The Faculty of Medicine’s Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) is a four-week academic program, offering international students a unique opportunity to experience Canadian health and life sciences at its best.

What you might expect/course format

The program consists of a package of two courses, each course comprising approximately 39 hours of class time. Students will learn from experienced faculty, clinicians, investigators and scientists. Classes are highly interactive and may include group discussions, guest lecturers, workshops, research projects, laboratory experiments, and field trips.

As the Faculty of Medicine takes a distributed approach to education, some students can expect to travel to different hospitals or clinical sites for classes or experiential learning, such as an ultrasound biopsy simulation workshop. Students may be responsible for the cost of public transit when attending classes off-UBC campus and participating in field trips.

Eligibility

  • Medicine VSP course packages are for international students studying medicine or related sciences (typically in their first 2-3 years of undergraduate studies).
  • Students must be at least 19 years of age on the starting date of the program (July 11, 2025).
  • Some course packages have prerequisites, please click on each course package below to view this information. If a student does not meet the pre-requisites but is interested in the course package, they can email med.international@ubc.ca to confirm their eligibility to participate.

July 2025 Course Packages

For more information

Learn about Lucas Ng’s and Miscah Katawera’s VSP experience here.

Please note that the Course Package content is subject to change.

For VSP Medicine-specific questions, please email the Faculty of Medicine Vancouver Summer Program Coordinator at med.international@ubc.ca.

Student testimonials

“If you want to have a good experience, study and visit a beautiful place, you should definitely participate in the VSP!”  

– Luis Felipe Sanz, VSP Medicine Student, 2019

Meet Luis and learn about his VSP experience here.