Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award - University of British Columbia, Canada

Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award at the University of British Columbia is a need-and-merit-based entrance award within UBC’s International Scholars Program for incoming international undergraduate students. The award recognises superior academic achievement, demonstrable leadership and significant financial need, and is intended to enable students who would otherwise be unable to attend UBC.

Award value is proportional to assessed financial need. UBC calculates need by totalling tuition, fees and living costs and subtracting the financial contribution you and your family can make each year. Awards may be renewed while you complete your undergraduate degree, subject to continued financial need and satisfactory academic standing.

Recipients join the International Scholars cohort and receive dedicated advising, skill-building workshops and retreats, and optional access to exchange and co-op opportunities. UBC reports over 560 International Scholars since 2001, representation from more than 108 countries, and more than 200 hours of developmental workshops and one-on-one support available to Scholars over the course of their degree.

The Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award provides need-based financial support determined by UBC’s standard needs assessment. The award’s value is proportional to the assessed financial need of each recipient and may include coverage of tuition, mandatory fees and some contribution to living costs.

• Tuition and mandatory fees: The award can cover all or part of assessed tuition and mandatory university fees depending on the calculated need.
• Living costs: UBC’s needs assessment considers living expenses; recipients may receive funding that contributes to housing, food and other basic living costs as determined necessary.
• Renewal: Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years of undergraduate study or until degree completion, whichever comes first, provided you maintain satisfactory academic standing and continue to demonstrate financial need.
• Program support: Recipients join the International Scholars Program and receive dedicated advising, skill-building workshops, retreats and increased access to student-development activities and community supports.
• Opportunities: Scholars have the option to participate in exchange and co-op opportunities where available and appropriate for their degree, subject to programme rules.

UBC calculates the exact mix and scale of coverage from the financial documents you submit. No fixed award amount is published for this category; the value varies by applicant. The award aims to reduce the gap between assessed costs and the family contribution so applicants can undertake studies at UBC.

The Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award is for students applying to their first undergraduate degree at UBC. Applicants must be entering UBC directly from an accredited secondary school; applicants seeking a second undergraduate degree or transferring from another university are not eligible for this award stream.

Applicants must meet UBC’s general and degree-specific admission requirements and the English Language Admission Standard for direct entry. If you do not meet the English standard you may be eligible for Vantage College and the separate Vantage One Excellence Award, but not the International Scholars financial-need awards.

Candidates for the award select a UBC campus and degree at application; the award may be held at UBC Vancouver or UBC Okanagan depending on the chosen program and campus and subject to the list of ineligible degrees.

The award accepts applicants from most undergraduate fields at UBC, including Arts, Science, Engineering, Commerce and other standard bachelor programmes, provided the chosen degree is eligible. Selection is based on a combination of academic achievement, leadership and demonstrated financial need rather than on a specific subject area.

UBC lists several degrees that are not eligible for International Scholars Program awards. These ineligible programs include the Bachelor of Nursing (Okanagan and Vancouver), Bachelor of Dental Science in Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science, the Bachelor + Master of Management degree, dual or joint degrees between UBC campuses, and joint degrees with other post-secondary institutions. Confirm your intended programme is eligible before applying.

If your intended subject or degree is not on UBC’s eligible list, you should choose a different eligible programme or contact UBC admissions for clarification before submitting your application.

The International Scholars Program is open to international students from any country who will study in Canada on a Canadian study permit. There is no nationality restriction beyond the requirement to be an international student; selection focuses on academic performance, leadership and assessed financial need.

Applicants from war-torn, politically unstable or economically disadvantaged areas may be nominated by a registered non-profit organisation in place of a high school when no school nomination is possible. This option is reserved for cases where no high school nomination can be arranged due to local conditions.

Nomination limits apply: a high school or registered non-profit may nominate up to two students for UBC Vancouver (including Vantage College) and one student for UBC Okanagan. For Winter 2027 applicants, those applying to the Winter session must have graduated from high school no earlier than June 2026. Maintain the required study-permit and residency conditions if offered an award.

To be considered for the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award and the International Scholars Program, applicants generally need to meet all of the following requirements.

