Université D'Ottawa
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The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a
bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
public
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of
Downtown Ottawa Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, ...
across the
Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...
in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood. The University of Ottawa was first established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the first bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa,
Joseph-Bruno Guigues Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues (; 26 August 1805 – 8 February 1874) was an Oblate priest, a teacher and became the first bishop of the diocese of Bytown (Ottawa) serving from (1847–1874). His consecration service in 1848 was performed by ...
. Placed under the direction of the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation was ...
, it was renamed the College of Ottawa in 1861 and received university status five years later through a royal charter. On 5 February 1889, the university was granted a pontifical charter by
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
, elevating the institution to a
pontifical university A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...
. The university was reorganized on July 1, 1965, as a corporation, independent from any outside body or religious organization. As a result, the civil and pontifical charters were kept by the newly created
Saint Paul University Saint Paul University () is a bilingual Catholic university federated with the University of Ottawa since 1965. It is located on Main Street in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, Ontario. Fully bilingual, it offers instruction in both of the countr ...
, federated with the university. The remaining civil faculties were retained by the reorganized university. The University of Ottawa is the largest English-French bilingual university in the world. The university offers a wide variety of academic programs, administered by ten faculties: Arts, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences,
Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
,
Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
, Science,
Social Sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
, and the Telfer School of Management. The University of Ottawa Library includes 12 branches, holding a collection of over 4.5 million titles. The university is a member of the Canadian U15 group of research-intensive universities, with a research income of in 2022. The school is co-educational and enrolls almost 40,000 undergraduate and over 6,000 post-graduate students. The school has enrolled 2,300 students into the
French Immersion French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which students who do not speak French as a first language will receive instruction in French. In most French- immersion schools, students will learn to speak French and learn most subjects ...
Studies program in fall 2022. The school has approximately 10,600 international students from 150 countries, accounting for 26 per cent of the student population. The university has a network of more than 250,000 alumni. The university's athletic teams are known as the Gee-Gees and are members of
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
.


History

The university was established on September 26, 1848 as the College of Bytown by the first Roman Catholic bishop of Ottawa,
Joseph-Bruno Guigues Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues (; 26 August 1805 – 8 February 1874) was an Oblate priest, a teacher and became the first bishop of the diocese of Bytown (Ottawa) serving from (1847–1874). His consecration service in 1848 was performed by ...
. He entrusted administration to the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation wa ...
. The college was originally located in
Lower Town Lower Town (also spelled "Lowertown" () is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Vanier Ward in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to the east of downtown. It is the oldest neighbourhood of the city, with construction beginning in 1826. It includes the comm ...
, housed in a wooden building next to the
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic minor basilica in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada located on 385 Sussex Drive in the Lower Town neighbourhood. It was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Histori ...
. However, space quickly became an issue for administrators, triggering two moves in 1852 and a final move to Sandy Hill in 1856. The Sandy Hill property was donated by Louis-Théodore Besserer, where he offered a substantial parcel from his estate for the college. The college was renamed College of Ottawa in 1861, following the city's name change from
Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...
to
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
. In 1866, the college received its first charter, as well as university status, making it the final institution in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
to receive a
royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
from London before the
British North America Act, 1867 The ''Constitution Act, 1867'' ( 30 & 31 Vict. c. 3) (),''The Constitution Act, 1867'', 30 & 31 Victoria (U.K.), c. 3, http://canlii.ca/t/ldsw retrieved on 2019-03-14. originally enacted as the ''British North America Act, 1867'' (BNA Act), ...
made education a provincial responsibility. By 1872 the university had already begun to confer undergraduate degrees, with master's degrees coming in 1875 and doctoral degrees in 1888. On February 5, 1889, the university was granted a pontifical charter from Pope Leo XIII, elevating the university to a pontifical university. The university faced a crisis when fire destroyed the main building on 2 December 1903. After the fire, the university hired New York architect A. O. Von Herbulis to design its replacement, Tabaret Hall. It was among the first Canadian structures to be completely fireproof, built of reinforced concrete. Women first enrolled in 1919. In the fall of 1939, a Canadian Officer Training Corp was established at the university, with training beginning in January 1940. The Canadian Officers' Training Corps, University of Ottawa Contingent, which comprised a company, headquarters and three platoons in 1939, was authorized to become a battalion in 1940. By 1941, the unit swelled to 550 men. An air force Officers' Training Corp was created in 1942 and a naval Officers' training corp in 1943. Participation in one of the three corps became mandatory for all students over 18, although they were not obliged to participate in the actual war at the end of their studies. During this time, the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
used parts of the university's grounds for training and the university constructed
barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
to house members of the
Canadian Women's Army Corps The Canadian Women's Army Corps was a non-combatant branch of the Canadian Army for women, established during the Second World War, with the purpose of releasing men from those non-combatant roles in the Canadian armed forces as part of expandi ...
. In total 1,158 students and alumni of the university enrolled the
Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
during the Second World War, of which 50 died overseas. The unit was eventually disbanded during the unification of the Armed Forces in 1968. The Ottawa architecture firm of Burgess, McLean & MacPhadyen designed the Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology (later to merge with the Ontario Vocational Centre and renamed
Algonquin College Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college has three campuses, all in Ontario: a primary campus in Ottawa, and secondary campuses in Perth and ...
), opened its new Rideau Campus on a 12-acre city owned Lees Avenue site in 1964. After being unused for a number of years, the midcentury academic complex was sold to the University of Ottawa in January 2007. The university was reorganized on 1 July 1965 as a corporation independent from any outside body or religious organization, becoming publicly funded. As a result, the civil and pontifical charters were transferred to the newly created Saint Paul University, federated with the corporation, while the remaining civil faculties were retained by the reorganized university. In 1970, 100 Laurier East became property of the University of Ottawa, acquired at a cost of $1,120,900. Previously named Juniorat du Sacré-Coeur, the property became the university's oldest building after it was acquired. At a cost of $28,000, it was built by Joseph Bourque, a
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
contractor and church builder, and completed in 1894. The Juniorat du Sacré-Coeur provided classical education for young men who wished to pursue a religious life and join the Order of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The building was expanded in 1937, an expansion that was indistinguishable from the original structure. The huge cross that used to dominate the top of the building was removed after its purchase, leaving only small references to the building's religious history as the Juniorat du Sacré-Coeur. The property now houses the university's department of Visual Arts. It is located at the corner of Laurier Avenue and Cumberland Street, near the Rideau Canal. In 1974, a new policy mandated by the
Government of Ontario The Government of Ontario () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. The term ''Government of Ontario'' refers specifically to the executive—political Minister ...
strengthened institutional
bilingualism Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
at the university, with specific instructions to further bilingualism and biculturalism and preserve and develop French culture. In 1989, Dr.
Wilbert Keon Wilbert Joseph Keon (May 17, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was a Canadian physician. A heart surgeon and researcher by profession, Keon was a longtime Canadian senator. Biography Born in Sheenboro, Quebec, Keon received a Bachelor of Science from ...
of the
University of Ottawa Heart Institute The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) ''(French: Institut de cardiologie de l'Université d'Ottawa (ICUO))'' is Canada's largest cardiovascular health centre. It is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It began as a department in The Otta ...
performed the country's first neonatal
artificial heart An artificial heart is a artificial organ, device that replaces the human heart, heart. Artificial hearts are typically used as a bridge to heart transplantation, but ongoing research aims to develop a device that could permanently replace the ...
transplant on an 11-day-old baby. On 11 November 1998, during the University of Ottawa's 150th-anniversary celebrations, two war memorial plaques were unveiled in the foyer of Tabaret Hall which honour 1000 graduates of the university community who took part in armed conflict, especially the list of 50 graduates who lost their lives. The engineering building, Colonel By Hall, was unveiled in September 2005 as a memorial dedicated to Lieutenant-Colonel
John By Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was an English military engineer. He is best known for having supervised the construction of the Rideau Canal and for having founded Bytown in the process. It developed and was desi ...
, Royal Engineers. In 2020, the University of Ottawa attracted significant global media attention due to a controversy over academic freedom.


