UBC Graduate Application Data Released by CheersYou（清柚教育）

发布时间：Date: 2024-09-10 返回新鲜资讯Back to News

Based on CheersYou（清柚教育）'s eight-year tracking and sampling of UBC undergraduates, the article reveals that against a backdrop of a sluggish job market and rising hiring requirements, UBC students' enthusiasm for graduate applications continues to soar, with application rates for Fall 2024 and Fall 2025 hitting new highs. Data indicates that degree inflation has become an irreversible trend, and the growing importance of a graduate degree in job hunting is prompting more students to pursue further studies to enhance competitiveness in an increasingly tough workplace. In terms of destination preferences, notable shifts have occurred: the U.S., with its diverse programs and reasonable GPA expectations, saw its application share rise to 28.1%; Hong Kong has gained favor due to high rankings, proximity, and new programs; Singapore experienced a modest uptick despite high admission difficulty. Conversely, the UK's popularity dipped due to short durations and strict GPA cutoffs; Canada's graduate application rate fell to a record low of 21.7% amid tighter immigration policies and the closure of BCPNP; and Australia saw a recovery thanks to improved QS rankings. CheersYou（清柚教育） presents these data insights to offer UBC students valuable guidance for future planning.

Every encounter is the beginning of a miracle. The number of Chinese students at UBC is indeed declining year by year, so CheersYou（清柚教育） cherishes every connection even more. Congratulations to all of you on becoming UBC alumni of a QS #38 university! We still have plenty of time to spend together ✌️

(CheersYou（清柚教育） advisors at the UBC new student orientation)

Since CheersYou（清柚教育） first got to know UBC students, eight years have passed, and some changes are quietly taking place...

Let's do a thorough sampling survey, using 300 UBC international students each year as a sample, to bring you the most intuitive graduate application data report.

UBC Graduate Application Rate

The graduate school craze that had just gained momentum a few years ago was temporarily dampened at the start of the pandemic, but the surge in applications for Fall 2021 was closely tied to the sluggish job market.

Fall 2023 was even more fiercely competitive. Following the full reopening after the pandemic, all industries underwent a major reshuffle. Starting salaries dropped, recruitment quotas shrank while standards kept rising, making everyone acutely aware of the importance of a graduate degree. The trend of credential inflation is unlikely to reverse in the coming years; once the bar is raised, it's hard to lower it, and hiring thresholds will only get higher. Indeed, the rates for Fall 2024 and Fall 2025 have continued to climb.

UBC Graduate Application Rates by Destination Over the Years

First, the U.S., Hong Kong, and Singapore show upward trends, while the UK, Canada, and Australia are declining.

1. 🇬🇧 UK

It has always been a popular study-abroad destination, peaking in Fall 2023. However, due to the UK's strict GPA tier restrictions and concerns about one-year master's programs, it has been on a downward trend recently.

2. 🇨🇦 Canada

It has always been the top choice for most UBC students. Initially, the relatively low CRS scores in the Express Entry pool and the progressively relaxed immigration policies attracted many students to stay in Canada. But as CRS cut-off scores soared, Canadian graduate admission thresholds kept rising, and with increasing desire for higher-ranked and more globally recognized institutions, the number of Canadian graduate applications dropped significantly. The permanent closure of the BCPNP in early 2024 dealt another heavy blow, and the Canadian graduate application rate for Fall 2024 hit a new low of 21.7%. We're already looking forward to the Fall 2025 stats 📊

3. 🇦🇺 Australia

Hampered by concerns over the recognition of Australian degrees in the domestic job market, applications had been declining in recent years. However, thanks to the strong performance of Australian institutions in the 2024 QS rankings, the application rate for Fall 2024 recovered to pre-Fall 2021 levels.

4. 🇺🇸 United States

As the premier study destination with the highest degree value, numerous institutions, diverse program offerings, and reasonable GPA expectations, the proportion of students pursuing further studies here has risen markedly. Especially after the pandemic, it reached 28.1% in Fall 2024.

5. 🇭🇰 Hong Kong

Well-known among international students for its highly-ranked universities and proximity to Mainland China, many students who have studied far from home for years prefer to pursue graduate studies closer. Add to that the continuous launch of new programs, and the Hong Kong graduate application rate has surged!

6. 🇸🇬 Singapore

Due to its proximity to China and extremely high QS world rankings, Singapore is also admired and respected by UBC students. However, with only two main universities to choose from (NUS and NTU) and high admission difficulty, many students are deterred. The rate has only seen a slight increase in recent years.

(Some offer showcases for UBC students applying to the US, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore in Fall 2024)

Changes in UBC Students' Target Institutions

As more students opt to study in the U.S., awareness of rankings and institutional prestige has deepened, and the number of students admitted to Ivy League schools has gradually increased. A few years ago, some students pursued 'high program rankings' and the 'California sunshine,' but this year, for the majority of employment-oriented applicants, a high overall university ranking trumps all.

[Friendly reminder: U.S. graduate programs have high GPA flexibility, so even students with lower grades can consider applying!]

UCL has always been the top choice in the UK, known for its wide range of programs and impressive rankings, making it a top pick for business students (aside from the daunting Oxbridge). However, please note that the admission difficulty at UCL is increasing year by year; don't just look at the official minimum requirements 🙅

In recent years, UBC students have become less accepting of UK graduate programs—it's 'G5 or nothing,' which has contributed to the declining application rates for UK graduate programs overall and for non-G5/non-King's, Edinburgh, Manchester, Warwick schools in particular.

The end of the BCPNP era has drawn attention to Ontario's master's and PhD pathways. For Fall 2024, many students added applications to schools outside the Greater Toronto Area, such as Western and McMaster. Moreover, UBC's admission difficulty is greater than UT, so students preparing for the upcoming application season should choose wisely and not put all their eggs in one basket just because they are familiar with the Vancouver setting.

The application trend for Hong Kong is similar to the UK, and Hong Kong graduate programs are especially fond of Canadian bachelor's degree holders. With a plethora of new programs and early-bird info sessions in recent years, students with above-average GPAs are advised to apply to the top three Hong Kong universities!

Special reminder: Hong Kong graduate online applications open early. On August 24, 2024, the early round for all HKU Business School programs already closed.

And Singapore, not covered in the chart, exemplifies 'the early bird catches the worm': on August 22, NUS had already sent out early offers for some Fall 2025 programs.

CheersYou（清柚教育） at UBC

Over the past few years, we've worked closely with UBC students both online and offline.

Hundreds of graduate application seminars

In-depth communication and careful planning with UBC students

Providing professional educational guidance to thousands of students

CheersYou（清柚教育） advisors have spoken at numerous UBC summits, sharing insights on study abroad, graduate applications, career development, and youth development in China. They have also been invited multiple times to appear on Canadian City TV interview programs, offering continuous analysis of the latest political phenomena, providing perspectives on new policies for international students, discussing changes in study-abroad and immigration programs, and analyzing current issues in education, technology, and society.

We have also achieved remarkable results：top universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford,Cornell, Columbia, LSE, HKU, NUS, and UT have showered UBC students with offers! In highly competitive fields like Financial Engineering, CS, BA, Statistics, as well as extremely niche programs, offers kept rolling in. Stories of sweeping full-tuition awards and Ivy League sweeps in Fall 2024 are not uncommon!

(CheersYou（清柚教育） x UBC student undergraduate major profiles)

Of course, niche majors are not overlooked!

Such as Aquatic Conservation, Ecology and Restoration; Global Urbanization; Mediterranean Archaeology; Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Management; and applications to top art schools in the U.S.