The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students. UVic's campus is known for its innovative architecture, beautiful gardens and mild climate. The University attracts many students in part because of its size, its picturesque location, and its Cooperative Education, Earth & Ocean Sciences, Engineering, and Law programs. The University is also the province's second largest research institution and the nation's lead institution in the VENUS and NEPTUNE deep-water seafloor observatory projects.

The University is academically known for its research contributions by its School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, which has also helped predict and alleviate the impact of recent earthquakes around the world. The University of Victoria Law Programs has a long history of protecting human rights and the environment, and has worked closely on a large number of precedent setting environmental and First Nations legal cases across Canada and around the world.

The Victoria Vikes (more commonly known as the UVic Vikes or simply the Vikes) represent the University in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) community in a number of competitive sports, as well as through a variety of intercollegiate leagues. The Vikes have especially long and eminent ties to competitive rowing and basketball.

The University Of Victoria has been consistently ranked as Research University of the Year and as the Research University of the Decade by Re$earch Infosource. The University has climbed to 130th in the world and sixth place in Canada in the 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. UVic was the top-ranked university in Canada without an autonomous medical school in the THE rankings. The University has also been home to more than 40 faculty members who are Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada since the University of Victoria's founding.

The main Campus is located in the Gordon Head area of Greater Victoria. With a total area of 403 acres (163 ha), the campus spans the border between the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich. The original campus plan was prepared by the San Francisco architecture and planning firm of Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons. The general concept of the original design is still being followed with the academic portions of the campus located inside Ring Road which forms a perfect circle 600 m (1,969 ft) in diameter. Outside of Ring Road are the parking lots, Student Union Building, residence buildings, the sports facilities as well as some of the academic facilities that are more self contained (Law and Theatre for example).

The University's Cornett Building is an acclaimed example of architectural modernism on the campus. Home to many of the humanities, the Cornett Building boasts a long history of befuddling students who find themselves lost within its long corridors.

Faculties and Divisions:

Each of our ten faculties and two divisions offer a wide variety of program options:

For more information, please contact one of our offices

Last Updated: 25 September 2013
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