Campus

The university's main campus is situated within the neighbourhood of Sandy Hill (''Côte-de-Sable''). The main campus is bordered to the north by the
ByWard Market The ByWard Market (), is a retail and entertainment district in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located east of the government and business district. The Market district includes the market buildings and open-air market alo ...
district, to the east by Sandy Hill's residential area, and to the southwest by Nicholas Street, which runs adjacent to the Rideau Canal on the western half of the university. As of the 2010–2011 academic year, the main campus occupied , though the university owns and manages other properties throughout the city, raising the university's total extent to . The main campus moved two times before settling in its final location in 1856. When the institution was first founded, the campus was located next to the
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic minor basilica in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada located on 385 Sussex Drive in the Lower Town neighbourhood. It was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Histori ...
. With space a major issue in 1852, the campus moved to a location that is now across from the
National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...
. In 1856, the institution moved to its present location. The buildings at the university vary in age from 100 Laurier (1893) to 150 Louis-Pasteur Private (2018). In 2011 the average age of buildings was 63. In the 2011–2012 academic year, the university owned and managed 30 main buildings, 806 research laboratories, 301 teaching laboratories and 257 classrooms and seminar rooms. The main campus is divided between its older Sandy Hill campus and its Lees campus, purchased in 2007. While Lees Campus is not adjacent to Sandy Hill, it is displayed as part of the main campus on school maps. Lees campus, within walking distance of Sandy Hill, was originally a satellite campus owned by
Algonquin College Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college has three campuses, all in Ontario: a primary campus in Ottawa, and secondary campuses in Perth and ...
. An
O-Train The O-Train is a light rail system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system consists of three lines, all of which are fully Grade separation, grade-separated. As of March 2025, one line is currently being extended an ...
station, uOttawa station, is situated on the western periphery of the campus adjacent to Nicholas Street and the
Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...
.


Library

The University of Ottawa Library is a network of twelve locations, and maintains a collection of approximately two million printed books, one million e-books, 423,986 maps, 87,216 music items and more with its collection budget of . The Library has digitized over 20,000 French books and some of the aerial photographs from the National Air Photo Library collection which are in the public domain. In addition, with consent from the National Aboriginal Health Organization's (NAHO) Board of Directors, the Library and the Indigenous Program at the
Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
archived the NAHO's website using Archive It which is no longer publicly available. The main library is in Morisset Hall, which also houses the Media Centre, Archives and Special Collections, and the Geographic, Statistical and Government Information Centre. The university has five other specialized libraries: the Brian Dickson Law Library, located in Fauteux Hall; the Health Sciences Library, located at the Roger-Guindon campus; the Management Library, located in the Desmarais Building; the Isobel Firestone Music Library, located in Pérez Hall; and the Annex, an off-site storage facility that houses less-used portions of the collection. The Morisset Library was named for Auguste-Marie Morisset who was a chief librarian from 1934 to 1958 and the Brian Dickson Law Library was named for
Brian Dickson Robert George Brian Dickson (May 25, 1916 – October 17, 1998) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and judge who served as the 15th chief justice of Canada from 1984 to 1990 and as a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1973 ...
who was the
chief justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada () is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court system. The '' Supreme Court Ac ...
. The Archives and Special Collections in Morisett Library contains holdings on a variety of subjects, particularly on feminism movement in Canada and it has the largest collection of feminist publications in Canada from periodicals and newsletters including Branching Out and Broadside. In addition, in 2018, the Archives and Special Collections collaborated with the
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...
and the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists – Education and Research Institute ( INWES-ERI) founded by Monique Frize for the project of Canadian Archive of Women in STEM to develop a search index portal to facilitate discovery in one central location. In addition to housing the university's collections, the library also maintains the Learning Crossroads, which features two lecture halls and more than 1,000 individual and group study rooms. It houses a wide range of cutting-edge technologies like a video wall, featuring a large 8K screen, virtual reality equipment and multimedia studios. The University of Ottawa Library is a member of the
Canadian Association of Research Libraries The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) was established in 1976 and brings together thirty-one research libraries. Twenty-nine members are university libraries, plus Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and the National Research Counci ...
, the
Association of Research Libraries The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research library at comprehensive, research institutions in Canada and the United States. ARL member libraries make up a large portion of the academic and research li ...
, and the
Ontario Council of University Libraries The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is an academic library consortium of Ontario's 21 university libraries located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 1967, OCUL member institutions work together to maximize the expertise and re ...
.


