University of British Columbia

2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
President: Benoit-Antoine Bacon
Chancellor: Steven Point

Charitable Reg. #:10816 1779 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 3/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.

A

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

n/r

DEMONSTRATED IMPACT

The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.

NEED FOR FUNDING

Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.

96%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 96 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About University of British Columbia:

University of British Columbia is a 3-star charity. It is financially transparent and has a strong results reporting grade. However, it does not disclose fundraising costs in its audited financial statements, resulting in reported overhead spending outside Ci's reasonable range.

 

Founded in 1908, University of British Columbia (UBC) is a global institution focused on teaching, learning, and research. UBC's vision is to inspire people, ideas, and actions to create a better world. UBC has a reputation for excellence in research and learning in various fields, including arts, sciences, medicine, law, and business. In 2023, Times Higher Education ranked UBC as the 40th best university in the world. UBC's two main programs are education and research. 

 

In F2023, UBC allocated approximately 78% of total program spending to education, including learning, facilities, and student support. In the 2022-23 academic year, UBC had 72,585 total students (58,222 undergraduates, 12,812 graduates, and 1,551 residents). The Vancouver campus had 60,607 students (83%), and the Okanagan campus had 11,978 students (17%). Of these students, 19,909 were international students from over 160 countries. 

 

Research accounted for 19% of UBC's total program spending in F2023. UBC provided $774m in research funding in 2022. UBC funded 10,218 projects, 1,436 of which were in collaboration with industry partners. UBC's research program has 194 Canada Research Chairs and 289 Royal Society of Canada fellows. 

 

The remaining 3% of spending was allocated to community engagement, which UBC describes as "activities that support the relationship between the university and the community."

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Results and Impact

University of British Columbia reports a six-year program completion rate of 71% for UBC Okanagan students and 80% for UBC Vancouver students.

 

At the time of this report, UBC's alumni base consists of eight Nobel prize winners, three Canadian prime ministers, 22 3M National Teaching Fellows, 289 Royal Society of Canada fellows, and 74 Rhodes Scholars. 

 

While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of University of British Columbia's results.  

 

This charity is not yet rated on impact (n/r).

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Finances

In F2023, University of British Columbia's auditor issued a qualified opinion. The auditor believes that UBC's accounting for contributions represents a departure from Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards. Had UBC adjusted for this departure, the auditor states that deferred revenue would be $1.5 billion lower, and revenue, annual surplus, and accumulated surplus would be $1.5 billion higher. 

 

University of British Columbia received $249.6m in donations in F2023, compared to $230.0m in F2022 and $183.1m in F2021. The university also received $1.4 billion in government funding (43% of revenue) and $1.0 billion in tuition dues (30% of revenue). 

 

Administrative costs are 4% of revenues (excluding investment income), and the charity does not report fundraising costs in its audited financial statements. This results in total overhead spending of 4%. For every dollar donated, 96 cents go to the cause. This is outside Ci's reasonable range for overhead spending, as overhead spending at this level is extremely rare and often means the charity is not reporting administrative and fundraising costs properly. In F2022 and F2021, Ci reported fundraising costs from the charity's T3010 filings with the CRA; however, the F2023 report is unavailable at the time of this profile update. In F2022 and F2021, fundraising costs were 14% and 15% of UBC's donations, respectively. 

 

UBC has $2.0 billion in net reserve funds (cash and investments), of which $1.1 billion is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity could cover 31% or under four months of its annual program costs with reserves. 

 

This charity report is an update that has been sent to University of British Columbia. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.  

 

Updated on August 2, 2023, by Sydney Olexa.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending March
202320222021
Administrative costs as % of revenues 4.0%5.2%5.6%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 0.0%13.7%15.3%
Total overhead spending 4.0%18.9%20.9%
Program cost coverage (%) 31.2%35.8%31.3%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202320222021
Donations 249,643229,972183,060
Government funding 1,446,5261,339,9771,338,977
Fees for service 1,004,298983,194921,683
Business activities (net) 451,669372,472251,126
Investment income 94,56119,060272,314
Other income 87,02587,35888,573
Total revenues 3,333,7223,032,0333,055,733
Program costs 2,669,8892,412,7212,232,560
Grants 167,538152,830155,004
Administrative costs 128,218157,837156,011
Fundraising costs 031,50228,005
Other costs 20,69520,73220,843
Total spending 2,986,3402,775,6222,592,423
Cash flow from operations 347,382256,411463,310
Capital spending 414,966327,776380,239
Funding reserves 1,955,9271,961,8551,770,146

Note: Ci reported F2022 and F2021 administrative and fundraising costs from the charity's T3010 filings with the CRA. The F2023 T3010 filing is unavailable at the time of this report, meaning F2023 overhead spending is likely understated. Ci reported business activity revenue net of cost of goods sold, decreasing revenues and expenses by $48.4m in F2023, $32.0m in F2022, and $17.5m in F2021. Ci included amortization of deferred capital contributions in other income, as the source of this revenue was not disclosed. Ci excluded gain on sale of government business enterprises, decreasing revenues by $nil in F2023, $9.4m in F2022, and $27.5m in F2021. Ci included unrealized gains (losses) in investment income, affecting revenues by ($5.8m) in F2023, ($165.2m) in F2022, and $143.2m in F2021. Ci included external endowment contributions in donations, increasing revenues by $24.3m in F2023, $31.8m in F2022, and $35.0m in F2021.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 13,729

Avg. compensation: $117,756

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
10
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
0
$120k - $160k
0
$80k - $120k
0
$40k - $80k
0
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2022

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

Charity Contact

Website: www.ubc.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: (604) 822-2211

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