Frequently Asked Questions

As of September 2020, we no longer offer rentals for printed textbooks, however many of our digital materials are still offered as rentals.

Canvas refers to materials that are integrated into your course site. If a course material includes “Canvas” in the name, this indicates that there is a digital component accessible within Canvas that is included with your purchase. Your instructor will give you more instructions in class.

Yes, all individuals participating in the graduation ceremonies at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses are required to wear academic regalia. This includes graduating students, faculty, administration and invited guests who will be seated on stage as well as volunteers. Academic regalia includes a gown, hood and headwear appropriate to the degree being granted. The mortarboard hats for bachelors and masters students are optional, but a gown and hood must be worn by all students wishing to attend. Any form of attire (formal, uniform, business, traditional, or casual) may be worn underneath the gown, but footwear must always be worn.
For more information, please see the UBC Graduation website: UBC Academic Regalia Guidelines
If you have any questions, please contact ceremonies.graduation@ubc.ca (Vancouver campus) or okanagan.ceremonies@ubc.ca (Okanagan campus).

Workday has pre-assigned Approvers. Please confirm with your department finance manager if you are permitted to order supplies and copy paper on Workday and if you have an Approver.

Yes. Contact Campus Mail to arrange pick-up campus.mail@ubc.ca  Tel 604-822-9495 and bring your ID at the time of pick-up. You do not need to change your delivery address on Workday.  The Vancouver Campus supplies and paper pack orders are automatically routed to UBC Campus Mail.

To order items that are not on the Workday supplies catalogue, you can use the Workday special requisition process. Please refer to the Workday instructions for ordering non-catalogue items.   Your ISC support team can assist with the training. Please use this link for ISC Service Now.

All purchases are verified and connected to your CWL account for access, which requires you to purchase the materials through the UBC Bookstore in order to get a receipt that provides the redemption codes. Enter the order number (without the dash) listed on the receipt. See the text highlighted in yellow in the above seciton "Did you Purchase your Canvas Course Materials In-Store". If you purchased your textbook secondhand from another student, there is no way for you to activate your course materials in Canvas.

Unfortunately, we do not! To help us prepare for the next semester, we return all overstock to the publishers. This allows us to have shelf space ready for next terms books. If you need textbooks, it is advisable to purchase them at the beginning of the semester.

The average cost for Term 1 Arts or Commerce textbooks is $400.00 and for Science $700.00. If you choose used digital, the cost will be much lower. 

UBC Bookstore accepts Canadian currency (in-store only), Visa, Mastercard, American Express (in-store only, WeChat (in-store only), AliPay (in-store only) and Interac (debit cards, in store only). You may use a parent’s credit card, however you must be able to demonstrate you have their authorization.

Gowns can also be rented on-site on the day of your ceremony. Please arrive a minimum of 45-60 minutes prior to the ceremony to ensure you leave adequate time to pick up your regalia from the Bookstore staff at the Robing Room. You can pay cash, credit, debit or with your Open Account Worktag (UBC Bookstore account).

On-site registration locations are: 

Vancouver – The Robing Room for faculty is located in the Royal Bank Cinema at the Chan Centre. Access via the Royal Bank Cinema entrance off of Crescent Road.

Okanagan – The UBC Okanagan Bookstore

You are welcome to come and shop in person or you can order your books online using our Sponsored Students Order Form: https://bookstore.ubc.ca/sponsored-students/

Faculty regalia for the Fall graduation ceremonies may be rented in advance online from Thursday, October 5 to Tuesday, November 14 at 11:59 pm (PST) through the Faculty Rental Form.

The deadline to rent regalia online is Nov 14th for faculty members.

After the Nov 14th deadline, regalia can also be rented on-site on the day of the ceremony:

• Please arrive 45-60 minutes before the ceremony at the Robing Room.
• Acceptable payment methods include cash, credit card, debit card or Open Account Worktag (UBC Bookstore account) information.

Graduating this year? Student graduation regalia (gown, hood and mortarboards) can be reserved online in advance of your ceremony. Appropriate academic attire is required of all participants. Regalia rentals for Spring 2024 ceremonies open on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024.

Vancouver – www.buildagrad.ca/UBC
Spring 2024 May Ceremonies: The online rental deadline for Vancouver students is May 3, 2024 at 11:59 pm (PT).

Okanagan – www.buildagrad.ca/UBCO
Spring 2024 June Ceremonies: The online rental deadline for Okanagan students is May 17, 2024 at 11:59 pm (PT)

Missed the online rental deadline? Don't sweat it! You can still rent a gown on-site on the day of your ceremony for an additional charge. We have enough regalia of all sizes and colours to allow anyone who misses the advance registration deadline to attend. The cost for day-of rental is $75 and payment can be made by Credit or Debit (tax included, Visa, MasterCard and Visa Debit accepted). There is no need to provide us with your information in advance once the online rental website has closed.

To rent on the day of your ceremony, please arrive at the gown pick-up area 1.5 hours before your ceremony start time.

You can print out your personalized textbook list in-store or access it online here. You can also search for your required course materials for each course online or check the course syllabus provided by your instructors.

Submit a support request with the UBC Learning Technology Hub.