The Outstanding International Student (OIS) Award is the University of British Columbia’s one-time merit entrance scholarship for international students, and unlike most Canadian awards it also accepts students transferring in from another university or college. There is no separate application: UBC considers every international applicant who applies by its admission deadline, and the award is worth $10,000 to $25,000.
It is the award most Indian applicants are actually assessed for, because it has wider eligibility than UBC’s renewable entrance scholarship. This page explains what it pays, who qualifies, how UBC decides, and what you have to do to keep the money.
UBC Outstanding International Student Award: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, Canada |
| Last date to apply | Apply to UBC by its published admission deadline for your intake – OIS consideration is automatic with that application. Award decisions are made between mid-February and the end of April, and offers reach you before your admission acceptance deadline (most students: 1 May). |
| Official website | you.ubc.ca – Scholarships and awards for international students |
What the OIS Award is worth
- $10,000 to $25,000, awarded once, when you are offered admission. UBC’s page carries the figure from the previous cycle’s published value, so treat the amount in your own award offer as final.
- It is a one-time entrance scholarship, not a renewable one. The IMES is the renewable route; the OIS pays once.
- It is applied against the cost of your UBC degree. Like the IMES, it is merit-based only – UBC says it cannot take financial need into account – and it does not cover the full cost of study.
- There is no bond and no service condition attached. The award is a fee benefit, not a work obligation.
Who is eligible for the OIS Award
- You must be new to UBC. Continuing UBC students cannot win it.
- You can enter either directly from secondary school or from post-secondary study at a university or college. This is the key difference from the IMES, which is limited to school leavers.
- You must be an international student studying at UBC on a Canadian study permit.
- You must show outstanding academic achievement and strong involvement outside the classroom.
- You must not be nominated for a need-and-merit International Scholars award.
- You must apply to UBC by the admissions deadline – the award has no form of its own.
Indian students who have finished Class 12 and are applying to UBC for a first degree qualify on the school-leaver route. Students who have already completed one or two years of an Indian degree and want to transfer into second year at UBC qualify on the post-secondary route, which the IMES does not allow.
How UBC selects OIS recipients
UBC evaluates the academic and personal profile in your admission application. Admission decisions and award decisions are separate processes and run on different timelines: you first receive an offer of admission, and the merit-award evaluation follows. Because every international undergraduate applicant is considered, the competition is the whole international pool.
- Academic achievement carries the most weight – board results, predicted grades and the rigour of your curriculum.
- Extracurricular and community involvement is the second filter: sustained commitment and measurable impact read better than a long list of one-day activities.
- Financial need is not part of the assessment for this award.
- UBC notifies only successful recipients – not hearing anything is not an error, it is the normal outcome for most applicants.
How to apply: step by step
- Create your UBC application for the intake you want and pick your degree and campus.
- Fill the personal profile completely – it is the only material the scholarship committee sees.
- Submit before the admission deadline published on UBC’s Dates and Deadlines page.
- After the offer of admission arrives, wait for the merit-award evaluation between mid-February and the end of April.
- If you receive an OIS offer, accept it before your admission acceptance deadline – most students’ deadline is 1 May. Award offers are final.
- Budget for the rest of the degree. UBC states clearly that OIS and IMES do not cover the full cost of education.
Important dates
| UBC admission deadline | Published by UBC on its Dates and Deadlines page for each intake – this is the only deadline that matters for OIS consideration. |
| Offers of admission | May start rolling out in December. |
| Merit award decisions | Mid-February to the end of April. |
| Award offer and acceptance | Sent before your admission acceptance deadline; most students’ deadline is 1 May. |
OIS vs IMES: which one applies to you
| Entering from secondary school | Considered for both the IMES (renewable, up to three additional years) and the OIS (one-time). |
| Entering from another university or college | Considered for the OIS only – the IMES is restricted to students coming directly from school. |
| Significant financial need | Neither award considers need; the International Scholars Program is the need-and-merit route and requires nomination. |
Both awards are triggered by the same UBC application, so there is nothing extra to file. The practical lesson is simply to apply early in the cycle and to put real effort into the personal profile, because that is the only evidence the committee reads.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. It is open to international students who will study at UBC on a Canadian study permit, so Indian passport holders are eligible as international applicants. You must be new to UBC.
Yes. UBC lists eligibility for students entering directly from secondary school or from post-secondary study at a university or college, which is wider than the IMES. Transfer applicants are considered for the OIS but not for the IMES.
UBC lists the OIS at $10,000 to $25,000 as a one-time award. The published figure is from the previous cycle, so confirm the exact value in your award offer.
No. If you apply to UBC by the admissions deadline you are automatically considered for both the Outstanding International Student Award and the International Major Entrance Scholarship.
Award decisions are made between mid-February and the end of April, after admission offers go out. Only successful recipients are contacted, and the offer arrives before your admission acceptance deadline.
No. UBC states that the OIS and IMES are merit-based awards and that financial need cannot be taken into consideration. Students needing need-based funding should look at the International Scholars Program.
The two are assessed from the same application. In practice a school leaver is in the running for both, and the renewable IMES is the stronger outcome. You cannot combine either award with an International Scholars nomination.
Official links
- UBC – Scholarships and awards for international students (OIS, IMES and Okanagan awards)
- UBC – Dates and deadlines
- UBC – Applying to UBC
- UBC – International Scholars Program
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