As your home faculty advising office, Engineering Academic Services (EAS) is here to support your academic journey at UBC. This webpage is intended to complement our First-Year Registration Checklist, and these resources will help inform you on how to register for Engineering courses as a first-year student.
Note: This information is intended for students coming directly from high school that are joining UBC Engineering in the fall. Registration information for students transferring into Year One from other pathways and for Continuing Year One students can be found on other pages.
If you haven’t been registered in an engineering timetable and are intending to start at UBC Engineering in September, please contact Engineering Academic Services.
Key Dates for First Year Registration
| Key Dates | Action |
| Early May | Webform to request a first-year Engineering timetable opens |
| Mid-May | Deadline to request a first-year Engineering timetable |
| Mid-June | Access assigned first-year timetable with core courses on Workday |
| June | Self-register into a first-year English course and a Humanities/Social Sciences elective |
| July | Submit your official AP/IB/A-level results to UBC |
| Mid-September | Add/drop deadline: last day to register in courses and drop courses without a Withdrawal (W) standing |
For additional dates and deadlines, please visit the UBC Academic Calendar.
Declining or Deferring your Offer of Admission
Declining Your Admission
Please decline your admissions offer in Applicant Service Centre. Declining your offer will allow a student on the waitlist to study UBC Engineering and avoid being charged any student fees.
Deferring Your Admission
If the timing to start UBC Engineering is not right, you may be eligible to apply for a deferral. To see if you eligible and how to apply for a deferral, please read about deferring your admission. The deadline to apply for a deferral is July 1. Applications submitted after this date may be reviewed if your circumstances have changed beyond your control, such as study permit delays.
How to Register
1. Log in to Workday
Workday is the academic system you will use to register for courses track your grades, and other essential tasks. The Workday Tutorials will help you to navigate the different areas of the system.
It is important to keep your personal information up to date on your Workday record. The email which you used for your UBC application will be transferred to your Workday account, and will be used to email you about finances, course registration, and all important information related to your studies at UBC.
Before you log in to Workday, you need to create your CWL (Campus-wide Login). With your CWL, you can access all of UBC’s websites using same username and password.
Using your CWL, log in to Workday at myworkday.ubc.ca.
2. Choose your Engineering Timetable
An Engineering Timetable is a pre-planned course schedule that contains most of your first-year courses organized into a pre-set timetable. All new first-year students will be registered into an Engineering timetable before your registration appointment opens. You will receive an email to confirm once you have been registered into your Engineering timetable.
The majority of Engineering students register in the general first-year timetable. We have a few specialized timetables you may request depending on your interests and your background. You should have received an email in early May asking you to select which Engineering timetable you would like to be registered into via an online form. If you did not fill out this form and are intending to start at UBC Engineering in September, please contact Engineering Academic Services with your preferred timetable.
Below is a chart outlining the major differences between the various timetables. You can read about the Engineering timetables in more detail on the Course Planning page.
Note: If you choose an alternative timetable, it is important that you understand the expectations that accompany it.
| General Timetable | Pre-Biomedical Engineering (PBME) Timetable | Modified Physics (Deficient in Physics) Timetable | Honours Math Timetable | Pre-Med Alternative Timetable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APSC 100 | APSC 100 | APSC 100 | APSC 100 | APSC 100 |
| APSC 101 | APSC 160 | APSC 101 | APSC 101 | APSC 101 |
| APSC 160 | BMEG 101 | APSC 160 | APSC 160 | APSC 160 |
| CHEM 154 | BMEG 102 | CHEM 154 | CHEM 154 | CHEM 121 |
| MATH 100 | CHEM 121 | MATH 100 | MATH 120 | CHEM 123 |
| MATH 101 | CHEM 123 | MATH 101 | MATH 121 | MATH 100 |
| MATH 152 | MATH 100 | MATH 152 | MATH 152 | MATH 101 |
| PHYS 157 | MATH 101 | PHYS 100 (Term 1) | PHYS 157 | MATH 152 |
| PHYS 158 | MATH 152 | PHYS 157 (Term 2) | PHYS 158 | PHYS 157 |
| PHYS 159 | PHYS 157 | PHYS 158 (Summer) | PHYS 159 | PHYS 158 |
| PHYS 170 | PHYS 158 | PHYS 159 | PHYS 170 | PHYS 159 |
| PHYS 170 | PHYS 170 | PHYS 170 | ||
| • The standard timetable for first-year students | • CHEM 121 + 123 instead of CHEM 154 • BMEG 101 + 102 instead of APSC 101 and PHYS 159 | • PHYS 100 (equivalent to PHYS 12) in Term 1 • PHYS 157 in Term 2 • PHYS 158 equivalent in the summer | • MATH 120 + 121 instead of MATH 100 + 101 | • CHEM 121 + 123 instead of CHEM 154 |
Other Timetables
Varsity Timetable
These are specially designed general first-year timetables for UBC Thunderbird athletes that have the same courses as the general first-year timetable but avoid common varsity practice and game times. If any of your courses overlap with varsity practices and game schedules, please submit a section swap request and we will do our best to make accommodations.
