British Columbia Institute of Technology - BCIT vs University of British Columbia vs Lighthouse Labs vs Emily Carr University of Art and Design - ECUAD vs VanWest College

Side-by-side comparison from 213 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: VGC International College (5.00)
British Columbia Institute of Technology - BCIT: wins 1/5 categories
University of British Columbia: wins 1/5 categories
Lighthouse Labs: wins 0/5 categories
Emily Carr University of Art and Design - ECUAD: wins 0/5 categories
VanWest College: wins 0/5 categories
VGC International College: wins 3/5 categories
Canadian College: wins 0/5 categories
Comparing
Best programme: Accounting
Best programme: Arts
Vancouver, Canada
Not rated
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0 reviews
×
Vancouver, Canada
3.50
Read more reviews
2 reviews
×
Best programme: Marketing
Vancouver, Canada
5.00
Top
Read more reviews
1 reviews
×
Best programme: Communications with Business Management
Vancouver, Canada
4.00
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1 reviews
×
Best programme: Digital and Social Media Marketing
Category ratings
Facilities
3.40
4.21
Not rated
4.00
3.00
5.00
Win
3.00
Location
4.15
4.46
Not rated
3.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
Professors
4.05
4.10
Not rated
3.00
4.50
5.00
5.00
Internationality
4.50
4.34
Not rated
4.00
3.00
5.00
Win
3.00
Student life
3.10
4.31
Not rated
4.00
4.00
5.00
Win
3.00
Value
4.40
Win
4.08
Not rated
4.00
3.50
4.00
4.00
Accommodation
3.55
3.85
Win
Not rated
2.00
3.00
3.00
1.00
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Practical, hands-on learning and projects
  • +Industry-experienced instructors and real-world relevance
  • +Strong career outcomes and job placement
  • +Challenging academics and rewarding workload
  • +Excellent faculty and practical learning opportunities
  • +Vibrant campus, abundant resources, and supportive environment

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  • +Supportive and professional instructors and advisors
  • +Creative teaching approach and personalized attention
  • +Close-knit and supportive campus environment
  • +Supportive and helpful teachers
  • +Practical co-op experiences
  • +Engaging instructors and effective presentation skills development
  • +Foundational knowledge in social media campaign planning
  • +Desire for more practical, hands-on learning experiences
Cons
  • -Administrative and management issues cause constant frustration.
  • -Outdated and poorly maintained facilities are a significant drawback.
  • -Lack of engagement and support from instructors is a common complaint.
  • -Difficulty with course selection and academic support in large classes.
  • -Inconsistent professor quality and arbitrary grading practices.
  • -Challenges finding genuine connections and disappointing social scene outside of clubs.

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  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Facilities and resources are frequently described as outdated and inadequate.
  • -Course content and teaching methods are often perceived as unengaging and irrelevant.
  • -Outdated and poorly maintained facilities are a common complaint.
  • -Administrative issues and poor communication are frequently mentioned.
  • -The curriculum and teaching quality are sometimes seen as lacking.
  • -Administrative & management issues
  • -Outdated facilities
  • -Lack of clear communication
Rating summary
What students say

This institution demonstrates a strong performance in its international student experience, reflected by a high rating for Internationality. The location also receives a favorable score. Areas for potential improvement include student life and facilities, which received the lowest ratings among the surveyed categories. Other aspects like professors, accommodation, and overall value are rated positively.

Evaluations reveal a university excelling in several key aspects. The location garners the highest score, followed closely by internationality and student life, indicating a vibrant and globally connected environment. Professors and value also receive positive, albeit slightly lower, ratings. Conversely, accommodation presents the weakest area, suggesting room for improvement in student housing options. Facilities, while solid, are not a standout feature compared to other categories.

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This institution demonstrates a notably strong performance in its **Location**, receiving a perfect score. Conversely, **Facilities** and **Accommodation** are identified as the weakest areas, each scoring a 3. The university also received solid ratings for its **Professors** (4.5) and **Student Life** (4), with **Internationality** and **Value** falling in the mid-range.

Remarkably high scores characterize this institution, with exceptional ratings of 5 in Facilities, Professors, Location, Student Life, and Internationality. These areas represent the university's strongest points. Conversely, the Accomodation rating of 3 indicates a relative weakness, while the Value score of 4 suggests a generally positive but not outstanding offering in that regard.

This institution showcases a mixed but generally positive performance according to the provided ratings. It excels in **Professors** and **Location**, both receiving top marks of 5. Conversely, **Accomodation** stands out as a significant weakness with a rating of 1. Other areas like Facilities, Student Life, and Internationality are rated moderately at 3, while Value is strong at 4.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Nearly all (95%+) of student reviews are positive, praising hands-on learning, industry-experienced instructors, and strong career outcomes. No negative feedback was reported.

Over 86% of reviews praise demanding yet rewarding academics, great study spaces, and excellent resources. A small minority (~1%) mentions course selection difficulties and the struggle to connect with people.

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With one positive review out of two, approximately 50% of feedback highlights a supportive campus environment and creative instructors. The average rating is 3.5/5, with no negative reviews.

The sole review is highly positive (5/5), praising the Applied Communications course for being helpful to responsible, self-driven students with clear goals. Teachers are noted as very supportive.

The single review is overwhelmingly positive (100%), rating the program 4/5 stars. Students appreciated energetic instructors and found presentations helpful for public speaking and learning social media campaign planning fundamentals. Some noted a lack of job-readiness and need for more hands-on programs.

Rating distribution
5★
43%
38%
0%
0%
0%
100%
0%
4★
52%
50%
0%
0%
50%
0%
100%
3★
5%
12%
0%
100%
50%
0%
0%
2★
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked

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Underwhelming

I was there as an exchange student from Europe, attending classes at Sauder Business School and the Mechanical Engineering Department. Studying at UBC is definitely a mixed bag in terms of the quality of education. I did have a few great professors who held wonderfully challenging and well-thought-out classes, making me feel that UBC punches above its weight in terms of educational quality. However, some other lectures were undoubtedly subpar. Grading seemed quite arbitrary at times (moving goalposts seems to be a recurring theme at UBC), and the lectures were not nearly as good as they should have been, in my opinion. It is quite fair to say that other exchange students and I were often shocked that UBC allows these courses to occur annually without making efforts to improve them. At UBC as a whole, less is expected from students than at my home university. I've seen people never show up to class and hold presentations that would never fly at my home uni. Professors seems to welcome all questions even if they are about things a fourth-year engineering student just months before graduation needs to know. I am not sure if UBC ensures that its graduates are adequately educated, and would definitely think twice if I was a recruiter and had to hire someone who attented there. From what I have seen, I would tentatively recommend Sauder Business School. For Mechanical Engineering (and probably also Electrical and Civil Engineering), UBC is simply too small, offering a lack of choices and not many lectures; usually, only introductory courses are offered for most topics. I recommend attending a more engineering/science-focused university, such as Waterloo or others in the US or Europe. It is quite astonishing how much money people pay to attend these subpar classes. Enjoyed having a beach on campus.

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DIGITAL MARKETING

Pros Energetic instructors Gain the fundamental knowledge of social media campaign planning A LOT of presentations are helpful for public speaking Cons Not good enough to gain a job in marketing/social media Needs more hands-on programs or self-learning

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