Universities in Canada are established and operate under
provincial and territorial government charters, except in one case directed by
First Nations bands and in another by federal legislation. Most public universities in the country are members of
Universities Canada (formerly the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)). The title "university" is protected under federal regulation.
Governance
Degree course
, there are 97 universities in Canada, offering education in
English and French.
Most French-speaking universities are located in
Quebec, though outside the province are either francophone or bilingual. 1.8 million students are enrolled in university. Programs are offered to graduating high school students through choice; however, students must maintain specific entering averages, which generally range from 65–85%, depending on criteria set by the chosen university. On campus residences are available at 95% of universities in Canada. Most include a meal plan and general utilities. Residence is optional at all post-secondary campuses.
Degree programs generally last three to four years, though some programs may take longer to complete due to
cooperative education (Co-op) programs or joint programs with colleges which are touted for offering practical experience. Tuition is based on program material and content, which vary in price. For many programs, more general courses will be taken in first year while "program specific courses" begin in year two. Some universities such as
University of Toronto require admission separate from initial admission from high school into specific programs based on internal standards achieved in first year (i.e. a set grade point average).
Higher education institutions in Canada are prevented from becoming
diploma mills by provincial/territorial legislation and regulation.
Universities by province and territory
Alberta
Post-secondary education in Alberta is regulated by the
Ministry of Advanced Education
Alberta Advanced Education (also known as the Ministry of Advanced Education) is a ministry in the Executive Council of Alberta. Alberta Advanced Education is responsible for the public funding of post-secondary institutions in the province, in ad ...
.
There are eight public universities in
Alberta, eleven public colleges, two polytechnical institutes (which grant degrees), and seven private colleges (all of which grant degrees). Most private universities refer to themselves as "university colleges", and they grant equivalent degrees.
One university,
, is governed not under provincial legislation, but controlled directly by a consortium of seven First Nations band governments.
Edmonton, the province's capital city, is home to the
University of Alberta, the province's oldest and largest university;
MacEwan University;
The King's University; and
Concordia University of Edmonton (not to be confused with Concordia University of Montreal). The French-language
Campus Saint-Jean is part of the University of Alberta, offering programmes to francophone and francophile students.
There are five universities in Calgary: the
University of Calgary,
Ambrose University,
Mount Royal University,
St. Mary's University and the
Alberta University of the Arts.
The
University of Lethbridge is based out of
Lethbridge
Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...
but also has a campus in Calgary.
Athabasca University
Athabasca University (AU) is a Canadian public research university that primarily operates through online distance education. Founded in 1970, it is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta, and was the first ...
, a distance learning university, has been based out of
Athabasca
Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca may a ...
since 1970.
Established in 1907 in
Leduc, the independent publicly funded
Burman University in
Lacombe Lacombe may refer to:
Places
* Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
* Lacombe County, Alberta, Canada
* Lacombe, Louisiana, United States
* Lacombe, Aude, France
People
* Albert Lacombe (1827–1916), oblate missionary to the Cree and Blackfoot
* Bernar ...
is the oldest university in Alberta. Formerly a
university college, the Alberta Government granted the institution permission to change its status from "university college" to "university" in 2014.
In 2009, a bill was passed by the Alberta legislature which allowed the two public colleges that offered degrees (
MacEwan College in Edmonton and
Mount Royal College in Calgary) to change their status to universities. Mount Royal College was renamed Mount Royal University on September 3, 2009 and Grant MacEwan College became Grant MacEwan University on September 24, 2009 (renamed MacEwan University in September 2013).
Most recently, The King's University and Concordia University of Edmonton (2014) have obtained the right to change their respective names from University-College to University.
