The BC Government has added 65 nurse practitioner training seats to the University of British Columbia, the University of Northern British Columbia, and the University of Victoria. The province has committed $4.7M in annual ongoing funding to support the 65 seats, as well as dedicated funds for UBC ($17.5M) and UNBC ($4.1M) to support facility renovations
Nurse practitioners (NP) have years of experience as registered nurses before they complete master’s level-clinical training to act as the “most responsible provider,” similar to physicians. NPs work in a wide variety of medical settings, including primary care networks, emergency rooms, and specialized outpatient settings.
The 65 new seats include 30 seats at UBC, 20 seats at UNBC, and 15 seats at UVic. In addition, the government provided $4.1 million to UNBC and $17.5 million to UBC for renovations. Prior to these additions, UVic had 35 seats, UBC 30, UNBC 20, while Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops has 15 seats which opened in May 2023.
In September 2025, UBC relocated its 30 new seats from the Vancouver campus to a newly renovated facility in Surrey. This transition makes the Nurse Practitioner (NP) program accessible to students in the Fraser region, as well as those from the Lower Mainland, northern B.C., Vancouver Island, and the southern Interior.