and paste your proposal into the box labelled “Please provide a brief statement of your academic and/or professional goals and how these align with this program (Free Text).
You may also, optionally, submit a one page, PDF document containing a bibliography of works referenced in your proposal. To upload it, use the link marked, “Please attach a brief statement of your academic and/or professional goals and how these align with the graduate program (statement of intent).” Note: do not use this link to upload your research proposal, only the bibliography.
You are welcome to contact our professors in your field of study if you need assistance with your research proposal or would like one of them to act as your research supervisor. In your application from the drop down menu, please do not choose more than two professors as potential supervisors. However, even if a professor agrees to supervise your studies, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be accepted into a program.
Graduate tuition is assessed as an annual program fee, which is divided into three equal installments due at the beginning of academic terms starting in September, January and May. This fee is the same regardless of how many course credits the student is registered in.
Fees, including tuition, program, course, special, and student society fees, are approved by the Board of Governors following consultation with students and are subject to change.
To learn more about the current fee please click here.
International students might be eligible for the International Tuition Awards up to $3,200.00 which is applied to assist with their tuition fees if they are registered in fifth or later years of doctoral programs.
Students need to hold a valid Student Authorization (study permit) and are not holders of major scholarships. Students who receive external funding (i.e., their home government, Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship, or other funding agencies like CIDA, WUSC, DAAD, etc.) for their tuition which is equal to or higher than the value of the International Tuition Award are not eligible. Students who receive external funding toward their tuition which is lower than the value of will have their International Tuition Award reduced by the amount of the external tuition funding
The University reserves the right to change fees without notice. For more information and update on the International Tuition Awards please visit the following web-sites:
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=14,266,773,0
http://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/tuition-fees-cost-living
The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) program will ensure UBC’s best PhD students are provided with financial support of at least $18,000 per year plus tuition for the first four years of their PhD studies. Four Year Fellowships may be held by domestic and international students. All PhD applicants offered admission are automatically considered for 4YF funding. In general, the fellowships are offered to students beginning their first year of PhD studies, but may be offered to continuing PhD students. Each graduate program is allocated a number of Four Year Fellowships each year. The Department of Asian Studies reviews incoming and continuing students and offer Four Year Fellowships to the very best students. Students do not apply for this fellowship.
To learn more please click here.
Please upload all your transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended along with their grading scales. These uploads must be scanned, digital copies of the institutions’ official transcripts.
Please do not send paper copies of your documents unless you are asked to do so.
If you are asked to submit paper documents, please submit the following to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies:
- One paper copy of official degree certificates and transcripts in the language of instruction for each postsecondary institution attended.
- One paper copy of official English translations of degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) for each non-English institution.
If you have participated in an exchange program, you need to submit transcripts from that university as well.
A minimum of three references are required. References should come from individuals who are prepared to report on your academic ability and qualifications. Please be advised that our department does not accept references sent by email as an attachment.
There are three possible formats for references:
- Electronic reference (“e-ref”) system: In the online application system, applicants are asked to provide an email address for each referee. Additionally, you need to send a request through your application. From here, a unique link will be emailed to each referee, allowing them to submit or upload an online reference on a secure site.
- Paper reference forms: Your referee may fill out a general reference form from UBC and mail it directly to our department address.
- Paper letters of reference: Paper letters of reference should be written on the referee’s official letterhead and must be mailed directly to our department address in a sealed envelope.
Applicants from a university outside Canada where English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency in the English language. Applicants can take either the TOEFL or IELTS exam for this requirement. UBC requires that your official score meet the following standards and be submitted electronically from the test centre. Please take a language exam well in advance of our deadline because it takes up to one month for the result to reach us.
| Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking | Overall | |
| TOEFL | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 90 |
| IELTS | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.5 |
On the IELTS application form you will be asked to specify institutions where you would like the results being sent to. To ensure UBC receives your results correctly, you have to use the following details on the application:
Name of institution: The University of British Columbia
Name of person/department: Graduate School Admissions
Address: 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2, Canada
Official TOEFL score reports must be issued to UBC DIRECTLY from the Educational Testing Centre. he University of British Columbia Institution Code is 0965 and our department code is 99.
Your writing sample can be any paper or publication that you’ve produced up to 25 pages and less than 10 MB.
Admissions FAQs
Next admission is Winter 2024 (starting September 2024).
Application deadline: November 30, 2023.
All other application information can be found under the "Application Procedures" tab further up on this page.
The Graduate Advisor (PhD) or Associate Graduate Advisor (MA) will review your completed application and determine which department faculty member(s) would be the most appropriate supervisor for your proposed program of research. Proposed supervisors determine whether the proposed research is relevant to their area of expertise and the applicant has suitable preparation.
Application files with a willing supervisor are reviewed by the members the graduate committee. The committee assigns a number grade to each of three aspects of the file: transcripts, research proposal, and letters of recommendation. Applicants are ranked according to the aggregate scores and then make their final decision. The program cannot admit all qualified applicants, decisions are also influenced by available funding, balance among areas of study, and other considerations. If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the program's resources, some applicants may be waitlisted pending the availability of admission spaces.
Important note to students with three-year bachelor’s degrees from European institutions (except UK): European bachelor’s degrees of three years’ duration are considered on a case-by-case basis for graduate admission eligibility. There can be no definitive answer about the admission eligibility of your degree until you have submitted an entire application package.
If you are offered admission conditional upon receipt of official documentation, you must provide UBC with one set of official transcripts for every postsecondary institution you have attended for the equivalent of one year or more of full-time study. UBC reserves the right to require any individual applicant to provide official transcripts for study of less than one year duration.
UBC DOES NOT accept the following:
- photocopies that have not been stamped, attested and endorsed by the Registrar at your home university
- documents in envelopes that have been opened
- documents that do not arrive in sealed envelopes endorsed by the issuing institution or certified translator
- documents that arrive without the official seal of the university
- photocopies notarized by a notary public
- photocopies endorsed by a lawyer, professor, judge etc.
- unofficial translations
- non-literal translations
Canadian Permanent Residents are required to provide proof of immigration status and date of landing by submitting a copy of the Record of Landing Form or a copy of their Permanent Resident card.
Students registered in graduate degree programs at international universities may apply to come to UBC through the UBC Go Global Student Exchange Program or Visiting International Research Student (VIRS) Program. Graduate students at any of our Go Global exchange partner universities can also apply to come to UBC as an exchange student.
A Visiting International Research Student (VIRS) is an international student conducting research full-time at UBC, under the supervision of a UBC faculty member.
Supervisors of visiting students must pay an administration fee of $500 (payable to UBC Asian Studies) upon the student’s arrival at UBC.
Please visit the individual website links to access the most up-to-date information during the COVID-19 pandemic.