History

The library dates back to the foundation of the institution in 1848. In 1903, the main building of the university where the library was located was destroyed by fire; therefore, all the intellectual treasures were lost. After this fire, it was top priority for the university authorities to rebuild the library and it had received donations from Canadian Federal and Provincial Governments and Foreign governments, particularly from France, United States, Great Britain, and other countries. On October 15, 1932, the
Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...
informed that a grant of would be donated to the library over a period of three years which was used for the foundation of the library. In addition, in 1938, the French Government donated a gift which allowed the library to purchase books to the value of and the foundation of the Society of Friends of the Library of the University of Ottawa was founded to help the library restore.


Museum

The University of Ottawa Museum of Classical Antiquities was established in 1975 as a teaching collection, operated by the Department of Classical and Religious Studies. Composed of artifacts which reflect daily life during the period from the 7th century BC to the 7th century AD, the permanent collection is enhanced by touring exhibitions. The university also houses a student-run gallery space, known as Gallery 115 on the main floor of 100 Laurier East. The student-run gallery provides students the opportunity to work within a gallery setting. It provides graduate and undergraduate students a chance to develop curatorial and administrative skills, as well as, display their own art pieces. In co-operation with the University of Ottawa, the Gallery operates under a democratic structure representing many students enrolled in various programs, including Visual Arts, Art History and Art Administration.


Housing and student facilities

Although most students live off-campus, the university has eleven student residences: Leblanc Hall, Marchand Hall, Stanton, Thompson Hall, Hyman Soloway, Friel, Henderson, Rideau, 45 Mann, 90 University and Annex. The university offers a variety of housing options. Four of the seven residences are conventional single and double bedrooms. Brooks and Hyman Soloway are 2–4 bedroom apartment-styled residences, while 90 University is a two bedroom suite-styled residence. On January 24, 2018, the new Annex residence was officially announced to students in an email newsletter from the school's 'The Gee' news outlet. The new residence opened in September 2018; it has 1-5 bedroom units including studio-styled single rooms. In September 2010, 26.2 percent of first-year students lived on campus, part of the 8.8 percent of the overall undergraduate population which lived on campus. Data from 2019 indicate nearly 3,000 students living on campus. Residents are represented by the Residents' Association of the University of Ottawa (RAUO). With a mandate to help improve the quality of life in residences, each building elects a representative to the association. The RAUO also provides a political representation on the behalf of the residents. Buildings may collect a small fee, known as the floor fund to pay for the group. The Jock Turcot University Centre (UCU) is the centre of student life and programming. Located between Montpetit Hall and Morisett Library, the centre was completed in 1973 at a cost of over . In spring of 2017, an expanded rooftop patio was added to the university's 'UCU', allowing students to have a more open campus in a downtown setting. Funding for the centre was partially offset by the Jock Turcot University Fund, which was set up by the student body. The centre was named after former student federation president Jock Turcot, who was killed in a traffic collision in 1965. The university has over thirty-five dining outlets. This includes several major restaurant chains.


Off-campus facilities

Off-campus faculties are located throughout Ottawa. The university owns and operates another campus located in Ottawa's Riverview neighbourhood, known as the Health Science or Alta Vista campus. Located on
Smyth Road Smyth Road () ( Ottawa Road #72), is a main road in eastern Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Riverside Drive to St. Laurent Boulevard. This residential area was developed in the 1950s. The street was originally lined with large elm trees, gi ...
, the Health Science campus is . The campus primarily serves the
Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
as well as hosting programs for the Faculty of Health Sciences. Roger Guindon Hall serves as the primary building for students at the campus. The Health Science campus is located in between
The Ottawa Hospital The Ottawa Hospital () is a hospital system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The system was formed through the merger of the former Grace Hospital, Ottawa Riverside Hospital, Ottawa General Hospital and Ottawa Civic Hospital. The system is affiliate ...
and the
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario — Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre, commonly known by its acronym CHEO ( ), is a children's hospital and tertiary trauma centre for children and youth located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. CHEO serves p ...
, both of which are university-affiliated. Many of the hospital's health professionals and researchers teach in the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. Medical and health sciences students learn on the job at The Ottawa Hospital. The university operates the Centre for Executive Leadership at the World Exchange Plaza. Located on
O'Connor Street O'Connor Street is a downtown arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is a north–south route, operating one way southbound, providing a key thoroughfare parallel to Bank Street. The roadway begins at Wellington Street, at Parliament Hil ...
in
Downtown Ottawa Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, ...
, the centre is primarily used by the Telfer School of Management's Executive
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
program. The centre includes one amphitheatre-style classroom, seven case rooms for team meetings, collaborative work and/or independent study and conference and boardroom spaces. The university also maintains a small campus in Kanata focused on encouraging student employment at the many technology companies based in the Kanata North Technology Park.