British Columbia
There are eleven
public universities and five
private universities
Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...
in
British Columbia. Eight of these universities –
Capilano University,
Emily Carr University of Art and Design,
University of the Fraser Valley,
Kwantlen Polytechnic University,
Trinity Western University,
Simon Fraser University, the
University Canada West
University Canada West (UCW) is a Private university, private, For-profit education, for-profit university in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 2005 by David F. Strong, the former president of the University of Victoria. UCW was purc ...
and the
University of British Columbia (with the exception of the
University of British Columbia Okanagan, the major UBC campus located in the
Okanagan Valley) – are in the
Metro Vancouver region, the most populated region of British Columbia, and three of them –
Vancouver Island University,
Royal Roads University and the
University of Victoria – are on
Vancouver Island. The
University of Northern British Columbia houses a main campus in Prince George, with regional campuses in Quesnel, Terrace and Fort St. John. Three public universities,
Capilano University,
University of the Fraser Valley and
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, along with the private
Quest University Canada
Quest University (officially Quest University Canada) is a private, not-for-profit, secular liberal arts and sciences university. The university opened in September 2007 with an inaugural class of 73. The university has an enrolment of around ...
, are primarily undergraduate institutions. Two US-based private university campuses in Vancouver, namely the
New York Institute of Technology
The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecu ...
and
Fairleigh Dickinson University, both are in Vancouver, primarily for undergraduate and graduate students.
The oldest university in the province is the
University of British Columbia, established in 1908, with its newest major campus in
Okanagan established in 2005. Five institutions in British Columbia were officially designated as universities on September 1, 2008:
Capilano University,
Emily Carr University of Art and Design,
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the
University of the Fraser Valley, and
Vancouver Island University. University enrolment in British Columbia ranges from
Quest University Canada
Quest University (officially Quest University Canada) is a private, not-for-profit, secular liberal arts and sciences university. The university opened in September 2007 with an inaugural class of 73. The university has an enrolment of around ...
with 700 students to the University of British Columbia with 45,484 students.
The biggest provider of online and distance education in BC is
Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning. With over 400 individual courses and more than 57 programs available for completion by distance and online learning, students can take a variety of programs such as: adult secondary school completion; certificates and diplomas, including advanced and post-baccalaureate; associate degrees; and bachelor's degrees. Considering distance students, Thompson Rivers University's enrolment is 22,036 (8964 of which is distance).
Manitoba
There are five public universities and one private university in Manitoba, which are under the responsibility of the
Ministry of Advanced Education and Literacy. Three of the public universities—the
University of Manitoba, which is the oldest university in western Canada, the
University of Winnipeg, and
Université de Saint-Boniface—are in
Winnipeg, the capital and largest city in the province.
Université de Saint-Boniface, established in 1818, is the oldest post-secondary institute in the province and is the only French-language university in western Canada.
Brandon University
Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon Co ...
is located in the western Manitoba city of
Brandon.
Canadian Mennonite University is a private
Anabaptist
Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...
university in Winnipeg.
The province also has three university colleges:
Booth University College
Booth University College (Booth UC or BUC)—incorporated as the Salvation Army William and Catherine Booth University College—is a private, Christian liberal arts university college located in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is affilia ...
, formed in 1982 in Winnipeg,
Providence University College in
Otterburne, Manitoba, and the
University College of the North, which serves the communities of
The Pas and
Thompson
Thompson may refer to:
People
* Thompson (surname)
* Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician
Places Australia
*Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality
Bulgaria
* Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province
Canada
* ...
. Smaller satellite campuses serve 12 other smaller centers, 9 of which are on First Nations land.
University enrolment in Manitoba ranges from Booth University College with several hundred students to the
University of Manitoba with 26,800 students.
New Brunswick
There are eight chartered universities in New Brunswick; four public universities,
governed by the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, and four private institutions including an online university,
Yorkville University
Yorkville University is a private for-profit university established in 2003 in New Brunswick, Canada. The university accepted its first students in the fall of 2004 for the programs offered out of Fredericton, New Brunswick, which was at the t ...
. New Brunswick holds the distinctions of having the first English-language university in Canada and the first public university in North America, (the
University of New Brunswick); and also the first university in the
British Empire to award a bachelor's degree to a woman, (
Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839.
Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...
) in 1875.
St. Thomas University St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to:
* Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina
*St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick
*St. ...
and
University of New Brunswick have campuses in the province's capital of
Fredericton
Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...
and UNB also maintains a campus in
Saint John. Established in 1785, the University of New Brunswick is the oldest public in the province, and the
Université de Moncton is the newest, formed in 1963, though dating back to 1864 through one of its three predecessor institutions. Public university enrolment ranges from Mount Allison University with 2,486 students to the University of New Brunswick with 10,587 students. Of the three private universities,
Crandall University has an enrollment 800. Another private university,
St. Stephen's University is located in St. Stephen, NB.
