Great Moments: Destination university

UVic becomes a destination university, fostering a diverse, welcoming campus

One of the most compelling stories of the last two decades is the transformation of UVic into a destination university, attracting and welcoming a wealth of students and faculty members from across Canada and around the world. Years of dramatic growth in student enrolment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels have allowed UVic to remain a top choice for students from BC and Vancouver Island while also opening opportunities for out-of-province students to choose our extraordinary West Coast setting, and burgeoning strength in a range of fields, for their studies.

Though it’s unclear when the critical “tipping point” occurred—when UVic began to host more students from afar than from Greater Victoria — there’s no question that it’s given rise to a campus culture that is truly cosmopolitan. More than 70 percent of UVic students choose to leave their own region to study in Victoria, giving UVic more out-of-province students than any Canadian university west of McGill. The resulting mix of trans-Canadian and international students has helped create a socially and intellectually engaged and connected campus where students feel welcomed and supported.