Sustainability

The Office of Campus Sustainability, established in 2006, coordinates, promotes and implements
sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
activities. The Office of Campus Sustainability is headed by the Sustainable Development Committee. Membership of the committee comprises administrators, students, community groups and the City of Ottawa. Along with the other members of the
Council of Ontario Universities The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) provides a forum for Ontario's universities to collaborate and advocate in support of their shared mission to the benefit and prosperity of students, communities and the province of Ontario. A membership ...
, the University of Ottawa signed a pledge in November 2009 known as ''Ontario Universities Committed to a Greener World'', with the objective of transforming its campus into a model of environmental responsibility. The university is a signatory of the
Talloires Declaration {{Short description, Declaration for sustainability The Talloires Declaration is a declaration for sustainability, created for and by presidents of institutions of higher learning. Jean Mayer, Tufts University president, convened a conference of 22 ...
. Several programs from the university placed in the 2011
Corporate Knights Corporate Knights is a media and research company based in Toronto, Canada, focused on advancing a sustainable economy. The company publishes a magazine,  ''Corporate Knights'', and produces global rankings, research reports, and financial pr ...
rankings, which measures how well Canadian universities integrate sustainability into their curriculum. Telfer School of Management ranked fifth in Canada for undergraduate business programs. The Corporate Knights also ranked Telfer eighth in Canada for MBA program. The University of Ottawa has implemented a variety of activities in order to increase sustainability across campus. The university has been working on creating a more sustainable campus through the efforts of the Office of Campus Sustainability. One of the main programs occurring at the University of Ottawa to promote waste reduction is RecycleMania. RecycleMania is a competition among colleges and universities that occurs within a 10-week period of time. Each school is to report their trash and recycling data which are then ranked according to the largest quantity of recyclables. The purpose of this competition is to see who has the highest recycling rate. As results fluctuate among competitors, schools get more enticed to keep reducing waste. In 2011, the University of Ottawa was awarded first place among Canadian universities in the RecycleMania competition. The university also ranked 14th out of 180 universities in the “waste minimization” category in the international RecycleMania competition. The RecycleMania program will continue to encourage and inform University of Ottawa students on how to change their consumption habits as well as recycle. One of the newer programs initiated by the University of Ottawa is the Free Store. The Free Store is a location in which students can drop off items they no longer want and pick up items they do want for free. The reason this was created was to reduce consumption by offering free items to students who no longer want items that may be used by someone else. Items that are dropped off include clothing, textbooks, electronics, and office supplies. The Free Store is located at 647 King Edward. In 2007, the Office of Campus Sustainability coined the term “Gratuiterie” as the French translation to their Free Store. Since then, the concept of la Gratuiterie has gained widespread popularity in France, namely in Grenoble where the first Gratuiterie appeared. Since then France has seen a boom of “Gratuiteries” around the country. On September 1, 2010, the University of Ottawa stopped selling bottled water on campus and created a bottled water ban in order to reduce plastic consumption, and encourage students to carry reusable water bottles and use campus water fountains. The University of Ottawa put forth $150,000 to improve the water fountains across campus. The new Social Sciences Building at the University of Ottawa is the school's latest green initiative. The fifteen-storey building that took about four years of planning and construction to complete opened its doors in September 2012. The Social Sciences Building that cost a grand total of $112.5 million provides students and faculty with an array of space for individual studying and group work. This building is the newest addition to the University of Ottawa with its green and sustainable architecture and facilities. This building is very different among the rest of the university's buildings as its structure and characteristics are very eco-friendly. Some features that the building includes are: construction materials that were chosen due to their recycled content, a living wall that is five stories tall and composed of numerous plants that with act as an air filtration system, and a green roof. The green wall is the tallest living
biofilter Biofiltration is a pollution control technique using a bioreactor containing living material to capture and biologically degrade pollutants. Common uses include processing waste water, capturing harmful chemicals or silt from surface runoff, a ...
wall in North America. The wall is situated in the main agora of the Faculty of Social Science building and is visible from the outside. The green wall is a unique component of the building's air handling system, for it is capable of treating a large quantity of air at a time, and it provides a source of humidity that doesn't need to be artificially introduced. The living wall was built on October 14, 2012, by Diamond & Shmitt Architects. Eighty per cent of the building's heating will be recycled and created through the building's data centres (computer labs, etc.). This heating system will also heat nearby buildings including Vanier Hall. Not only has the University of Ottawa stayed true to their reputation of being on the forefront of sustainable living by creating the green wall, but they have also created a
green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...
, which is potentially the first green roof constructed on a Canadian university campus. The green roof was established in 1971 on the rooftop of the Colonel By building. One of the faculty's goals is to achieve a LEED Gold Certification, which is given to green buildings that meet specific environmental guidelines. In 2006, the University of Ottawa established the first community campus garden. Over the course of the past eight years, the community garden has expanded in terms of the number of plants that occupy it, and has grown into a full-fledged garden containing more than thirty pots in various locations on campus. The community garden is open from early spring until mid-autumn. In addition to the various eco-friendly accomplishments that have been added to the university over the years, in 2005, the university established a boreal forest and wetland environment, and is in the middle of creating a living classroom for students to enjoy. The University of Ottawa is on the rise to being one of the top eco-friendly Canadian universities in North America. The University of Ottawa has also introduced a bike share program to encourage cycling to and from school. The university offers free bicycle rentals and access to free maintenance and repair workshops. Along with new bike routes and services, the university has enhanced car-pooling and shuttle services, and is served by uOttawa and Lees stations along
O-Train The O-Train is a light rail system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system consists of three lines, all of which are fully Grade separation, grade-separated. As of March 2025, one line is currently being extended an ...
Line 1, encouraging students to use public transit via a discounted university student bus pass. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) provides various activities that attempt to increase sustainability practices among individuals and institutions, promote resource sharing, and make sustainable practices a norm within higher education institutions. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), created by AASHE, was designed to provide guidelines for better understanding of sustainability and build a more sustainable community throughout university campuses. It is a way for universities and colleges to measure their sustainability efforts. The program compares higher education facilities’ sustainability initiatives and ranks them based on their efforts. In 2011, the University of Ottawa received a silver star by the STARS program. The Office of Campus Sustainability continues to create various events and programs to promote sustainability among students at the University of Ottawa. They are responsible for informing students of all initiatives and programs put forth by the university. Eco-friendly initiatives are growing rapidly at the University of Ottawa with the help of the office. One of them is "Cleaning the capital".


