UBC Okanagan expects to grow to 18,000 students by 2040

In the next two decades, UBC Okanagan expects to increase its student population by around 80 per cent.

The school is presenting its vision for its future to Kelowna City Council this week.

By 2040 the Kelowna university campus expects to serve 18,000 students annually, up from the 9,973 enrolled last fall.

The school expects that significant growth will also require lots of new infrastructure, including new student residences and academic buildings.

In its long-term plan, UBC Okanagan said it envisions roughly $452-million worth of new construction on campus in the next 10 years, including academic buildings and student residence space.

The university’s report also envisions creating what it is calling an “innovation precinct” at the north end of the campus where outside non-profit and business partners “are housed to work with UBC researchers…. collaborating to find solutions to real-world problems.”

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The school anticipates that by 2040 its economic impact on the valley will more than triple, increasing from $1.5 billion each year to $4.8 billion.

Its long-term plan notes the school’s ambitious plans face challenges, including increasing housing costs, a relatively small local population and labour pool, limits on land development and “limited donor potential.”