University of Victoria

The University of Victoria (UVic) received degree-granting status in 1963. The origins of UVic, however, can be traced back to 1903 and the establishment of Victoria College, our predecessor institution. The University of Victoria is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities. As a public research university with a diverse student population of 22,000+ students, UVic is a forward-thinking institution built on a culture dedicated to a healthy planet, authenticity, inclusion and success.

Featuring partnerships with some of the world’s top companies, UVic has built the largest co-operative-education (“co-op”) program in Western Canada — one big reason why it’s ranked #1 among Canadian comprehensive universities for preparing career-ready students (THE Global University Employability Ranking 2022). With up to 16 months of employment and an average monthly salary of CAD$3,076, co-op students enjoy well-paid, full-time work experience that’s integrated directly into their degree program.

Many undergraduate and graduate majors are available at UVic, spanning an array of subjects. A comprehensive university, UVic offers programs across the sciences, humanities, arts, health and business, including high-ranking programs in Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering and Psychology.

Certain degrees — such as Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) — also require participation in the University’s co-op program, which can add an extra year. All programs give students the option to get hands-on experience (such as co-op) as part of their degree. In fact, 94% of all UVic students graduate with some sort of experiential learning — at least one co-op or practicum.

At UVic, whether you are in first year or doing your PhD, build on your study strategies to improve your academic performance with Learning Strategies Programs, Learning Skills, Strategy Library and ePortfolios.

  • Learning Strategies: The Centre for Academic Communications (CAC): Learning Strategies Program offers no-fee academic learning supports for all students. The Learning Assistance Program from the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL): offers a fee-based tutor and learning strategies program for all students.
  • Learning Skills: In addition to virtual workshops and one-on-one appointments, you can also access online self-paced guides and videos on improving your writing, critical thinking and citing your work to avoid plagiarism.
  • Strategy Library: Brightspace is a comprehensive library contains over 100 strategy and study techniques to support you with understanding tasks and expectations, setting goals for learning, enhancing memory and time management.
  • ePortfolio: An ePortfolio is an online tool that students can use to compile examples of their learning and experiences, reflect on these to deeper understand them, find connections between them, and present them to others. We have resources, workshops, and research to guide students on creating their own ePortfolios.

Community engagement is a key part of our success. We work closely with our community partners to foster respect and reconciliation, promote sustainable futures, and uphold our values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. UVic is a proud partner in the Greater Victoria and BC economy. We work with governments, First Nations, businesses, and non-profits towards economic and social prosperity.

 

Location

Victoria, Canada

The University of Victoria are located in Victoria. At the Vancouver Island on the west coast of British Columbia. Victoria is just across the water from the multicultural cities of Vancouver and Seattle (USA). Beautiful harbor city, surrounded by nature – forest, mountains, beaches, and wildlife. Campus life at UVic is experiencing a pleasant green campus, small enough to walk from one end to the other in only 10 minutes. The campus is designed like a park, and is full of old- growth rainforest, gardens, nature and woodland trails.

The campus is a 15-minute drive, or 20 minutes by public bus from Downtown Victoria. UVic is easily accessible by public transit, bike or carshare. For cyclists, we have our Campus Bike Centre, which offers a brightly-lit and secure space to leave your bike. UVic provides subsidized bus passes to all students. Our bus loop is one of the most active transit hubs in Greater Victoria, making it easy to travel to and from campus by bus.

 

School & Faculty

  • Business
  • Education
  • Engineering and Computer Science
  • Fine Arts
  • Human and Social Development
  • Humanities
  • Law
  • Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Graduate Studies
  • 2nd Comprehensive University in Canada
  • Co-op Program + Paid work
  • Top 15 in Canada for Business and Computer Science Program

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Why this University

There are over 150 clubs on campus dedicated to environmental, cultural, political, religious and recreational causes. Clubs are funded by student fees and any active club is welcome to access this funding to host events, plan workshops, or buy pizza for their meetings. Clubs are open to all students.

Eating at the university is recommended with a variety of different food outlets across the UVic campus, including a vegetarian café and specialty markets. There are also the Grad House Restaurant which is the Grad Students’ Society’s on-campus pub and restaurant. The UVic Bookstore, located near the bus loop, has a Starbucks that is an easily accessible option, particularly for evenings and weekends.

Students will also find lots of quiet study spaces on campus where you can focus on your learning. The university have bookable study rooms in the library, computer labs and bookable project rooms and group work tables. Each space has a full audio-visual system and whiteboard. There’s a bookable virtual reality studio and digital media studio, as well.