Administration

Governance is conducted through the Board of Governors and the Senate, whose roles were established by the University of Ottawa Act, 1965. The Act describes their membership and powers, as well as their principal officers. The Board provides overall governance and management, including financial decisions and the implementation of policies and procedures. The Board consists of an executive committee which includes the Chair of the Board and the Vice-Chair and Chair of the Executive Committee. As stipulated by the act, the board comprises no more than 32 members, appointed or elected by the various parts of the university community. While not stipulated in the act, the board's membership includes elected undergraduate and graduate student representatives. The Board includes one honorary member, the current chancellor. The Senate sets educational policies and the management of academic issues. Such powers include the ability to create and abolish faculties, departments, schools and institutes, academic regulations, admission standards, degree and diploma requirements. It confers certificates, degrees at all levels and with the approval of the board, honorary doctorates. The Senate consists of 72 members including president, who acts as its chair. Other members of the Senate, as mentioned in the act, include the chancellor, the president, vice-presidents and the dean of each faculty, including those of federated universities. While not outlined in the act, the Senate includes students from each faculty. As stipulated in the act, the chancellor is the university's titular head and is accorded a place of honour at commencement exercises and other functions and may preside at examinations. The chancellor is appointed by the board with the concurrence of the Senate and holds the office for one or more four-year terms. The president is the chief executive officer and chairman of the Senate with the responsibility of managing the direction of academic work and general administration, teaching staff, officers, servants and students. The president is appointed by the board and continues until the board votes otherwise. The office was first referred to as superior until the university received a pontifical charter, when the name changed to rector in 1889. In 2004, the English title of rector was replaced with president.


Finances

In the 2021-2022 review of financial results, net assets stood at CA$1.793 billion, which is a decrease of $174.7M (8.9%) in 2022 compared to 2021. Revenue increased by $93.9M to reach $1,246.1M, compared to $1,152.2M in 2020–2021. The largest single source of revenue originates from tuition and other fees, along with grant revenue, accounted for 73.4% of total revenue. Expenses increased by $89.3M (7.7%) to $1,160.4M, compared to $1,102.4M in 2020–2021. The increase is due mainly to higher expenses for salaries and benefits, scholarships and financial aid, and additional costs stemming from COVID-19. As stated in the 2021-2022 financial results, its endowment was valued at CA$321.3 million, a $17.5M decrease in endowments compared to the year before due to the reduced market value of investments. The university was registered as an educational charitable organization in Canada on 1 January 1967. As of 2015, the university was registered primarily as a post-secondary institution. The university's Institutional Research and Planning department estimated that its students, staff, visitors and the institution itself brought in an estimated total of into the local economy in 2011.


Court Challenges Program

Since 2018, the University of Ottawa has been hosting the administration of the modernized Court Challenges Program (CCP) whose decisions are made by experts in human rights and language rights which are independent from both the university and the government. The Department of Canadian Heritage, in collaboration with the Department of Justice, chose the University of Ottawa as the independent organization responsible for implementing and managing the new CCP. The CCP is an administrative unit integrated within the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ottawa. In selecting a third-party institution to host the CCP, the Government is ensuring that the Program will operate independently to advance the rights and freedoms of all Canadians.


Academics

The University of Ottawa is a research university, and a member of the
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Universities Canada () is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association of Universities and Colleg ...
. It functions on a semester system, operating fall/winter and spring/summer sessions. Undergraduate programs comprise the majority of the school's enrolment, with 39,770 full-time and part-time undergraduate students, compared to 8,128 graduate students in fall 2022. Excluding Saint Paul, the university conferred 7,449 bachelor's and professional degrees, 208 doctoral degrees, 1,815 master's degrees in 2015. The university also offers students the opportunity to earn credits while studying abroad, through
student exchange ''Student Exchange'' is a 1987 American television film, made-for-television comedy film directed by Mollie Miller and produced by Walt Disney Television. It originally aired November 29, 1987 as a presentation of ''Walt Disney anthology telev ...
programs, and summer programs. The university has exchange agreements with over 250 institutions in over 52 countries.


Bilingualism and biculturalism

As of 2016, the university was the world's largest English-French bilingual university. The university is one of the three bilingual universities in Ontario that is not federated with a larger university. Since its inception the university has seen itself as fostering English-French bilingualism. However, bilingualism was only made an official university policy in 1965 when the Government of Ontario passed ''An Act respecting Université d'Ottawa'' through the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...
. Section 4 of that Act specifically states that an object and purpose of the university is "to further bilingualism and biculturalism and to preserve and develop French culture in Ontario", and "to further ... Christian principles". Despite that law, these parts of the university's mandate are now arguably superseded by the 1982 ''
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the '' Constitution Act, 1982''. The ''Char ...
'', which constitutionalizes multiculturalism (not biculturalism) and freedom of religion. The university operates the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI). The OLBI was officially opened on 1 July 2007, replacing its predecessor, the Second Language Institute. Both institutes promoted English-French bilingualism, although the OLBI holds an expanded mandate, to strengthen research, innovation and outreach efforts in official languages and bilingualism. The university is a member of the Association of Universities of the Canadian Francophonie, an association which promotes post-secondary education and research in French. While the university maintains bilingualism as an official policy, students need not be bilingual. Instead, most courses and programs are offered in both languages. As of April 2023, the percentage of students who used French as their primary language of education was at 30 percent (14,218 students), while the number of students which use English as their primary language for education was 70 percent (33,680 students). As of March 2009, 68.6 percent of professors in bilingual positions were considered to be actively bilingual, while bilingual staff comprised 91.5 percent.


Co-operative education

The University of Ottawa's
cooperative education Cooperative education (or co-operative education) is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op" or work-study program, provides a ...
program is an optional program which presents students with the ability to take part in paid work placements as part of their academic program. The program is offered for both undergraduate programs and certain graduate programs. The program was first introduced to the school in 1980. The University of Ottawa's co-operative program has expanded since its creation and now stands as the second largest program in Ontario with a placement success rate of over 98 per cent. The co-operative education program is designed to have students alternate between work and study terms, being placed in fields relevant to their area of study. The university's co-op program is available for a wide range of programs for undergraduate students and can be offered in French or English, depending on the program. Various programs offered in the faculties of arts, social sciences, engineering, science and law. The option of completing a work term abroad is also available.


Rankings and reputation

The University of Ottawa has ranked in a number of university rankings. In the 2024
Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...
rankings, the university placed 9–12 in Canada. The 2025
QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
ranked the university ninth in Canada. The 2025
Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
placed Ottawa eighth in Canada. In the 2024–25 '' U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking'', the university placed ninth in Canada. In terms of national rankings, ''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
'' ranked the university fifth in their 2025 Medical Doctoral university rankings. Ottawa was ranked in spite of having opted out — along with several other universities in Canada — of participating in Maclean's graduate survey since 2006. The university has also placed in a number of rankings that evaluated the employment prospects of its graduates. The university has an average graduate employment rate of 97 per cent, providing a significant educational, research, and economic benefit to the National Capital Region.


Research

The university is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada. Research at the University of Ottawa is managed through the Office of the Vice-President, Research. The university operates 40 research centres and institutes including the André E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, the Centre for Research in Photonics at the University of Ottawa, the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, the Ottawa Health Research Institute and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. In 2018, Research Infosource ranked Ottawa 9th on their list for top 50 research universities in Canada, with a sponsored research income (external sources of funding) of $324.581 million in 2017. In the same year, the university's faculty averaged a sponsored research income of $246,800, while its graduate students averaged a sponsored research income of $47,000. The largest source of research funding comes from the federal government, which provided $142.8 million in 2010. This was followed by the provincial government, which provided $31.2 million and the corporate/private sector which provides $25.8 million in research funding. The university's research performance has been noted several bibliometric university rankings, which uses
citation analysis Citation analysis is the examination of the frequency, patterns, and graphs of citations in documents. It uses the directed graph of citationslinks from one document to another documentto reveal properties of the documents. A typical aim would b ...
to evaluates the
impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...
a university has on academic publications. In 2019, the
Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities The Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities (NTU Rankings) is a ranking of world universities compiled by National Taiwan University annually since 2012. This publication ranks world universities by a certain criteria of s ...
ranked Ottawa 147th in the world, and eighth in Canada. The
University Ranking by Academic Performance The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) is a university ranking developed by the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University. Since 2010, it has been publishing annual national and global college and university ranking ...
2018–19 rankings placed the university 152nd in the world, and eighth in Canada. The
University of Ottawa Press The University of Ottawa Press () is a bilingual university press located in Ottawa, Ontario. It publishes approximately 25-30 books annually in both English and French. The UOP is the only fully bilingual university publishing house in Canad ...
is an academic publishing house that publishes
monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...
s and research journals in the university's name.


Admission

Admission requirements differ between students from Ontario, other provinces in Canada and international students, due to the lack of uniformity in marking schemes. The admissions office maintains that an admission rate of at least 73 percent is required, although the rate may increase based on the popularity of a program. In 2018, the secondary school average for admitted applicants to the university was 85.1 per cent. The 2015 acceptance (registrant) rate of first choice student is 45.6 percent. The 2010 secondary school rate for full-time first-year students, including Saint Paul was 82.1 percent. The retention rate for first-time, full-time first year students in 2009 was 86.1 percent. Students may apply for financial aid such as the
Ontario Student Assistance Program The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) ( (RAFEO)) is a provincial financial aid program that offers grant (money), grants and student loan, loans to help Ontario students pay for their post-secondary education. OSAP determines the amount ...
and Canada Student Loans and Grants through the federal and provincial governments. Aid may come in the form of loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships, fellowships, debt reduction, interest relief and work programs. In 2011–2012, the university provided $71.458 million in financial aid and scholarships.


