Applications are required for all persons who wish to pursue a programme of study or enrol in classes at UB. The Office of Recruitment and Admissions is responsible for processing applications for undergraduate student admission and preparing letters of acceptance for qualified applicants.
Admission to UB is major-specific. In other words, applicants should know the programme they wish to study as they will be required to choose a major when they apply. Applicants should review the list of undergraduate programmes [Click here to view programmes] to determine the specific programme or major they wish to pursue. Once chosen, applicants are not allowed to change their major during the application process. Students may complete a Change of Programme Form after their first semester at UB.
Applying to UB
- Complete the undergraduate admission application.
- Pay a non-refundable processing fee of B$50.00 in the form of cash, credit or debit card (VISA, MasterCard, Suncard), money order or bank draft at the Business Office;
- Submit completed application form, a copy of the processing fee receipt and supporting documents (a copy of valid passport showing passport number, photo identification and expiration date, self-statement and academic credentials including BGCSEs, BJCs, ACT, IB, AP, or SAT, CXCs or other O-level equivalents) to the Office of Recruitment and Admissions;
- Request an official transcript be mailed directly from the last school attended to the Office of Recruitment and Admissions, P. O. Box N-4912, Nassau, The Bahamas or P.O. Box F-42766, East Grand Bahama, The Bahamas for applicants wishing to study at the University of The Bahamas-North.
Although UB does not normally require that applicants are interviewed for general admission, some academic programmes, for example, those in Education and Nursing, may require an interview prior to an offer of admission. Conducted by faculty, each interview has established criteria for measuring an applicant’s performance at the interview and each has a standard rubric for the interview process. Once completed, the final determination of the student’s admission status is forwarded to Recruitment and Admissions.
- First Friday in February for fall semester (August)
- Last Friday in September for spring semester (January)
Applicants are notified in writing once application forms and supporting documents have been processed. Successful applicants are issued a ‘Letter of Acceptance’ indicating the following:
- UB student identification (ID) number;
- Degree and programme for which they have been accepted;
- Name of the advising academic unit;
- Campus to which they have been accepted.
To accept an offer of admission, students must notify the Office of Recruitment and Admissions.
Accepted students may defer or delay their admission by one semester only. To defer admission, students must complete the Deferral Card (which is a part of the acceptance package) by the specified deadline. Students who do not defer their admission and who fail to register for classes during the semester in which they have been accepted must submit a new application for admission for future consideration.
Students may be exempted from UB courses if they have completed the work normally required in the course prior to entering UB. For example, students who have passed BGCSE Spanish with grade ‘A’ are exempted from SPAN103 and SPAN104 and will not be required to take those courses. Exemptions are normally processed by the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. However, academic advisors must forward the completed course exemption form to the Records Department. Once the request has been processed, the Records Department will place a ‘V’ on the transcript; this will not be included in the calculation of the grade point average.
Students may request a challenge exam to demonstrate that they can meet the learning objectives of a specific UB course on the basis of prior learning or past experience. Challenge exams are often similar to final exams or final projects for the course. Students should complete a Request to Sit a Challenge Exam immediately after they have been admitted to UB or admitted to their programme of study. Students who pass the challenge exam are required to register and pay the course tuition and fees before they are awarded credit for the course. Students who receive credits for a course on the basis of a challenge exam will also be given credits for the pre-requisite courses. No fees will be charged for such credits.
Once admitted, students must complete their programme and apply to graduate within a specific time frame. This time frame, or period of candidacy (POC), is determined based on the first semester that the student enrols at UB. The POC for degrees, diplomas and certificates is as follows:
- Bachelor degree – 10 years
- Associate degree – 6 years
- Diploma – 4 years
- Certificate – 4 years