About UVic

What can a single university do in 50 years? The answer is in our story, told by some great people committed to making the world a better place. Huge thanks to the students, teachers, researchers, staff, alumni and community members who took part in this fun project, and special thanks to Jordan Klassen for letting us use his song Go to Me. http://jordanklassenmusic.com/


The University of Victoria offers innovative programs for more than 20,000 students on our diverse and welcoming West Coast campus.

Our deep commitment to students, inspired teaching, internationally renowned research and opportunities for real-life learning set us apart. Learn more about what makes UVic unique.

A top-ranked Canadian university

UVic is ranked #11 globally and first in Canada among universities less than 50 years old by Times Higher Education (THE). It also ranks in THE's elite global list of the top 200 universities, which includes approximately one per cent of the world's best institutions. Learn more about our rankings.

Community involvement

Beyond the classroom, UVic is part of your community. We're proud to partner with our community beyond the campus to make our region and our world a better place to live.

President's message

"UVic is an intellectually vibrant place where both undergraduate and graduate students have ready access to some of the most dedicated and productive scholars—and the most inspiring teachers—across a wide variety of fields.

Read the entire message.

The University of Victoria's renewed strategic plan, A Vision for the Future: Building on Excellence, reinforces the vision and mission of the university and sets long-term goals for the future.

The renewed plan builds on the success of the original Vision for the Future (2002). It was approved by the Senate and Board of Governors in January 2012.

The University of Victoria is proud and grateful to benefit from significant support in the form of public funding, student tuition and private contributions.

We hold ourselves to the highest standards of stewardship of these resources and our audited financial statements are publicly available.

To ensure programming of the highest quality for our students, our faculty are evaluated annually, through students' teaching evaluations as well as by their department chair and dean. Departments are also subject to vigorous external review every five to seven years.

In addition, there are many ways in which the university provides a public accounting of its accomplishments and progress in fulfilling its mission.

Learn more about accountability on the President's website.

In a world in which the most challenging problems are shared, co-operative international solutions are required. The University of Victoria has both a role and a responsibility to respond and take action.

The 2012 UVic Strategic Plan, A Vision for the Future: Building on Excellence, calls for the establishment of a formal framework to manage the university's physical and financial resources in a sustainable manner; that is, with attention paid to the "triple bottom line" of economic, social, and environmental consequences.

Sustainability website

The sustainability site is the digital hub for sustainability on the University of Victoria campus. We invite you to explore our green initiatives on the ground, in the classroom, and in our research activities. Connect with student groups, learn tips to reduce your impact and find out how you can get involved.

The University of Victoria is recognized annually as one of Canada's top universities by external surveys and UVic students alike.

UVic in the rankings, January 2013

Times Higher Education








For more information visit the Times Higher Education website.

Re$earch Infosource



For more information visit the Re$earch Infosource website.

Globe and Mail

In the 2013 Globe and Mail's “Canadian University Report” on undergraduate student satisfaction with their university experience, students ranked the University of Victoria highly for its facilities, commitment to sustainability, campus atmosphere and libraries.

The university received an overall B+ for student satisfaction. UVic received an A for its buildings and facilities; an A- for libraries, environmental commitment, campus atmosphere and city satisfaction; and a B+ for quality of teaching and learning, class size, student/faculty interaction, recreation and athletics, information technology, career preparation, co-op/internships and reputation with employers.

For more information visit the report on the Globe and Mail website.

Maclean's

Maclean’s

UVic has ranked either first or second in Maclean's comprehensive category (Canadian universities without a medical school) for the past six years.

For more information on the rankings visit the Maclean's website.