Submitting official documents

To be considered official, academic records must either be received in official university envelopes, sealed and endorsed by the issuing institution, or be sent via secure electronic delivery by the issuing institution.

What is Secure Electronic Delivery?

Secure Electronic Delivery: the issuing institution sends a link to a secure site to UBC Sauder School of Business at gradadmissions@sauder.ubc.ca. The recruitment and admissions office downloads the transcript from the secure site. Important: an e-transcript is downloaded via a link to a secure site. It is NOT an email attachment of any kind, even if sent from an authority at the issuing institution.

Official transcripts must be arranged to be sent to

Robert H. Lee Graduate School
UBC Sauder School of Business
137-2053 Main Mall
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2
CANADA

To expedite the admissions process, applicants can scan and upload their unofficial documents to the application portal for evaluation. However, official documentation will be required for final admission and it must be received by the document deadline. 

If you have applied to our programs within the last two years, it is not necessary to submit new letters of reference and new transcripts unless you have undertaken further academic studies, as we retain all documentation for a two-year period.

If your university issues only one original copy of transcripts/degree certificates:

Make photocopies of your original academic records and send them to your home university. Ask your home university to:

• Verify that the photocopies are consistent with their records
• Attest that the copies are true photocopies and stamp them with an official university stamp
• Put the attested, stamped photocopy in university envelopes which have been endorsed with the Registrar's signature or University's stamp across the seal
• Mail the sealed, endorsed envelopes directly to UBC Sauder School of Business

If your home university does not provide English translations of transcripts:

• Obtain 2 copies of official transcripts / degree certificates from your home University. Do not open sealed and endorsed envelopes containing transcripts / degree certificates intended for submission to your program
  1. First copy (original language): ask your home university to send this set of official transcript(s) / degree certificate(s) directly to the Robert H. Lee Graduate School, UBC Sauder School of Business
  2. Second copy (English translation): take this official documentation to a certified English translator and ask them to provide a complete, word-by-word, literal English translation
• Ask the translator to put both the original language photocopy and the English translation into a sealed envelope, and endorse the envelope by signing across the seal
• Send the sealed, endorsed envelopes from the translator to UBC Sauder School of Business

Note: Academic records must be translated in their entirety, including any information that appears on the reverse side of any document.

If your transcripts are only issued in a language other than English:

• arrange to have a set of all official transcripts issued in their original language
• obtain a certified literal English translation of your transcripts from your home university's translation service
• send both the original transcripts and the literal English translation to UBC Sauder School of Business

If you are submitting after being offered admission:

If you have been offered admission conditional upon receipt of official documentation, you must provide UBC Sauder with one set of official transcripts for every post-secondary institution you have attended for the equivalent of one year or more of full-time study. UBC Sauder reserves the right to also require any individual applicant to provide official transcripts for study of less than one year duration. If an official transcript does not indicate the degree name and the degree conferral date, then an official copy of the degree certificate must also be submitted.

• Photocopies that have not been stamped, attested and endorsed by the Registrar at your home university
• Documents in envelopes that have been opened
• Documents that do not arrive in sealed envelopes endorsed by the issuing institution or certified translator
• Documents that arrive without the official seal of the university
• Photocopies notarized by a notary public
• Photocopies endorsed by a lawyer, professor, judge etc.
• Unofficial translations
• Non-literal translations

Do not send academic records that are not sealed and endorsed envelopes.

Documents submitted in support of applications become the property of the University and may not be returned to the applicant or student. Applicants are discouraged from sending irreplaceable documents and are advised to follow the instructions for verified copies (see Official Documents above).