UBC Student Services
Enrolment, advising, fees, your student card and everything else administrative.
students.ubc.caNEW TO UBC
Welcome to UBC.Consider this your first friend.
Moving to a new campus — often a new country — is a lot at once. The UBC Persian Club is where Iranian and Persian-speaking students land first: a community that already knows the shortcuts, the paperwork and the best place for kabab.
START HERE
Your first weeks, sorted
Four things that make the difference between surviving your first term and enjoying it.
A ready-made community
Hundreds of Persian-speaking students across every faculty. You do not have to build a circle from scratch — walk into one.
Know your campus
UBC is a small city. Come on a student-led tour and leave knowing where your classes, food, study spots and buses actually are.
Something on every week
Study nights, film screenings, Nowruz, Yalda, hikes and games nights. Most are free and all of them are open to newcomers.
Someone to ask
Housing, phone plans, banking, transit, homesickness — someone on our team has been through exactly what you are working out right now.
How to land well
Step 1: Say hi
Follow us on Instagram and join the group chat so you know what is happening before it happens.
Step 2: Book a tour
Walk the campus with an exec who knows it. Bring your questions — that is the point of the tour.
Step 3: Come to one event
Any one. Come alone if you have to; nobody stays alone for long at a Persian Club event.
Step 4: Make it official
A membership gets you member pricing all year and first access when spots are limited.
The newcomers guide
Everything we wish someone had told us
Our exec team writes this guide every year, in Persian, from the questions newcomers actually ask. Pick a topic — each one opens with the details and the links you need.
- About the clubدرباره ماWho we are, and what the club has been doing since 1989.
- A message from usپیام ماA welcome from the exec team, and the channels to find us on.
- International student guideراهنمای دانشجویان اینترنشنالUBC's own hub for immigration, work, study and health questions.
- Social Insurance Numberکد بیمهی اجتماعیWhat a SIN is, and why it is one of your first errands here.
- Applying for a SINدرﯾﺎﻓﺖ ﮐﺪ ﺑﯿﻤﻪی اﺟﺘﻤﺎﻋﯽ برای داﻧﺸﺠﻮﯾﺎنApplying in person, by post or online — and keeping the number safe.
- BC ID cardکارت شناسایی BCProvincial photo ID, so you can stop carrying your passport around.
- Banking & credit cardsبانک و کارت اعتباریWhich banks students use, and how credit history works here.
- Financial supportمنابع مالیEnrolment advisors, awards and bursaries, and student jobs on campus.
- Health insuranceبیمهی عمومیMSP, iMED and the extended student plan — what covers you when.
- Taxesفرم مالیاتی (Tax)Filing a Canadian tax return as a student.
- Mental healthسلامت روانCounselling, crisis lines, and support in your own language.
- Public transitحمل و نقل عمومیCompass cards, the U-Pass, and getting around Vancouver.
- Driving & cyclingرانندگی با گواهینامهی ایران در کاناداUsing an Iranian licence, car sharing services, and bikes.
- Phone plansخدمات تلفن همراهCarriers, prepaid options, and what a plan actually costs.
- GroceriesسوپرمارکتWhere to shop, Persian grocers included.
- The AMSAMSYour student society: services, clubs, and the Nest.
- 2SLGBTQIA+ studentsدانشجویان 2SLGBTQIA+Groups and support available on campus.
- Librariesکتابخانه دانشگاهBorrowing, study space, and getting help with research.
- HousingمسکنLiving in residence, and renting off campus.
- TA & tutoring workتدریسیار (TA) و تدریس خصوصی و عمومی(Tutoring) در دانشگاه بریتیش کلمبیاLanding teaching assistant work and tutoring at UBC.
- Graduate studentsتوصیههایی برای دانشجویان تحصیلات تکمیلیAdvice specific to master's and doctoral students.
- Useful appsاپلیکیشن های مورد استفاده در کاناداThe apps people here actually use day to day.
- Copyright & academic integrityقوانین حقوق مولف و سرقت علمیPlagiarism rules and copyright law, and how seriously UBC takes them.
- Food on campusتغذیهMeal plans, cheap eats, and what is around between classes.
- Prayer roomsاتاقهای عبادت (Prayer Rooms)Quiet and multifaith spaces around campus.
- Avoiding scamsکلاهبرداریThe frauds that target students here, and how to spot them.
- Membership benefitsMembership BenefitsWhat a club membership gets you through the year.
- Simorgh Bridge Foundationبنیاد پل سیمرغA partner foundation supporting Iranian students.
- ContributorsContributorsThe people who wrote and checked this package.
PRACTICALITIES
The things nobody hands you
Official links worth bookmarking in your first week, plus the questions you should just ask us.
Housing
On-campus residence applications, waitlists and move-in dates — apply earlier than you think you need to.
UBC HousingGetting around
Your U-Pass rides on a Compass Card. Set it up before your first Monday commute, not during it.
TransLink CompassInternational students
Study permits, work eligibility, medical insurance and arrival support from UBC International.
International Student GuideHealth and wellbeing
Doctors, counselling and drop-in support on campus — free or covered, and worth knowing before you need it.
UBC Student HealthPersian groceries and food
Where to find saffron, sangak, good kabab and a Persian grocery run that is actually worth the bus ride.
Ask usCAMPUS TOURS
Register for a campus tour
This tour has finished
Thanks to everyone who came along. Watch our events page for the next one, or email us and we will let you know when new dates go up.
UBC Campus Tour — Tuesday, September 15, 2026