UBCO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS: Exciting News for Downtown Kelowna

Three local powerheads have come together to bring an incredible local asset to downtown Kelowna. The City of Kelowna, Mission Group, and The University of British Columbia have partnered together with plans in motion to bring a satellite campus to the downtown city core. While UBCO has had many off campus presences in Kelowna for many years through the Kelowna General Hospital, Innovation Centre, Rotary Centre of Arts, Kelowna Community Theatre and Regional Library; this next project is crucial to the growth of the city. This mixed use development will take over the rundown property of the Daily Courier Building on Doyle Avenue and will include community academic spaces, office spaces, and university student rental opportunities. 

Today UBCO sees 11,000 students a semester, coming from all over the globe to our beautiful community. In 2005 when UBC first came to the Okanagan they had 3,000 students and expect to be at a population of 20,000 by 2040. This meaning with the growth of students relocating to Kelowna for education and academic courses that are offered it only makes sense to expand campuses to the city core allowing students to be closer to community partners such as health, technology, business and art. 

UBCO has plans in place to double the size of its existing campus by 2040. Currently encompassing one million sq/ft of total floor area with plans to add an additional million sq/ft. 

This downtown campus will add another 80,000 sq/ft of academic spaces to the university, as well as office spaces and residential uses to the entire community. This stunning facility will span across 1.6 acres on the kitty corner of Doyle and St. Paul, with anticipation for the project to be complete by 2026. This project aligns with the city's long term plans to invest in education and in return attract top researchers, students, and staff, to diversify our economy, and to create an engaging and vibrant city core. 

The new UBCO campus is not only a major asset for the university, but also for the entire community. The campus will bring a influx of students and staff to the area, which will in turn drive economic growth and revitalize the downtown area. The addition of academic spaces, office spaces and student housing will bring new life to the neighborhood, and will attract new businesses and services to the area. This will create a more vibrant and dynamic downtown, with a diverse range of shops, restaurants and cultural venues for everyone to enjoy. Furthermore, the campus will also provide opportunities for community engagement and outreach, allowing local residents to participate in university programs and events. It's a win-win situation for both the university and the downtown community.

https://ok.ubc.ca/about/community-engagement/downtown-presence-open-house/ 

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/06/04/2043733/0/en/mission-group-announ ces-stake-in-new-ubco-campus-in-downtown-kelowna-and-shares-confidence-in-local-market.ht ml 

UBCO by the numbers. Here are some interesting stats and numbers about UBCO.

UBC Okanagan Student Numbers:

• 73% Domestic Undergraduate 
• 17% International Undergraduate 
• 6% Domestic Graduate 
• 109 Countries Represented by International Students
• 16% Live on Campus 
• 6% Aboriginal 

Where are most students at UBC Okanagan from? 

• 24% Okanagan 
• 30% BC (outside the Okanagan) 
• 24% Canada (outside of BC) 
• 22% International 

UBC Okanagan Research and Programs: 

• 63 Undergraduate Programs 
• 26 Graduate Programs 
• 9 Faculties 
• 66 Students average in each lecture class 

Student Community Representation: 

• 52% of graduates stay in the Okanagan 
• 166 Public Events 
• Over 200 off campus partnership locations