COVID-19 didn’t hamper UBCO enrolment

It has been a tough year for many organizations, but enrolment at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus continued to increase despite COVID-19.

Domestic undergraduate enrolment is up 5.7 per cent this year compared to last year, with 6,973 students currently enrolled. In contrast, domestic undergraduate enrolment increased 4.2 per cent from 2018 to 2019 and 4.9 per cent from 2017 to 2018.

International undergraduate enrolment is also up 9.1 per cent this year compared to last year, with 1,664 students enrolled this year. In contrast, international undergraduate enrolment increased 20.8 per cent from 2018 to 2019, and 29.7 per cent from 2017 to 2018.

“There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a challenging year for many and we’re deeply encouraged to see so many students committed to their education and putting their trust in UBC,” UBC Okanagan Provost and Vice-President Academic, Ananya Mukherjee Reed. “These strong enrolment numbers are a testament to the resilience of our students and of UBC as an institution said. I know there may be gaps, but I am deeply grateful to our faculty, staff who are trying to offer the very best we can.”

The Okanagan campus welcomed 11,599 students total (including part-time) from more than 100 countries and 18 time zones around the world.

UBC staff and faculty had to retool and develop new models of delivering curriculum, with over 3,000 classes being taught remotely, which means fewer students on campus.

UBCO student housing is currently at about 19 per cent occupancy.

“Occupancy at student residences in the Okanagan is certainly down from previous years,” UBC Okanagan’s Director of Business Operations, Shannon Dunn said. “But that also affords us extra capacity to ensure those students who are living on campus can have a safe, comfortable and physically distanced learning experience. We’re hard at work making that a reality.”