Timetable for Students Deficient in Chemistry Grade 12
No altered timetable is needed. Students who are missing the prerequisite of Chemistry Grade 12 or equivalent will have a general first-year timetable.
Can I Make Changes to My Schedule of Pre-Registered Core Engineering Courses?
Due to limited seats in core Engineering courses, swapping your course section may not be possible unless you have an extenuating circumstance. Please review the Section Swap page for more information.
During registration in June and July, we are unable to accommodate section swaps for time-of-day preferences, instructor preferences, or to make space for a Humanities and Social Sciences elective. You may be able to swap sections of MATH 100, MATH 101, or English and Humanities courses if there are seats available and they do not conflict with your other Engineering courses.
Do not drop a course section to attempt to register in a different section. If you drop a course, you will be unable to register for it again. Students will need to register on a waitlist in this situation and are not guaranteed a seat in their preferred course section.
Top Tip! The whole of the UBC is registering for courses in June and July. Typically courses fill up quickly and you may not be able to create the schedule you want during this time. You have until the add/drop deadline in September (for term 1 courses) and January (for term 2 courses) to make changes in your course schedule. We typically see that there is more seat availability in courses, and opportunity to swap sections later in August.
3. Self-register into a Humanities and Social Sciences Elective and an English Communication Course
To complete your registration, you will need to self-register for 3 credits in the Humanities or Social Sciences (H/SS), which is typically one course, and a first-year English communication course (WRDS 150 or equivalent: ENGL 110, ENGL 111 or ENGL 100) at your registration time. You can familiarize yourself with self-registering for courses by reviewing the Workday tutorials on course registration.
When choosing your H/SS and English communication courses, you will need to choose a time that avoids any conflicts with your core Engineering courses.
Humanities and Social Sciences Elective
You require 3 credits of H/SS. You can choose almost any course within the Faculty of Arts (see exceptions). If you are registered in a Pre-Biomedical Timetable, you do not need to register in a Humanities elective in your first-year. You will take this course later in your Biomedical Engineering degree.
English Communication Course
All Engineering students are required to complete a first-year English communication course. You can choose one of the following courses:
- We recommend that you take WRDS 150
- ENGL 110, ENGL 111, or ENGL 100
- For more information, please review this overview of first-year ENGL courses
How to Register for H/SS and English Communication Courses on Workday
Registration appointments are staggered over the first-year registration period. You will be emailed with the specific date and time you were assigned (your registration appointment) approximately one week before your registration period opens. Your registration appointment is determined by your admission average and your class standing, which is assigned based on the number of completed credits a student has. All registration appointments are published in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). It is important that you register as soon as your registration time slot opens—regardless of where you are in the world—for your best chance at securing your first-choice of courses. By following these instructions, you will be able to find your registration appointment on Workday.
NOTE: Registration in Workday Student works best in a web-browser, not the mobile app
Prepare for registration by pre-planning your courses and creating a saved schedule in Workday with your top choice section of WRDS 150 and your preferred H/SS elective to register as seamlessly as possible. Courses fill up quickly during registration and we recommend you create two or three different saved schedules to have multiple options.
