UBC

UBC

Coordinates: 49°15′40″N 123°15′11″W / 49.26111°N 123.25306°W / 49.26111; -123.25306

The University of British Columbia (commonly referred to as UBC) is a Canadian public research university with campuses and facilities in British Columbia, Canada. Established by the provincial legislature in 1908, UBC's main 4.02 km2 (993-acre) Vancouver campus is located within the University Endowment Lands, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Downtown Vancouver. The 2.09 km2 (516-acre) Kelowna campus, open since 2005, is located in the Okanagan Valley. UBC is considered to be one of the most reputable post-secondary institutions in Canada.

Originally, the university was closely affiliated with McGill University and director Henry Marshall Tory (McGill alumni) who was not only associated with the origins of UBC, but inaugurated other universities such as the University of Victoria, Carleton College, and the University of Alberta. A corporation by the name of The University of British Columbia was first incorporated April 26, 1890. Subsequent enactments culminating on March 7, 1908 with another act gave the university its current form. The first day of lectures was September 30, 1915, and lectures began at the new Point Grey campus on September 22, 1925. UBC's enabling legislation is the University Act which was later followed by the University Amendment Act, 2004. The university is the oldest in British Columbia and has the largest enrolment with over 56,000 students at its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses combined.

UBC was ranked 2nd among major Canadian research universities by Maclean's magazine in 2013. The university was ranked 30th worldwide (and 2nd in Canada) in the 2012–2013 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 39th worldwide (and 2nd in Canada) in the 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities, and 8th overall in Newsweek's ranking of top universities outside of the United States. In 2011, UBC reported the highest entrance requirements for undergraduate admission in Canada. UBC faculty, alumni, and researchers have won seven Nobel Prizes, 67 Rhodes Scholarships, 64 Olympic medals, and alumni include two Canadian prime ministers.

UBC is consistently included among the top three research universities in Canada, and among the top research universities in the world, both in terms of quality and quantity of research. In 2011, UBC reported $549 million per year in research funding, involving over 13,000 faculty and staff. A founding member of the U15, UBC attracts research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through more than 8,000 projects.

UBC is a non-sectarian and coeducational institution, with more than 275,000 living alumni in 120 countries. The university is a member of Universitas 21, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning, the International Association of Universities, the U15 and the only Canadian member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. The university's varsity teams, known as the Thunderbirds, compete in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport.