University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia (commonly referred to as UBC) is a Canadian public research university with campuses and facilities in British Columbia,Canada. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the province of British Columbia and has the largest enrollment with over 57,000 students at its Vancouverand Okanagan campuses combined.^[8] The university was incorporated in Vancouver in 1908 as the McGill University College of British Columbia, and became the independent University of British Columbia in 1915. 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.

As of the 2012-2013 school year, UBC was ranked 2nd in Canada among major research universities in the Maclean's 22nd annual rankingsThe university was also ranked 30th worldwide (and 2nd in Canada) in the 2012–2013 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 40th worldwide (and 2nd in Canada) in the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities, and 8th overall (and 2nd among Canadian universities) 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 fiscal year 2012, UBC reported $519 million per year in research funding, involving over 16,000 faculty and staff. A founding member of the U15, UBC attracts research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through approximately 8,000 projects. The university encompasses twenty-six faculties and schools at its Vancouvercampus, eight faculties and schools at its Okanagan campus and is affiliated with several research institutes, centres, organizations and hospitals.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, theAssociation 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.