Kingswood University
Kingswood University is an evangelical Christian University associated with the Wesleyan Church, located in Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education. It ...
is an evangelical Christian University associated with the
Wesleyan Church, located in Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The Degree Granting Act of
Newfoundland and Labrador regulates degree-granting universities in the province. The only university in Newfoundland and Labrador,
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...
, has campuses in three cities, in
St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, on the west coast of the province, in Corner Brook, and in Harlow, U.K. With 18,172 enrolled students, it is the second largest university in
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
.
Nova Scotia
There are 10
universities in
Nova Scotia. Six of these –
Atlantic School of Theology
Atlantic School of Theology (AST) is a Canadian public ecumenical university that provides graduate level theological education and undertakes research to assist students to prepare for Christian ministries and other forms of public leadership. ...
,
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
,
Mount Saint Vincent University, the
NSCAD University,
Saint Mary's University, and the
University of King's College – are located in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, the provincial capital and largest city in
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
. The oldest university in the province is the
University of King's College, established in 1789, while the newest is
Cape Breton University
, "Diligence Will Prevail"
, mottoeng = Perseverance Will Triumph
, established = 1951 as Xavier Junior College 1968 as NSEIT 1974 as College Of Cape Breton 1982 as University College of Cape Breton 2005 as Cape Breton ...
, established in 1974. University student enrolment in Nova Scotia ranges from 150 students at Atlantic School of Theology to more than 18,000 at
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
.
Several universities in Nova Scotia have religious connections. The University of King's College, founded in
Windsor, was the first college to obtain university powers in
British North America, at a time when
Upper Canada had no government of its own. It has always remained under the control of the
Church of England. Dalhousie University, originally known as Dalhousie College, was established in Halifax in 1818 with the help of the
Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
, and
Acadia University was founded by
Baptists
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
.
Catholics formed Saint Mary's University, Mount Saint Vincent University, and
Saint Francis Xavier University.
Université Sainte-Anne, the tenth university, is located in
Pointe-de-l'Église and instructs its academic courses in French.
Ontario
There are 22 publicly funded universities in the Canadian province of
Ontario that are
post-secondary education institutions with degree-granting authority. Each of these institutions were either established through an
Act of the Legislative Assembly or through a
Royal Charter. With the exception of
Royal Military College of Canada, students apply to public universities in Ontario through the
Ontario Universities' Application Centre.
Ontario also has 24 publicly funded
colleges
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
, most referred to as Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology and five as Institutes of Technology and Advanced Learning, all of which are commonly referred to as colleges. 12 colleges offered 74 bachelor's degree programmes, -13.
The
University of Toronto was established in 1827 making it the oldest university in Ontario. The newest university in Ontario is the
Université de l'Ontario français, incorporated by legislation in 2018 but accepting its first cohort of full-time students in 2021. The next newest,
Algoma University
Algoma University, commonly shortened to Algoma U or Algoma, is a public university with its main campus located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. With a particular focus on the needs of Northern Ontario, Algoma U is a teaching-focused and s ...
, was established in 2008 after gaining independence from
Laurentian University
Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...
. The largest university in terms of enrolment is the University of Toronto, which has 84,000 students across campuses in three locations.
York University in
Toronto has over 50,000 students, the second largest university in terms of enrolment.
The
U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities is headquartered in Ottawa.
Prince Edward Island
There is one university in Prince Edward Island that is authorized to grant degrees.
Higher education in the province falls under the jurisdiction of the Higher Education and Corporate Services Branch within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The only university in the province, the
University of Prince Edward Island, is in the province's capital of
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...
. The institution resulted from an amalgamation of
Prince of Wales College
Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island.
PWC traces its hist ...
, a former
university college founded in 1834, and
Saint Dunstan's University, founded in 1855. UPEI hosts the
Atlantic Veterinary College, funded by the four Atlantic provincial governments.
Quebec
There are 19 universities in the largely French-speaking province of
Quebec, 10 of which form the Université du Québec network.
