HIED Graduate Certificate Program

Admissions Requirements

For admission to the GCHIED, applicants must provide evidence of experience, paid or voluntary, in the field of higher education and meet all general admission requirements for graduate study at UBC.

All graduate program applicants in the Department of Educational Studies (EDST) must meet the minimum entry requirements established by the Faculty of Graduate + Postdoctoral Studies, which oversees graduate work at UBC. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements will be considered for admission only in exceptional circumstances.

To be eligible for admission to a graduate program at UBC, applicants must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree (apart from applicants from Quebec) with a minimum overall average in the B+ range (at UBC 76%) in third- and fourth-year courses prescribed by the Department concerned as prerequisite to the master’s program.

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies – Minimum Academic Requirements: Canadian or U.S. Credentials
http://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/minimum-academic-requirements-canadian-or-us-credentials

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies – Minimum Academic Requirements: International Credentials
http://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/minimum-academic-requirements-international-credentials

English Language Proficiency Test Score: Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to EDST programs are:

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language):
  • Tests taken prior to January 21, 2026 (1-120 scale): 92 overall with a minimum of 22 in each component
  • Tests taken as of January 21, 2026 (1-6 scale): 4.5 overall with a minimum component score of 5 (listening), 4.5 (reading, writing) and 4 (speaking)
• IELTS (International English Language Testing Service): a minimum overall band score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component of the academic (NOT general) IELTS test
• DET (Duolingo English Test): The Duolingo English Test will be accepted for May 2027 admissions and onwards. The minimum requirement is 125 overall with a minimum component score of 115 (listening, reading) and 120 (writing, speaking).

Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application. The official test score must be sent directly from the test centre to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at UBC. Please follow the instructions on score submission on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website:  https://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/english-language-test.

Application Information

See the deadline for GCHIED applications here https://edst.educ.ubc.ca/future-students/deadlines/. This deadline is also when all relevant documents (transcripts, references, etc) must be received.