Student life

The two main student unions on administrative and policy issues are the University of Ottawa Students' Union (UOSU) for all undergraduate students and the Graduate Students' Association (GSAÉD) for graduate students. Additionally, graduate (and undergraduate) students who are employed as research assistants, teaching assistants, markers, proctors, residence life workers, and lifeguards are members of CUPE2626, a local chapter of the
Canadian Union of Public Employees The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE; ) is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector – although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well. CUPE is the largest union in Canada, ...
. The union and the university are bound by a collective agreement. Until December 2018, the
Student Federation of the University of Ottawa The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) (; FÉUO) was the students' union representing undergraduate students of the University of Ottawa from 1969 to 2018. It was a not-for-profit organization incorporated under the Corpor ...
acted as the undergraduate student union, until it lost its official status, after their agreement was terminated with the university. The university cited the SFUO's handling of allegations of financial mismanagement, fraud, and workplace misconduct as the reason. In 2019, students voted to choose a new undergraduate student association in a referendum. On February 11, 2019 the University of Ottawa announced the results of the student referendum. The University of Ottawa announced the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) had been selected as the new student union to represent undergraduate students. The university will make its best efforts to have a new agreement in place by May 1, 2019. In addition, most faculties have student representative bodies. Resident students are represented by the Residents' Association of the University of Ottawa. More than 175 student organizations and clubs are officially accredited by the student union, covering interests such as academics, culture, religion, social issues and recreation. Many of them centre on the student activity centre. Two non-profit, independent student newspapers publish at the university. ''
The Fulcrum A fulcrum (: fulcra or fulcrums) is the support about which a lever pivots. Fulcrum may also refer to: Companies and organizations * Fulcrum (Anglican think tank), a Church of England think tank * Fulcrum Press, a British publisher of poetry * Fu ...
'' publishes in English and is a member of the
Canadian University Press Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by more than 50 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest ...
, while ''
La Rotonde ''La Rotonde'' is the official French-language student newspaper at the University of Ottawa. It is the oldest French-language student paper outside of Quebec. The newspaper publishes weekly throughout the fall and winter sessions on regular to ...
'' publishes in French. Campus radio station
CHUO-FM CHUO-FM is a Canadian community-based campus radio station, broadcasting at 89.1 FM in Ottawa, on Rogers digital cable on channel 943, via RealAudio stream and in MP3. It is the campus radio station of the University of Ottawa, a member of the ...
(89.1 FM), Canada's second-oldest, began broadcasting in 1984. The UOSU recognizes three fraternities;
Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...
,
Sigma Alpha Mu Sigma Alpha Mu (), commonly known as Sammy, is a college fraternity founded at the City College of New York in 1909. Though initially founded as a Jewish organization, the fraternity dropped its religious affiliation and became open to men of a ...
and Omega Theta Alpha; and ten sororities,
Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international collegiate Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity. It was founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. History File:S ...
,
Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority with 175 active chapters and over 270,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, ...
, Nu Sigma Pi, Sigma Beta Phi, Xi Delta Theta, Zeta Theta Xi, and Kappa Beta Gamma.


Athletics

Athletics and student recreation at the university are managed by Sports Services. Varsity teams compete in either
Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; ) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, ...
or
Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (), abbreviated RSEQ, is the governing body of primary and secondary school, collegiate, and university sport in Quebec. It also serves as a regional membership association for Canadian universities whi ...
conference of
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
, varying by team. The university hosts 29 competitive clubs, including 10 varsity. The first athletic group at the university was formed in 1885, with garnet and grey becoming the official team colours. Shortly thereafter, garnet and grey became the official colours of the university. Varsity teams' names are a play on the initials of the colours. Varsity teams did not immediately adopt a name, leading others to refer to them by their colours–"Garnet and Grey" in English, ''Grenat et Gris'' in French. Ottawa sports media referred to the teams as "GG" for the teams, a nickname that could easily be used in both English and French. Eventually the shorthand became official. Because the term gee gee also describes the lead horse in a race, the horse became UOttawa's mascot. The university's varsity teams share a rivalry with the
Carleton Ravens The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's ...
, who both compete in the Capital Hoops Classic basketball game, and the Colonel By Classic ice hockey game, and the Canadian football Panda Game. The university owns and operates three athletic facilities on the university's two campuses. Montpetit Hall and Minto Sports Complex are located on the main campus and another is located on Lees. Montpetit is centrally located on campus and is the home to the varsity basketball and swimming teams. The Minto Sports Complex houses the university's two arena ice rinks, which seat 840 as well as Matt Anthony Field the home of Gee-Gees soccer and rugby, which seats 1,500. In 2013, the university opened
Gee-Gees Field Gee-Gees Field is a Canadian football stadium at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was opened in 2013, to serve as the first on-campus home to the football team in 120 years. Along with the stadium came all new facilities f ...
a new stadium for its varsity football team located at Lees Campus. The new stadium holds over 4,000 spectators and serves as the first on-campus home to the Gee-Gees football team in 120 years. Along with the stadium came all new facilities including: new team rooms, coaches’ offices, dedicated athletic therapy and video rooms. All facilities are shared with both recreational users, as well as
varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...
s. The university does not provide full-ride athletic scholarships. On the recreational level, the university's sports services operate intramural sport leagues and tournaments with a participation rate of one in eight students. Sports include badminton, volleyball, basketball, swimming, soccer and martial arts.