In Québec, universities are independent from government and autonomous in managing their affairs. By means of legislation or constitutional charters, lawmakers have granted each university the freedom to define its own curriculum and develop its own teaching and research programs. The university has full responsibility for setting admission standards and enrolment requirements, awarding degrees and recruiting its personnel.
Of the nineteen universities, three are
anglophone:
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
,
McGill University and
Bishop's University. One, the
Royal Military College Saint-Jean, is bilingual (between French and English). The rest are
francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
: five of them –
École de technologie supérieure
École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is a public engineering faculty in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Founded in 1974, the École de technologie supérieure is a constituent of Université du Québec system. Specialized in applied teaching in ...
,
Polytechnique Montréal,
HEC Montréal,
Université de Montréal and
Université du Québec à Montréal – are located in
Montreal, the most populated city in Quebec, and four of them –
École nationale d'administration publique,
Institut national de la recherche scientifique,
TÉLUQ and
Université Laval – are based in
Quebec City, the province's capital. The Institut national de la recherche scientifique and École nationale d'administration publique do not offer undergraduate level programs, while TÉLUQ is a distance learning university.
The oldest university in the province is
Université Laval, established in 1663. The most recent institutions are:
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (1983),
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
(1974), École de technologie supérieure (1974),
TÉLUQ (1972, merged with UQÀM in 2005, split in 2012). University enrolment in the province of Quebec ranges from the
Institut national de la recherche scientifique with 480 students to the Université de Montréal with 55,540 students (but this figure actually includes HEC and Polytechnique, which are legally distinct universities).
Saskatchewan
There are two universities in Saskatchewan with degree-granting authority.
The
Government of Saskatchewan must establish statutes individually to degree-granting universities; these statutes outline the authority of each institution, their regulations, and bylaws. The
University of Regina is based
Regina, the province's capital, and the
University of Saskatchewan is in
Saskatoon, the most populous city in Saskatchewan. The University of Saskatchewan is the oldest university in the province, founded in 1907. The University of Saskatchewan is also the largest university in Saskatchewan with 18,620 students, and the First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) is the smallest with 840 students. The
First Nations University of Canada is another post-secondary institution that is federated with the University of Regina, and caters to the needs of
First Nations students. It was originally called the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and once formed, it entered into a federated agreement with the University of Regina to create the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC). This Agreement allowed FNUC to become an independently administered university-college that served First Nations students.
The First Nations University of Canada is the only university in the province that does not offer graduate-level programs.
Yukon
Yukoners have proposed the college become a university in some form or other since 2004. In December, 2019, the Yukon Legislature passed a bill that would transform Yukon College into Yukon University. The university officially opened in May 2020, making
Yukon University
Yukon University (formerly Yukon College) is a public university in the Canadian territory of Yukon. The university main campus is based in Whitehorse, although the institution also operates 12 campuses throughout the territory. The university c ...
the only public university in
northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
.
List of public universities
The following is a list of public universities (by province/territory) that are authorized to issue degrees. The following list does not include
affiliated institutions and seminaries, whose degrees are typically awarded by the affiliate's parent institution.
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon
List of private universities
The following is a list of private universities that are authorized to issue degrees by a provincial authority. The following list does not include
satellite campuses and branches in Canada for universities based in the United States. All of them are English language institutions.
See also
*
U15 (universities)
*
Higher education in Canada
*
List of business schools in Canada
*
List of Canadian universities by endowment
This list of Canadian universities by endowment groups the universities in Canada according to their endowments. As of the end of the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the total value of endowments at Canadian universities was nearly $21 billion. Some uni ...
*
List of colleges in Canada
This is a list of colleges in Canada. Colleges are distinct from universities in Canada as they are typically not degree-granting institutions, though some may be enabled by provincial legislation to grant degrees using joint programs with univer ...
*
List of law schools in Canada
*
List of universities and colleges by country
*
Lists of universities and colleges
*
List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
*
Rankings of universities in Canada
Rankings of universities in Canada are typically published annually by a variety of nationally, and internationally based publications. Rankings of post-secondary institutions have most often been conducted by magazines, newspapers, websites, gov ...
Notes
Footnotes
References
*
External links
Association of Universities and Colleges of CanadaTimes Higher Education Canadian University rankings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canada, Universities
*
Lists of universities and colleges by country