University of Waterloo

Website / www.uwaterloo.ca

Profile

Located in the heart of southwestern Ontario, the University of Waterloo is recognized as one of Canada’s most innovative universities.

The University of Waterloo fulfills its commitment to teaching, research and scholarship in six faculties: Applied Health Sciences, Arts, Engineering, Environment, Mathematics, and Science, and in our federated university and affiliated colleges: St. Jerome’s University, Conrad Grebel University College, Renison University College and St. Paul’s University College.

The faculties are also home to nine professional schools: accounting and finance; architecture; computer science, environment, enterprise and development; international affairs; optometry; pharmacy; planning; public health and health systems; and social work.

In addition to the main Waterloo campus, the university’s other Ontario campuses are in Cambridge (architecture), Kitchener (pharmacy), uptown Waterloo (international affairs), Stratford (digital media), and Huntsville (environment). A Waterloo campus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, offers engineering and mathematics, while Rome is home to architecture’s senior studio program.

What sets the University of Waterloo apart is how its mission is accomplished. From its beginnings in 1957, Waterloo has been an outward-looking university, aware of and responsive to the needs of society.

The University of Waterloo has the world’s largest postsecondary cooperative education program, with more than half of its 27,000 undergraduates engaged in work/study programs. Students graduate with the knowledge, skills and practical experience required to solve today’s complex and pressing problems and to embrace future challenges.

However, producing the leaders of tomorrow is just part of the University of Waterloo’s mission. A research-intensive university, Waterloo’s1,023 full-time faculty members and 4,400 graduate students are committed to discovering new knowledge and finding ways to use that knowledge for the benefit of all. The university is a national leader in the transfer of ideas and technology to the private sector.

To set goals for Waterloo’s next decade, the university has adopted Seizing Opportunities and Pursuing Global Excellence: The Sixth Decade Plan. Its four key areas are: expanding the quality and amount of research; significantly growing graduate student opportunities; enhancing undergraduate studies; and embracing the world, by expanding the University of Waterloo’s presence around the globe, providing international opportunities for Canadian students and attracting more international students to Waterloo.

Student fees

Canadian student fees 2011-12 *
Undergraduate tuition fees: $5,384 - $6,682
Graduate tuition fees: $4,548 - $10,300

International student fees 2011-12 *
Undergraduate tuition fees: $18,654 - $19,900
Graduate tuition fees: $11,116 - $11,846

* Source: Statistics Canada. Fees for general programs in arts and humanities.

Note: In addition to tuition fees, universities generally charge fees for goods and services supplied to students. This includes areas such as student associations, sports and health. These additional fees vary widely per university and per student and can run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. Check with the university for details.

Student enrolment

2011 rounded preliminary fall enrolment *
Full-time (undergraduates): 22,400
Full-time (graduates): 3,700
Part-time (undergraduates): 1,500
Part-time (graduates): 1,100

* Source: Council of Ontario Universities (including St. Jerome's University)