If you receive an error alert on your saved schedule, it indicates that there is something that will prevent you from registering in your chosen courses. To understand the alert you received and how to resolve it, please see How to resolve saved schedule alerts.
Postponing WRDS 150 and/or H/SS to Next Summer
Before deciding to postpone when you complete WRDS 150 and/or your H/SS requirement, please understand that there will be program placement impacts and progression impacts. Read about the impacts on the Course Planning page. We recommend you speak to an academic advisor to discuss if this is the right decision for you.
4. Apply your AP, IB, or A-Level Credits to the Engineering Curriculum
If you submit your official AP, IB, or A-Level scores to UBC, you may be awarded UBC transfer credits (advanced credits), which may exempt you from taking some first-year Engineering courses. Review the advanced credit information before making changes to your schedule.
AP or IB credits are added to your Workday account in July. A-Level credits will be added to your Workday account at the end of August. You will be able to view your UBC transfer credits on Workday under the Transfer Credit page. We recommend that you check your Workday account in mid-July to see if your transfer credits have been added. If you don’t see your advance credits on your Workday account, you will need to submit your official scores. Here are instructions for how to submit your AP, IB, or A-Level scores to UBC.
Completing a UBC Course for Which You Have Transfer Credits
If you complete a course at UBC (with a final grade) for which you have already received AP, IB, or A-Level credits, the UBC attempt will supersede the transfer credits. This means if you choose to take the course at UBC, you may forfeit your transfer credits.
Do not drop courses from your timetable until you see the credits on your Workday Student Transfer Credit page. You have until the add/drop deadline to drop courses without a Withdrawal (‘W’) standing on your academic record.
Please refer to the Currently Assessed Advanced Credits table on the Advanced Credit page for information on transfer credit equivalencies. Also important to note:
- Only 3 credits of language courses may be applied toward the Humanities and Social Sciences elective requirement
- ENGL 1st (3) or WRCM 1st (3) will satisfy the first-year English Communication course (i.e., WRDS 150 or equivalent)
- ENGL 1st (6) or WRCM 1st (3) + ENGL 1st (3) will satisfy the first-year English Communication course and 3 credits of the Humanities and Social Sciences requirement
- ECON 1st does not satisfy the pre-requisite for courses that require ECON 101 or ECON 102
- AP CPSC 1st (3) does not cover APSC 160
Applying Your Transfer Credits Towards Your Degree Requirements
If you decide to drop a course from your timetable after having received UBC transfer credits from AP, IB, or A-Levels, you do not need to take further action. Your Academic Progress Report (APR) will be updated in the fall and your transfer credits will be applied towards your degree requirements on your student record.
Note: Your academic period average will only include courses taken at UBC, but your transfer credits will apply toward your degree requirements.
Helpful Resources
Talk to an Engineering Academic Advisor
You may want to meet with an Engineering academic advisor to learn about options to modify your degree path.
Some students choose to take summer courses after their first-year to reduce their course load. Common summer courses taken are the Humanities elective, WRDS 150 and/or APSC 160. Some students reduce their course load even more and take their Engineering degree on a longer timeline. Book an advising appointment to explore your options.
Attend a Registration Workshop
Attend our virtual first-year registration and advanced credit workshops to prepare for course registration, meet your academic advisors, ask your questions, and get to know the Engineering community at UBC. (Note: you only need to attend one session for each topic, as the same content will be repeated).
If you have missed one of our workshops, take a moment to watch one of the recordings to learn about registration and hear some top tips.
Meet Your Engineering Community
There are various opportunities to meet your new classmates before you start in September:
- Register and take part in Jump Start, UBC’s three-day orientation program for new first-year students to make friends, meet professors, and learn about UBC
- Join the UBC Engineering 2026-27 Discord
- Starting in June, explore our Get Set for UBC Engineering Canvas course (new modules released in June, July, and August)
Optional Summer Registration After Your First Winter Session
The Summer Session is from May to August and taking courses during the summer is optional for most students. Course registration for both Summer terms occurs in the spring, after you have completed your first Winter Session. Read more about course registration for the Summer Session on the Upper Year Registration page.