Hello all,
Today I got this mail. Has anyone got the same mail?
Dear Viraj,
I hope this message finds you and your families healthy. With the start of 2021, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the year ahead.
As the Covid-19 pandemic has moved into a more chronic state, there is both hope and concern ahead of us. We see hope and opportunity through the vaccination programs that are rolling out globally. At the same time, there are already obstacles and delays with the vaccination programs, and there are new, more contagious variants causing concern.
Today, we are communicating some important updates regarding your academic program and our policies.
Program Mode of Delivery: September – December 2021
UBC President Santa Ono recently announced that the summer term (May – August 2021) will continue to be offered primarily online. Further, all academic-related travel (exchanges, study abroad, international co-op/internships) outside Canada continues to be on hold. At present, we cannot make guarantees about the mode of teaching for Opening Week (August 30 – September 3, 2021) and Winter Term 1 (September – December 2021) for the UBC MBA program. We expect UBC will announce the teaching mode for Winter Term 1 in late spring.
Deferrals & Withdrawals
We know that in-person learning is highly desirable; we will bring students back into the classroom once it is safe and viable to do so. We know that this update about Winter Term 1 teaching mode may be disappointing, and that it has unintended consequences for all involved, in particular for our international students for whom travel and multiple immigration (study permits, PGWPP, PNP) issues are front of mind. Knowing that this continues to be a challenging situation, please read the important information below carefully.
1. Deferrals
Should you receive and accept an offer of admission, we will not be extending the option to defer into the next program intake.
2. Withdrawal & Tuition Deposit
If you receive and accept an offer of admission by paying the tuition deposit, but decide to withdraw after March 9, 2021, we will not be issuing tuition deposit refunds. The tuition deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. Students who withdraw have the option to re-apply for August 2022 admission. We will waive the admission fee and carry forward most admissions documents.
Program-related Travel
For programs with optional study abroad opportunities (Exchange or Summer Study Abroad or Global Network Weeks), we cannot guarantee that these will be available during your program. Decisions about these programs will be made at a later date considering health and safety, and the ease of travel and accessing necessary visas. In some cases, these programs may be offered by our international partner institutions in a virtual format.
For programs with a required international travel component (Global Immersion Experience - GIE), we cannot guarantee that this will be offered in the usual format involving international travel. Decisions about GIE will be made at a later date considering health and safety, and the ease of travel and accessing necessary visas. UBC Sauder will consider the academic goals of GIE and determine if there are other ways to deliver this course should international travel not be viable.
We recognize that this is a challenging and dynamic situation, and that you have many things to consider regarding your education and professional plans. As a business school, we are balancing your needs along with the needs of many qualified applicants still in process for August 2021 entry and the next cycle’s applicants. As you move through our admissions process, we ask that you keep today’s program updates and policies information in mind. Our team is here to support you. You may email us at
zaa.nkweta@sauder.ubc.ca /
vivian.tran@sauder.ubc.ca or schedule (Zaa) / schedule (Vivian) a 1:1 virtual advising session.
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