• International student status: You must be an international applicant who will study in Canada on a valid Canadian study permit if admitted and must intend to enrol in an undergraduate degree at UBC.
• Entry level: You must be entering UBC directly from an accredited secondary school and applying for your first undergraduate degree. Applicants for a second undergraduate degree or transfers are not eligible for these awards.
• Graduation date for Winter 2027: Applicants for the 2027 Winter session must have graduated from high school no earlier than June 2026.
• Academic standing: You must demonstrate superior academic achievement. UBC states that applicants should achieve an all-A average or an equivalent standard. Academic records and transcripts are required for assessment.
• English language: You must meet UBC’s English Language Admission Standard by the stated document deadline. If you do not meet the standard for direct entry you may be eligible for Vantage College and the Vantage One Excellence Award instead, but not the International Scholars financial-need awards.
• Significant financial need: You must demonstrate a level of financial need that would make it impossible to pursue a UBC degree without substantial support. UBC requires official documentation of family gross income, expenses, assets, dependents and other sources of support to perform a needs assessment.
• Nomination and referee: You must be nominated by your high school or an authorised registered non-profit acting as an educational institution in places where a school nomination is not possible. You must also provide a teacher referee. The nominator and the teacher referee must be different people. A high school or registered non-profit may nominate up to two students for UBC Vancouver (including Vantage College) and one student for UBC Okanagan.
• Application stream: If you apply to the International Scholars Program you will not be considered for UBC merit-based entrance awards; you will be evaluated only under the financial-need-based award stream.
• Documentation and deadlines: You must be prepared to submit official financial documents and all transcripts or certificates required by UBC Admissions. For International Scholars applicants there is a specific documents deadline; if transcripts are delayed you should submit them as soon as they become available to remain in consideration.
• Programme exclusions: Certain degrees are not eligible for International Scholars Program awards. These include Bachelor of Nursing (Okanagan and Vancouver), Bachelor of Dental Science in Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science, Bachelor + Master of Management, dual degrees, joint degrees between UBC campuses, and joint degrees with other post-secondary institutions. Confirm eligibility of your chosen degree before applying.

There are no exceptions to UBC’s stated eligibility criteria. Meeting the criteria does not guarantee an award; selection considers the combination of academic excellence, leadership and the assessed level of financial need. The financial assessment is central to the award and requires complete, accurate supporting documents from you and your family.

Step 1: Decide your academic programme and campus (mid-September). Choose the UBC degree and campus where you wish to study. The International Scholars Program will consider you for your first-choice programme; select a second choice as a backup. Confirm the programme is eligible for International Scholars awards before continuing.

Step 2: Confirm nomination availability and identify your nominator and teacher referee (late September). Speak with your high school or an authorised registered non-profit about nomination. You need one nominator (guidance counsellor, principal, school administrator or equivalent) and one teacher referee; they must be different people. Note the campus nomination limits: up to two nominees per high school for UBC Vancouver (including Vantage College) and one nominee for UBC Okanagan.

Step 3: Apply for admission to UBC (early October). Submit your UBC Undergraduate Admissions application before starting the International Scholars award application. The award application will request confirmation that your UBC admissions application has been submitted. Applying to UBC early ensures you can access the award application as soon as it opens.

Step 4: Create your International Scholars Program account and invite referees (early October). After creating an ISP account, invite your nominator and teacher referee to complete their online recommendation forms. The award application cannot be completed until both the nominator and teacher referee forms have been submitted, so follow up with them early.

Step 5: Gather financial documentation and draft your essays (mid-October). Collect official family documents that show gross income, expenses, assets, dependents and any school fees. Use UBC’s cost estimator to calculate family contribution and estimated financial need. Prepare your extracurricular history, awards information and four short essays (approximately 150–250 words each). Provide thoughtful, specific answers and allow time to collect clear, verifiable financial records.

Step 6: Submit the International Scholars Program application by the award deadline (by November 15). Complete and submit the ISP application well before November 15. The application must include your essays, the nominator and teacher referee forms and the financial information requested. Submitting early reduces risk from technical problems.

Step 7: Submit required admission documents to UBC (document deadline January 31). After you apply to UBC you will receive a “Your UBC Application – Next Steps” email. Follow its instructions and upload any transcripts, certificates and other documents UBC requires. For International Scholars Program applicants the document deadline is January 31; if your transcripts are delayed submit them as soon as available. You must also meet the English Language Admission Standard by January 31 if required.

Step 8: Complete the video interview if invited (January–March). Some applicants will be invited to a short video interview. You will typically have one week to record responses using the ISP platform. Use the interview to expand on leadership experiences and community impact not fully covered in your essays.

Step 9: Monitor communications and await decisions (February–April). UBC issues results on a rolling basis between February and April. Check your email and spam folders regularly for messages from UBC Admissions and the ISP team. If you receive an award, follow UBC’s instructions on acceptance, study-permit arrangements and residence applications. If you plan to apply for UBC Housing, wait until award decisions are released before applying for residence. Always consult the official International Scholars Program web pages for any updates to process or dates for the 2027 intake.