UBC Okanagan International Student Award

What you will need

• ✓ For Dr. Spiro Yannacopoulos and International Student Faculty Award applicants: no application required (automatic consideration)
• ✓ For the International Community Achievement Award: a nomination through the ICAA nomination form on the Global Engagement Office page
• ✓ For Finch Family Undergraduate Award applicants: online application submitted by October 15, 2026
• ✓ For Finch Family Undergraduate Award applicants: a minimum 85% GPA
• ✓ For Finch Family Undergraduate Award applicants: extra-curricular activities such as community service, research projects or summer employment

About this award

Depending on the award, you can receive between $5,000 and $12,000. The Dr. Spiro Yannacopoulos International Engineering Student Memorial Award and the International Student Faculty Award (Okanagan) both offer up to $10,000 each. The International Community Achievement Award provides $5,000 each. The Finch Family Undergraduate Award provides $12,000 total, paid as $6,000 in your third year and $6,000 in your fourth year. These are scholarships, not loans, so you do not have to pay them back. This funding is for you if you are an international undergraduate student currently studying at the University of British Columbia — Okanagan Campus who has shown strong academic results and leadership in your community or faculty. For the Finch Family Undergraduate Award, the deadline is October 15, 2026. For the International Community Achievement Award, students are considered through a nomination form on UBC Okanagan's International Community Achievement Award page; the 2026–2027 nomination is open, and no closing date is posted there. If you win, the school will email you with instructions on how to accept your offer. Selection varies by award. Some are based on recommendations from the School of Engineering or your specific faculty, while others are decided by an Adjudication Committee (a group of officials who review applications). UBC does not publish how many of each award it gives, except the Finch Family award, which goes to one student. Ask University of British Columbia — Okanagan Campus during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. You can also review your offers in Workday (the university's internal employee and student management system) under "Learner Financial Support Management" in the Finances app. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. For the Finch Family Undergraduate Award, you must maintain continued scholarship standing to have the award renewed for your fourth year. Renewal conditions for the other awards aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with University of British Columbia — Okanagan Campus whether it's one-time or renewable and what you need to maintain.

Who qualifies

To qualify for these awards, you must be a continuing international undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia — Okanagan Campus. For the Dr. Spiro Yannacopoulos and International Student Faculty awards: you must have completed 30 credits toward your bachelor degree or be entering your second year. You must show strong academic achievement and engagement in your faculty. For the International Community Achievement Award: you must be returning for the next winter session, be registered in at least 24 credits, and have a minimum 75% GPA in your top 24 credits with no failed courses. You must also show ability in areas like community service, diversity promotion, or athletics. For the Finch Family Undergraduate Award: you must be a third-year student who completed your first two years at the Okanagan campus. You must be registered in at least 24 credits in your third year and have had at least 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous winter session. You need a minimum 85% GPA and evidence of extra-curriculars like research or summer employment.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ International student
• ✓ Open to undergraduate students

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   This round closed on October 15, 2026

   Check the award's official page for the next round before you prepare anything.

Tips for applying

• Community LeadershipAvoid just listing the organizations where you volunteered. Instead, describe the specific impact your leadership had on others. Write about one project where your effort led to a measurable change in your community.
• StrategyAvoid treating the application as a formality if you are applying for the Finch Family or Community Achievement awards. Instead, highlight how your studies lead to innovation or local economic development. Connect your personal goals to the specific values of the donor.
• RealismAvoid assuming you will be automatically considered for every award. Instead, check the application method for each one carefully. While some are faculty-recommended and automatic, others require you to submit a form via the Global Engagement Office website.

Questions students ask

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