A new award program to support student exchange between the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Chongqing universities will allow up to 90 students to travel between the institutions in the next academic year.

“The Chongqing-UBC Higher Education Exchange Scholarship Program will support students as they create academic, business and personal connections for their lifetime,” said Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. “Our education partnerships build on the academic excellence that makes B.C. a destination of choice for international students from around the world.”

Students from UBC and China will receive $5,000 for short-term study or research in programs such as urban planning, education, law, medical and life sciences and engineering. In the first year of the three-year program, the Government of British Columbia is providing $40,000, UBC is providing $60,000 and Canadian not-for-profit Mitacs is providing $125,000. The Chongqing Municipal Education Commission will provide matching funds for Chinese students to study at UBC.

“This program builds on UBC’s existing relationship with the City of Chongqing,” said UBC President Arvind Gupta. “The scholarships will provide Canadian and Chinese students with tremendous exchange opportunities and will deepen our links to this flourishing region.”

This is the first mission to China for Wilkinson as Advanced Education Minister. He is accompanied by representatives from four B.C. post-secondary institutions: British Columbia Institute of Technology, Langara College, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.

The mission is an opportunity to strengthen existing government-to-government education relations, and establish new relations and institutional partnerships. It will also promote the two-way exchange of students and highlight pathways to further learning in British Columbia such as offshore schools to post-secondary institutions in B.C. These are key goals of B.C.’s International Education Strategy.

Quick facts:

• Participating Chongqing universities include Chongqing University, Southwest University, Chongqing Medical University, Southwest University of Political Science & Law, and, Sichuan International Studies University.
• In 2012-13, 112,800 international students from 180 countries around the globe were attending public and private post-secondary institutions, elementary and secondary schools, and private Languages Canada schools in British Columbia, up 20% from 94,000 over three years.
• Students from China made up the greatest proportion of international students in B.C. in 2012-13, with 25,800 attending all levels of education: 13,300 in public post-secondary institutions,  5,800 in private post-secondary institutions, 2,400 in private Languages Canada schools and 4,300 in the kindergarten-to-Grade 12 level.

Learn more:

B.C. Trade Mission 2015:
 www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2015/03/spring-trade-missions-showcase-bcs-diverse-export-market-in-asia.html

B.C.’s International Education Strategy:
www.aved.gov.bc.ca/internationaleducation/forms/InternationalEducationStrategy_WEB.PDF

Media Contacts:

Sarah Newton
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 213-1703
Sarah.Newton@gov.bc.ca

Andrew Riley
UBC Public Affairs
Andrew.Riley@ubc.ca