Notable people

Graduates have found success in many fields, serving as the heads of diverse institutions in both public and private sectors. As of 18 October 2011, the university has 167,224 alumni. Faculty and graduates have accumulated numerous awards including
Governor General's Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
and the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during ...
. Recipients of the Governor General's Award include
Michel Bock Michel Bock (born 1971) is a Canadian historian, who specializes in the history of Franco-Ontarian communities and cultures. His book ''Quand la nation débordait les frontières: les minorités françaises dans la pensée de Lionel Groulx'' was t ...
, Christl Verduyn and
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
winner
Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as t ...
. Several Chancellors of the university had previously held positions such as
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
, or the
Viceregal consort of Canada The viceregal consort of Canada is the spouse of the serving governor general of Canada, assisting the viceroy with ceremonial and charitable work, accompanying him or her to official state occasions, and occasionally undertaking philanthropic wo ...
. Examples include
Pauline Vanier Pauline Vanier, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, PC, Order of Canada, CC, Venerable Order of Saint John, DStJ (''née'' Archer; March 28, 1898 – March 23, 1991) was a Canadian humanitarian who was married to Georges Vanier. Her husband was one ...
, 46th viceregal consort of Canada, Gabrielle Léger, the 48th viceregal consort of Canada,
Maurice Sauvé Maurice Sauvé (; September 20, 1923 – April 13, 1992) was a Canadian economist, politician, cabinet minister and businessman. He was the husband of Jeanne Sauvé, who served as 23rd Governor General of Canada. Life and career Born in M ...
, the 50th viceregal consort of Canada, and
Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office. Jean was the Organisation i ...
, the 27th Governor General of Canada. A number of alumni have also gained prominence serving in government. Four
heads of government In the executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...
attended the university, including Edward Morris, 1st Baron Morris, the 2nd Prime Minister of Newfoundland, Paul Martin, the 24th Prime Minister of Canada, Philémon Yang, the eighth Prime Minister of Cameroon, and Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the 17th Prime Minister of Somalia. The 36th Argentine Vice President,
Gabriela Michetti Marta Gabriela Michetti Illia (; born 28 May 1965) is an Argentine politician and was Vice President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019 during Mauricio Macri's administration. She is the second woman to serve as vice president, 40 years after Isabel ...
had also taken career specialization courses at the university. Premiers include Paul Okalik, 1st
Premier of Nunavut The premier of Nunavut (; Inuinnaqtun: ''Hivuliqti Nunavunmi''; ) is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The premier is the territory's head of government, although their powers are somewhat more limited than those of a pr ...
, and
Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...
, 24th
Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...
. Six graduates have been appointed
puisne justices Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...
, with one moving on to become a
Chief Justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada () is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court system. The '' Supreme Court Ac ...
. Puisne justices include Louise Arbour,
Michel Bastarache J. E. Michel Bastarache (born 1947) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and retired puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada. Early life and education Born in Quebec City on June 10, 1947, Bastarache earned his Bachelor of Arts degree ...
,
Louise Charron Louise Charron, (born March 2, 1951) is a Canadian jurist. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in October, 2004, and is the first native-born Franco-Ontarian Supreme Court judge. (This distinction has sometimes been attributed to Lo ...
,
Louis LeBel Louis LeBel (November 30, 1939 – June 8, 2023) was a Canadian jurist who was a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. He served on the Court from 2000 to 2014. LeBel was born in Quebec City. He was the son of lawyer Paul LeBel, Q.C ...
,
Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
and Gérald Fauteux. Fauteux and Wagner would later become a Chief Justice of Canada. Prominent business leaders include
Daniel Lamarre Daniel Lamarre (born 1953) is a Canadian former journalist and current president and chief executive officer of the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. Born in Grand-Mère, Quebec, he graduated from the University of Ottawa with a ...
, former president and CEO of
Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...
,
Paul Desmarais Paul Guy Desmarais Sr. (4 January 1927 – 8 October 2013) was a Canadian financier and philanthropist, based in Montreal. With an estimated family net worth of US$4.5 billion (as of March 2012), Desmarais was ranked by ''Forbes'' as the ...
, chairman of the
Power Corporation of Canada Power Corporation of Canada is a management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe and Asia. Its core holdings are insurance, retirement, wealth management and investment management, including a portfolio ...
,
André Desmarais André Roger Desmarais (born October 26, 1956) is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. Early life He is the youngest son of Paul Desmarais Sr. and Jacqueline Desmarais. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he attended Lakefield College School in Ont ...
, president and CEO of the Power Corporation of Canada, Calin Rovinescu, president and CEO of
Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and cha ...
, and André Ouellet,
Postmaster General of Canada The Postmaster General of Canada was the Canadian cabinet minister responsible for the Post Office Department (Canada Post). In 1851, management of the post office was transferred from Britain (Royal Mail) to the provincial governments of the Pro ...
, CEO and president of
Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...
.
Alex Trebek George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian and American game show host and television personality. He was best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show ''Jeopardy!'' for 37 seasons ...
, host of the game show ''Jeopardy!'', after whom a building was named on the university campus. Philipe Falardeau, notable film director and screenwriter. Cathleen Crudden, professor of chemistry. Dafydd Williams, an astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency was also a graduate of the university's medical school.


Arms


See also

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Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
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Controversy over academic freedom at the University of Ottawa The controversy over academic freedom at the University of Ottawa was sparked in September 2020, after a professor used the word "nigger" during a lecture to illustrate how certain groups reclaimed words or phrases traditionally used against them. ...
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Higher education in Ontario Higher education in Ontario includes postsecondary education and skills training regulated by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and provided by universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and private career colleges.Ministry ...
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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 2023/2024 fiscal year, the total value of endowments at Canadian universities was over $23 billion. Some unive ...
* List of schools in Ottawa * List of universities in Ontario * Racism controversies at the University of Ottawa * ''
Revue générale de droit ''Revue générale de droit'' is a law journal published by the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. It was established in 1970, and publishes articles in French and English about Canadian law twice a year. References External links Revue gé ...
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Notes


References

;Bibliography * *


External links

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Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottawa, University Of 1848 establishments in Canada West Universities and colleges established in 1848 French-language universities and colleges in Ontario
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...