Who Gets Priority

Two female students sitting on a bed.

“The biggest and best decision in my life was to live in residence. You get the full university experience.” – Totem Park resident

Some applicants are guaranteed a room in residence at UBC. We assign rooms to these applicants first.

  1. Priority Access students
  2. Prospective undergraduates who are incoming first year students

A spot in residence is not guaranteed if you do not meet the requirements, but you may still apply.

Priority Access

Base Criteria
(must meet ALL requirements)

  1. You are eligible to live in residence based on age and academic credit load.
  2. Your application to UBC and your application for Winter Session Residence were received on time. First year students can open a residence application as soon as they complete their application to UBC.
  3. You must receive and accept UBC’s offer of academic admission by June 1.

Additional Criteria
(must have ONE of the following)

  1. You are a newly admitted student who identifies as an Aboriginal person of Canada.
  2. You are a new student and have a disability or ongoing medical condition that significantly affects your housing needs. You must demonstrate eligibility by providing a priority access or placement application, along with supporting documents, to the Centre for Accessibility by the deadline posted on Student Services.
  3. You are participating in ONE of the following reciprocal university student exchange programs (limited space available for Term One only):
    • Go Global
    • Korea University-UBC Joint Academic Program
    • Tec de Monterrey-UBC Joint Academic Program
    • UBC Ritsumeikan Academic Exchange Program

Students with mobility or agility disabilities may request accommodations above the ground floor. However, this choice may be inconvenient at times because of occasional elevator issues/maintenance. Stair use will be required in some circumstances.

Please contact the Centre for Accessibility or Student Housing and Community Services for more information about Priority Access.

First Year Guarantee

Base Criteria for First Year Guarantee
(must meet ALL requirements)

  1. You are eligible to live in residence based on your age and academic credit load.
  2. Your application to UBC and application for Winter Session Residence were received on time. First year students can open a residence application when applying to UBC.
  3. You must receive and accept UBC’s offer of academic admission by June 1.
  4. You are entering UBC directly from high school or CEGEP (i.e., you graduated within the last year, between this June and the previous June, and you have not completed any post-secondary coursework).