Your Learning Coaches and Program Assistants can help you with most day-to-day issues, if your professor cannot assist you. We can also provide you with academic counseling, and guide you to appropriate personal counseling resources if you need them. If you need counseling services of any kind, your first step is to contact one of our Student Counselors in the Student Services office. They will refer you to the appropriate person.

If you are a Canadian Citizen or Landed Immigrant, enrolled in a full time program at University Canada West, you may be eligible for Canadian and British Columbia Student Loan. When you apply for these loans, you must demonstrate (among other requirements) that your current financial resources are not sufficient to meet your educational costs.

Our UCW Student Counselors can answer questions and provide detailed information to help you apply for these loans, including: qualifying criteria, maximum loan amounts, your specific situation and how to apply for Student Assistance.

Canadian and Provincial Student Loan funding is based on tuition, fees, books, supplies, living expenses, income and available resources and reaches a maximum yearly level. Contact one of our Student Counselors or the Registrar’s Office for personalized help.

http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentservices/

BC Medical Services Plan (MSP): If you are a student from BC, you should be registered with the Provincial Department of Health either as a dependent under your family program or as an individual, depending on personal circumstances. You need to make sure you are covered under this plan, so you can get medical care if you need it.

As a new student, you will be enrolled in UCW medical insurance for your first three months of study (see tuition fees schedule) unless you already possess a Canadian Medical Care Card. After 3 months residency, you can apply for a B.C. Medical Care Card. Victoria has a wide range of community health services, and we can help you find local doctors, dentists and other health-care services if you need them.

After 3 months residency, both out-of –province and international students are eligible to apply for B.C. Medicare under this plan. We can help you apply for coverage.

Medical care
If you need urgent care because of an accident or severe illness, there are two hospitals in Victoria for you to go to. The nearest hospital to UCW is:

Royal Jubilee Hospital
1900 Fort Street
Victoria BC
(250) 370-8000

We can provide you with a list of doctors in Victoria that are accepting new patients or you can go to a walk-in clinic, if your need for medical care isn’t urgent. There are several walk-in clinics in Victoria, including the Lansdowne Medical Treatment Centre: (250) 592- 4212 at 120 1641 Hillside.

Victoria offers lots of opportunity for part-time employment. Our Student Services Office can help you with referrals when you arrive here.

Orientations are held for each new intake of students, whenever they occur in the year. The orientation for MBA students takes the form of an "Academic Residence" which lasts for more than two weeks. Orientation for on-line undergraduate students also takes the form of a residency but one which lasts a few days rather than weeks. Normally, we try to condense the orientation for resident undergraduates to one half day at the beginning of the Term, which is usually a Monday morning. Attendance at our orientation sessions is mandatory. The goal is to introduce and reinforce the learning culture and process at UCW, to help students understand how the university works and how to get technical or personal help if they need it. We also give students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with Victoria, Quadra Village and the many amenities available in the community.

UCW does not have any on campus accommodation. We encourage you to find residential accommodation in the community before you arrive in Victoria. We have developed a searchable database with local rental listings to help you find an affordable, convenient place to live. Our Off-Campus Housing Registry provides a list of dozens of apartments, rooms and houses for rent in and around Victoria, and includes rental rates, accommodation details and contact information for landlords.

If you are an international student, you can apply to live with a Canadian family, through the Homestay program.

Homestay is a wonderful way for you to improve your English, learn more about Canadian culture and meet new people. A Homestay family provides much more than room and board, although you will have a a private, furnished room (with a desk for studying), and three meals a day. Your host family provides a warm and caring environment for you, including you in activities on a regular basis, introducing you to your new community and helping you learn about Canadian culture.

You may wish to use the Homestay Program until you are more familiar with the community, then find your own rental accommodations.

To find out more about this program, contact us at Student Services or visit the Homestay website <www.canadahomestay.com>.

UCW doesn’t have an on campus dining room or cafeteria. There are vending machines available at all times, and you will find a great variety of high quality grocery stores, food outlets and restaurants, at various price ranges, in nearby Quadra Street Village, as well as in residential and downtown areas.

Victoria is a welcoming and inclusive community, where people from a wide range of religious faiths worship freely. Student Services can help you establish contact with one of these faith groups.

Our Student Services Office is familiar with local childcare services and agencies. We can help you contact the ones that will best meet your needs and the needs of your child.

We will be happy to help you find the support you’re looking for in Victoria, through the Victoria Disability Resource Centre. See their services at http://www.drcvictoria.com.

We encourage you to bring your own laptop computer, which you can use freely in our wireless environment. We do have a Mac and PC computer lab available, but is subject to class scheduling.

We will give you a student photo identification card during your first week of classes. See the Student Services office for more information.

There are numerous recreational programs and facilities available in Victoria and its surrounding municipalities, many within walking distance of UCW. Check out our website <www.universitycanadawest.ca> for maps showing the location of Victoria attractions and amenities. A comprehensive list of these programs is also available in the Student Services Office.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, have fun, and learn more about our campus and the community of Victoria. You give your time, energy and talent freely, and receive experience, friendship and new skills in return. You can find many volunteer opportunities through ‘Volunteer Victoria’ <www.volunteervictoria.bc.ca>. We're always on the lookout for opportunities to promote, so if you know of any volunteer positions you would like to see listed here, please let us know.

If you are an international student, our Student Services Office is here to help. Our aim is to help you have the most rewarding international experience possible. At UCW we help you through the application and admission process. We also help you with all aspects of life, from academic concerns, social and cultural issues to health care and recreational opportunities, housing and study skills. We help ensure that you receive credit for your previous education and experience and have the language skills you need to succeed.

We work with other student services, academic departments and off-campus agencies to provide the widest possible range of support services to all of our international visitors.

The Student Services Office provides a variety of services to students at UCW. We:

• Answer general enquiries from international students about UCW.
• Give you an orientation to UCW when you arrive.
• Provide on-going support and information throughout your stay at UCW.
• Work with other on and off-campus services to provide a wide range of support.
• Provide appropriate and engaging cultural activities.
• Host informational events.