University of British Columbia Fees: Nepali Students
UBC lists ~$51k/yr (CS) tuition for international students. See Vancouver living costs, proof-of-funds figures and English scores for Nepali applicants.
What UBC costs an international student
The University of British Columbia's published international fee figure in our data is ~$51k/yr (CS) — that is per year, for Computer Science, in Canadian dollars. UBC is in Vancouver, and our cost-of-living data puts Vancouver at $3,500 per month, with the note "Most expensive rent in Canada".
Those two numbers are the whole planning problem for a Nepali family. Tuition is the figure everyone asks about, but Vancouver rent is what quietly breaks a budget in year two. Keep the two figures separate in your head and in your spreadsheet — add them yourself, once you know how many years your programme runs and how many months you will actually be in Canada.
Read the fee figure carefully
Three things about ~$51k/yr (CS):
- It is per year, not for the whole degree. A four-year bachelor's is four of these.
- It is the Computer Science figure. Faculties price differently at UBC. Arts, Engineering, Science and Commerce are not the same number, and a graduate programme is not the same number either. We do not have those figures, so we are not going to print a guess.
- It is tuition. Student fees, health cover, books and a laptop are not inside it.
Before you commit, open your exact programme page on UBC's own site and read the fee for that programme and that intake year: https://you.ubc.ca
| Item | Figure in our data | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| UBC tuition (Computer Science) | ~$51k/yr (CS) | per year |
| Vancouver living cost | $3,500 | per month |
| Burnaby living cost (SFU/BCIT area) | $3,200 | per month |
Living in Vancouver, and the cheaper cities people ignore
Vancouver and Toronto sit at the top of our cost table at $3,500 per month each. Burnaby, right next door and home to SFU and BCIT, is listed at $3,200 per month — described in our data as "slightly below Vancouver".
If UBC is not the only university you are considering, look at what the same month costs elsewhere in Canada. The gap between a Vancouver budget and a Prairie budget is the single largest lever a Nepali student has over total cost, and it is larger than most scholarship amounts.
| City | Monthly living cost | Note from our data |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | $3,500 | Most expensive rent in Canada |
| Toronto | $3,500 | Highest demand; 1-BR ~$2,300+ |
| Burnaby | $3,200 | SFU/BCIT — slightly below Vancouver |
| Ottawa | $2,900 | Capital; uOttawa/Algonquin |
| Waterloo | $2,700 | Tech town; student-heavy |
| Calgary | $2,700 | No provincial sales tax |
| Halifax | $2,500 | Atlantic; AIP region |
| Montreal | $2,400 | Cheapest big city; Quebec rules differ |
| Edmonton | $2,400 | Affordable Alberta |
| Winnipeg | $2,200 | Lowest cost; UManitoba |
| Saskatoon | $2,200 | USask; affordable Prairies |
| Regina | $2,200 | Affordable |
| Fredericton | $2,200 | UNB; low cost |
| Other (small city) | $2,100 | Smaller centres trend cheaper |
Two cautions on this table. First, these are monthly living costs, not tuition — a cheaper city does not mean a cheaper university. Second, Montreal carries the note "Quebec rules differ", so do not assume anything you read about British Columbia applies there.
More destination background sits on our Canada hub.
Proof of funds: the figures that actually get checked
Tuition is what the university checks. Funds are what the application checks. These are the proof-of-funds figures for Canada in our data, by number of family members travelling:
| Family members | Funds figure |
|---|---|
| 1 | $23,448 |
| 2 | $29,192 |
| 3 | $35,888 |
| 4 | $43,572 |
| 5 | $49,419 |
| 6 | $55,736 |
| 7 | $62,054 |
| Each additional member | $6,318 |
Here is the catch, and it is the most useful sentence in this guide. The published single-applicant figure is $23,448. The Vancouver living cost in the same data set is $3,500 per month. Put those side by side and work out for yourself how far a published minimum stretches in the most expensive rental market in the country. A file that shows exactly the minimum and not a rupee more is a file that invites questions.
Confirm the current funds figure on the official Government of Canada website before you move any money, because these numbers are revised.
The household multiplier
Our data also carries a cost multiplier by household size — useful if a spouse is coming with you.
| People in household | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1.55 |
| 3 | 1.85 |
| 4 | 2.15 |
Apply it to the city monthly figure yourself, or let our Master Reckoner do the matching for you — it lines up course, cost, entry requirement and English score in one place, free.
Where Nepali files go wrong on funds
- Money that landed last week. Sudden large deposits with no explanation are the classic problem. Build the balance early and be able to explain every source.
- Land sale and loan papers with no paper trail. If it is property or a bank loan, the documentation has to connect to the account.
- Funds in someone's name who is not on the file. Sponsor documents need to match the sponsor.
- Budgeting on the minimum. See above.
Entry and English requirements for UBC
| Requirement | UBC |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each band |
| TOEFL | 90 |
| PTE | 65 |
The band requirement is where Nepali applicants get caught. An overall 6.5 with a 5.5 in writing does not meet a 6.5 (6.0) requirement. Students retake the whole test for one band, lose a month, and miss the intake. If your writing or listening has been weak in practice tests, fix that band before you book the real exam.
Academic entry requirements vary by faculty and programme. We do not have programme-specific academic cut-offs for UBC in this data set, so check your programme page at https://you.ubc.ca rather than trusting a consultancy's summary sheet.
Scholarships
Our data does not list any UBC scholarship, bursary or fee reduction for Nepali students, so this guide is not going to name one or quote an amount. If a counsellor or an agent tells you a specific UBC award is guaranteed for Nepali applicants, ask them to show you the page on you.ubc.ca that says so, with the eligibility criteria and the deadline. Most disappointment starts with a number nobody could source.
How to build your number before you apply
- Open your exact UBC programme page and note the per-year tuition for that programme. Do not reuse the Computer Science figure for a different faculty.
- Multiply that per-year tuition by the number of years in your degree, using your own calculator.
- Take the Vancouver figure of $3,500 per month and decide how many months a year you will be there.
- Check the funds figure for your household size in the table above and compare it honestly against steps 2 and 3.
- Only then decide whether Vancouver is the right city for your budget, or whether a $2,200-per-month city with a suitable programme makes more sense.
Our guides section covers applications, documents and intakes in more detail.
Official sources
- University of British Columbia — fees, programmes and admission requirements: https://you.ubc.ca
Figures change each intake. Treat this page as a planning starting point and the university's own page as the authority.
Common questions
How much is UBC tuition per year for international students?
Our data lists UBC's international tuition as ~$51k/yr (CS) — that is the Computer Science figure, per year, in Canadian dollars. Other faculties charge differently and we do not have those figures here. Check your specific programme at https://you.ubc.ca before budgeting.
How much money do I need to show for a Canadian study permit?
For a single applicant the funds figure in our data is $23,448, rising to $29,192 for two family members and $35,888 for three, with $6,318 for each additional member. That is a published figure, not a comfortable one — Vancouver living cost in the same data is $3,500 per month. Confirm the current figure on the official Government of Canada website.
What IELTS score does UBC ask for?
IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each band. UBC also lists TOEFL 90 and PTE 65. The per-band minimum matters as much as the overall score, so do not book the test until your weakest section is safely above 6.0.
Is it cheaper to study near Vancouver instead of in it?
Burnaby, where SFU and BCIT are, is listed at $3,200 per month against Vancouver's $3,500 per month. Cities further east are lower again — Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and Fredericton all sit at $2,200 per month. Those are living costs only; tuition depends entirely on the institution and programme you choose.