About the scholarships
The Premier Undergraduate Scholarships and Wesbrook Scholars are UBC’s most prestigious designations offered to senior students with outstanding academic performance, leadership, and involvement in student and community activities.
Awards range from 20 Wesbrook Scholar designations each worth $1,000 to renewable scholarships worth $20,000 over two years.
If you’re eligible for the award, you will receive an email invitation to attend an information session in September.
Eligibility requirements
- You demonstrate strong leadership, teamwork skills, and community participation (on- or off-campus). Some awards require an interest or participation in athletics.
- You have studied on the UBC Vancouver Campus during the two previous winter sessions (2023/24 and 2024/25) while meeting the registration requirements.
- You rank academically in the top 10% of your year level and awarding faculty.
- You also meet one of the following criteria:
- You are in the third, fourth, or fifth year of a baccalaureate program and on track to graduate in 2026 or 2027.
- You are enrolled in the M.D., D.M.D., or J.D. program.
- You are in the first year of a Masters degree program (students in a PhD program or in a dual-degree PhD program are not eligible for this award).
If you’re a baccalaureate student graduating in 2026 or 2027
As students are automatically promoted to the next class standing, it is important that you check your program and degree requirements to ensure that you will graduate by 2026 or 2027. Please refer to the Academic Calendar and/or your Academic Progress Report (if applicable to your faculty) in Workday for program or degree requirements before reaching out to your faculty.
Registration requirements
In addition to the above requirements, you must also fulfill registration requirements.
To meet the registration requirements during your current winter session (2025/26 Winter Session) and your previous two winter sessions (2023/24 and 2024/25 Winter Session), you must have been registered in one of the following:
- A minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits during both terms of the Winter Session
- An approved reduced course load due to extenuating circumstances (documentation required)
- A co-op or education abroad program in one term and 12 percentage-graded credits in the other term of the same Winter Session
- A co-op or education abroad program for both terms during a given Winter Session
If you are graduating in May 2026 or you have an approved reduced course load, you can have your current winter registration requirements waived upon confirmation.
If you studied abroad during the previous Winter Session, please email ubc.pwb@ubc.ca and provide us with a copy of your transcript from the exchange institution. For competitive scholarships, grades from exchange terms will be compared and converted to UBC grades so that a GPA can be calculated for award eligibility.
For detailed requirements of all awards, please read the UBC Regulations Governing University Awards.
How to apply
To apply for the Premier Undergraduate and Wesbrook Scholarships, you must first be invited by your academic faculty or school. Your faculty will then reach out to you and provide a link to the online application form.
For details on the required documents for the application, please refer to the student instructions (pdf) for the scholarships.
Application timeline
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Tues, Oct 14, 2025 | Deadline for online application |
| Mid-January 2026 | Shortlisted students are notified. |
| Early February 2026 | Shortlisted students are interviewed. |
| Mid-February 2026 | Award winners are announced. |
Award descriptions
The following awards were included in the 2024/25 competition. Award amounts for the 2025/26 competition are to be confirmed. Awards and award amounts may vary by academic year.
| Scholarship name | Description |
|---|---|
| C. K. Choi Scholarship | One $15,000 scholarship renewable for a second year based on maintained scholarship standing |
| Sherwood Lett Memorial Scholarship | One $6,500 scholarship renewable for a second year based on maintained scholarship standing |
| Carl Bradford Robertson Scholarship | Four $16,625 scholarships |
| Harry Logan Memorial Scholarship and Harold B. & Nellie Boyes Memorial Scholarship | Two scholarships of $2,150 and $12,100 awarded together, totaling $14,250 |
| Thelma Sharp Cook Scholarship | One $13,600 scholarship |
| HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship | Nine $5,000 scholarships |
| Amy E. Sauder Scholarship and Jean Craig Smith Scholarship | Two scholarships of $3,500 and $1,250 awarded together, totaling $4,750 |
| Wesbrook Scholar | Twenty scholarships of $1,000 and the Wesbrook Scholar designation |
| Martha C. Piper Arts Award in Global Citizenship | One $1,400 award to an eligible Arts student under the Wesbrook Scholar criteria |
| John H. Mitchell Scholarship | One $1,045 scholarship |
Frequently Asked Questions
When you are drafting your application, remember that the Faculty representatives and the Selection Committee members don’t know you. This application is your chance to tell your story and highlight your most important accomplishments as they relate to your community involvement, leadership, and other local or global experiences.
Brainstorm and create a list of all of the activities that you’ve been involved in during your time at UBC. From this list, determine which activities and accomplishments have been the most impactful for your own personal development and reflect who you are and what you’ve achieved during your time at UBC.
An important part of this application is letting UBC know who you are and what makes you unique. In your personal statement, speak to your most meaningful accomplishments and experiences during your undergraduate studies at UBC. This can include your general interests, leadership roles, activities, clubs, academic projects or research, sports, arts, volunteer or work experiences, as well as your goals for the future.
You must arrange for 2 confidential letters of recommendation to be submitted in support of your application. A strong referee is someone who is able to comment on the activities you’ve indicated in your personal statement and/or statement of activities. They should also be able to speak to your leadership and/or involvement in student and community activities.
A faculty reference is someone who you have worked closely with during your time at UBC and holds the title of Instructor, Professor, adjunct professor, or Emeritus Professor.
A Teacher Assistant (TA) is not considered a faculty reference.
A strong referee is someone who can comment on the activities you’ve indicated in your personal statement and/or statement of activities. They should also be able to speak to your leadership or involvement in student and community activities. Examples include managers, supervisors, or volunteer coordinators.
Your referees should submit your letters of reference on official letterhead and using an official work email (e.g., yourname@ubc.ca, yourname@bchydro.com).
If your community or professional reference does not have an official work email because they have left the organization or your reference is more of an informal leader, a personal email address can be accepted. However, a work email is preferred.
When submitting the official reference, please ensure that the reference letter meets all the following requirements:
- Includes the company’s official letterhead
- Includes a signature and date
- Is submitted as a PDF document only
- Does not exceed 2 pages
- File name follows the format: First Name Last Name (Student Number)
The Selection Committee is composed of faculty members, UBC staff, student representatives, and a UBC alumnus. Interviews are conducted by UBC Award Managers.
Award winners
Congratulations to the Premier Undergraduate Scholarship and Wesbrook Scholar Recipients.
Take a look at interviews with the scholars:
| Name | Awards |
|---|---|
| Davis Toth | Jean Craig Smith Scholarship, Amy E Sauder Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Thomas McIlwraith | John H Mitchell Memorial Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Jayden Emslie | Thelma Sharp Cook Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Dean Ciarniello | Carl Bradford Robertson Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Markus Kaiser | Carl Bradford Robertson Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Ryan Mitchell | Carl Bradford Robertson Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Sydney Mardon | Carl Bradford Robertson Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Tim Vong | Sherwood Lett Memorial Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Mariam Eji-Lasisi | CK Choi Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Ambihai Akilan | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Anna Pontin | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Ben Nixon | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Diana Andrews | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Jane Platt | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar DesignatioN |
| Jasper Delichte | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Joshua Yoon | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Joyce Xi | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Madison McBlain | Harry Logan Memorial Scholarship, Harold B and Nellie Boyes Memorial Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Ambihai Akilan | Martha C Piper Arts Award in Global Citizenship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Achol Jones | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
| Aditya Swaro | HSBC Emerging Leader Scholarship, Wesbrook Scholar Designation |
If you have questions
If you have questions, please contact your Enrolment Services Advisor directly.
For general questions, please call 604 822 9836 or submit a question through the online form.