A four-week academic program offered by The University of British Columbia.
UBC's School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) offers a variety of planning course packages that provide skills and knowledge in topics ranging from data analysis, GIS, and the art of negotiation to community engagement and the built environment.
While learning about these topics, you have a chance to immerse yourself in Canada's diverse culture and practice language skills and trades, as well as learn a new perspective in your own field or passion. In addition to interactive lectures and tours of the region, you can take part in a variety of social activities where you will meet students from other universities and UBC.
Stay tuned for our 2024 offerings!
Some past VSP students
on their experience
Institution: University of Edinburgh
Alexandra Kniblauch, 2023
"I did not know what planning and project management involved before coming to UBC for the VSP programme with SCARP. The course taught me a lot about planning and I feel more confident now in organising projects. Besides learning new skills, I met a lot of new, friendly and interesting people during my time at UBC. Throughout the course we have bonded and grown together and I believe we will remain friends for a long time. I will always think back of the friendships and memories I have made at UBC and wish that I could have stayed for longer."
What more past VSP students say about the program
On the plane back home, I couldn’t help remembering the wonderful moments that I came across in the campus of UBC. I attended the summer program in the School of Community and Regional Planning. From kind and knowledgeable professors to diverse and cooperative students, from time-honour anthropology museum to elegant botanical gardens, from the GIS project in my laptop to the new perspective of Big Data in my mind, I told myself that it was a month worth more than a month time.
As an interdisciplinary program, community and regional planning offer me the chance to get to know people from different kinds of majors, including geography, politics, computer science and finance. We shared and discussed different perspectives with various knowledge backgrounds during our group project and after-class team activities. I think it is an invaluable opportunity to gain knowledge in other fields and cooperate with people from diverse knowledge background.
The program was overall a nice experience, I learned not just academically, but also personally.
Fantastic!
This is a very precious experience.
It was just the right kind of experience I wanted to have studying abroad; it was like a vacation but with a purpose, that purpose being learning new things.
It’s unforgettable for me to spend this summer holiday studying in one of the most outstanding universities all over the world with such a group of nice classmates!
SIGNING UP
The fee per student for each 2023 program package is $5,625 CAD, which includes course materials, medical insurance, group airport transfer and city tour, shared accommodation on UBC campus, orientation and farewell events, and potential social activities (optional trips may require an additional fee).
Students are responsible for the cost of food, transportation, and personal expenses.
Eligibility
Find out if you qualify for the program. To apply for the Vancouver Summer Program, you must be an undergraduate student* at a post-secondary institution outside of Canada and at least 18** years of age on the first day of the program. More details below.
Accommodations
Accommodations are in UBC’s on-campus residences and feature Easy access to classrooms, recreation and campus amenities, free Wifi in lobby and wired high speed Internet in guest rooms, and laundry on site.