How to Set Up Your EducationPlannerBC Account and Send Transcripts to BC Universities

What EducationPlannerBC covers

EducationPlannerBC (EPBC) is the application platform built for BC's public post-secondary system. It lets you research programs, compare admission requirements, and apply to participating institutions from one account. Simon Fraser University runs its undergraduate applications through EPBC at apply.educationplannerbc.ca, along with most BC colleges and institutes.

UBC operates its own separate application system at you.ubc.ca rather than routing applications through EPBC. Check the admissions page of each school on your list before assuming EPBC covers your full application list. Use EPBC to research and shortlist programs, then confirm the exact application channel for each institution you plan to apply to.

Step 1: Create your account

Go to educationplannerbc.ca and select the sign-up option. You can register with an email address or a BC Services Card. Choose a personal email address you will keep after high school. School-issued addresses often get deactivated once you graduate, and you need ongoing access to track your application.

Step 2: Confirm your email

EPBC sends a confirmation message right after sign-up. Open it and select the confirm your account button to verify your address. You cannot move forward with an application until this step is done. Check your spam folder if the message does not arrive within a few minutes.

Step 3: Build your student profile

Log back in and complete your profile with your school details, contact information, and academic background. Record which BC high school you attend and your Personal Education Number (PEN), the identifier BC schools use to track your official record. Accurate PEN and school details speed up transcript matching later.

Step 4: Add your program and institution choices

Search for programs by institution or area of study, then add the ones you want to apply to. Each institution sets its own deadlines and supplementary requirements. Read the specific admission requirements for every program on your list, including any personal profile, portfolio, or reference letter component, before you submit.

Step 5: Request your transcripts

Grades alone do not reach the institution automatically. Official transcripts move through the BC Student Transcripts Service, a process separate from your EPBC login. Submit your transcript request early. Processing takes time, and each institution sets its own transcript deadline ahead of the admission decision date.

If you attend a BC public school, your final Grade 12 marks get reported to the province once your courses finish. Private school and out-of-province students should confirm with their school counsellor how their transcript reaches BC institutions and whether extra steps apply to their situation.

Step 6: Track your application

Log back into your EPBC account regularly to check status, respond to requests for extra documents, and confirm your transcript arrived. For institutions outside EPBC, like UBC, track your application through that institution's own applicant portal instead of EPBC.

Before you submit, check this list

• Personal email address, not a school-issued one, attached to your account

• PEN and school name entered correctly in your profile

• Every program on your list matched to the right application channel, EPBC or the institution's own portal

• Transcript request submitted weeks before the earliest deadline on your list

• Application fee paid for each institution, since fees are set per school

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using a school email address that gets shut off after graduation

• Assuming one account covers every BC institution, including ones outside EPBC

• Waiting until deadline week to request transcripts

• Leaving your PEN blank, which slows down matching your BC transcript to your application

If you are not a current BC public school student

Homeschooled students, private school students, and out-of-province applicants often do not have a PEN tied to a BC public school record. Your transcript still needs to reach each institution, but the exact channel depends on your school type. Contact your school's registrar or transcript office directly and ask how they submit records to BC post-secondary institutions, since the process differs from a standard BC public school transcript request.

If you completed courses through a distributed learning provider or an online BC school, confirm which entity holds your official transcript, since it may not be your home school district. Sort this out before your application deadline, not after, since transcript requests from unfamiliar senders can take longer to match to your file.

Frequently asked questions

• Does one EPBC application fee cover every school on my list? No. Institutions set their own application fees, charged per school, even when you apply through the same EPBC account.

• Can I apply to a program after the term opens? Some programs accept applications after their term opens until seats fill, but popular programs close early. Apply as soon as your application is ready rather than waiting for the deadline.

• What if I need to update my program choices after submitting? Log back into your EPBC account. Most changes are possible before an admission decision is made, though some institutions restrict changes after a certain point.

• Do I need a separate account for UBC? Yes. Since UBC runs its own application system outside EPBC, you create a separate UBC account at you.ubc.ca in addition to your EPBC account.