University of Waterloo


University of Waterloo

1. Overview of the institution

Founded in 1957, the University of Waterloo is a public research university with its main campus located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university offers academic programs administered by six faculties and ten faculty-based schools. The university also operates four satellite campuses and four affiliated university colleges. Waterloo is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada. The student population at Waterloo consists of 30,600 undergraduate & 5,300 graduate students. These numbers include 15 per cent international undergraduate and 36 per cent international graduate students. Waterloo boasts of 1,139 full-time faculty and 322 international faculty that has delivered 5,778 Bachelor degrees, 1,723 Masters 303 PhDs (2014)

The university is most famous for its Cooperative Education (co-op) programs, which allow students to integrate their education with applicable work experiences. University of Waterloo operates the largest post secondary co-op program of its kind in the world, with over 19,000 co-op students and 5,200 employers

2. Location and facilities

The university's main campus is located on 404 hectares (1,000 acres) of land in "Uptown" Waterloo, adjacent to Waterloo Park, within the city of Waterloo, Ontario. It is bordered by Waterloo Park to the south, Wilfrid Laurier University to the southeast, residential neighbourhoods to the northeast, east and west, and the Laurel Creek Conservation Area to the northwest. In addition, the university owns several other properties in Cambridge, Huntsville, Kitchener, and Stratford, Ontario.

The university's main campus is divided into three major areas:

South Campus is the academic core of the university and the majority of teaching facilities are centred on a ring road.

The North Campus holds the Research and Technology Park.

Northwest Campus is the least developed area of the main campus, made up primarily of farm fields and an environmental reserve, which divides it from North Campus.

3. Departments/Subject areas 

6 Faculties

  • Applied Health Sciences
  • Arts
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Math
  • Science        

10 faculty-based schools

  • Accounting and Finance (Arts)
  • Architecture (Engineering)
  • Balsillie School of International Affairs (Arts)
  • David Cheriton School of Computer Science (Mathematics)
  • Optometry (Science)
  • Pharmacy (Science)
  • Planning (Environment)
  • School of Public Health and Health Systems (Applied Health Sciences)
  • School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (Environment)
  • Social Work (Renison) 

4 affiliated and federated institutions

  • Conrad Grebel University College
  • Renison University College
  • St. Jerome’s University
  • St. Paul’s University College

4.  Rankings     

  • The university ranked 200-300th in the 2015 Academic Ranking of World Universities
  • 152nd in the 2015–2016 QS World University Rankings 
  • 179th in the 2015–2016 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
  •  QS Stars 5+ ranking

Top Comprehensive Research University in Canada for eight consecutive years (Research Infosource)

  • Top 25 in the world for Computer Science and Mathematics (QS Rankings)
  • Top 50 in the world for Geography (QS Rankings)
  • Top 100 in the world for Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,    Environmental Sciences, Sociology, Architecture and Built Environment, Psychology, and Statistical and Operational Research (QS Rankings)

One of the world’s top 50 engineering schools (Academic Ranking of World Universities)

#19 for Computer Science (U.S. News and World Report)

#47 for Engineering (U.S. News and World Report)

5. Scholarships

Most institutions have certain core competencies that form the foundation for their research, education delivery and reputation. Hence, in order to enhance their ideologies and knowledge systems, universities introduce programmes and study abroad scholarships that are unique to their identities. These study international scholarships opportunities are highly competitive and are awarded on the basis of various factors including academic, personal achievements, extra-curricular activities, overall profiles, etc. They often award in the form of a reduced tuition fees. Contact World Wide College now for getting the right scholarship based on your academic merits and other talents.

Click Here to know more about UK University Scholarships.

6.  Careers: Unique student support

Waterloo students start strong and excel in a learning environment that is experiential, research-rich and real-world relevant.

  • $250+ million reported earnings by Waterloo co-op students (2014-15)
  • #1 for career preparation (Globe and Mail University Report)
  • 54 per cent of students have an entrance average of 90+ per cent(2015)
  • 17,600+ work terms in 60+ countries with 6,300+ organizations
  • Two years after graduating, 89 per cent of Waterloo co-op students work in a field related to their degree compared to 75 per cent of all Ontario university grads

Some of the top companies who hire our students include:

  • Apple
  • Barclays
  • BlackBerry
  • Bloomberg
  • Bombardier
  • Ernst & Young
  • Facebook, Inc.
  • Fairfax Financial
  • Holding Ltd.
  • GM Canada
  • Google
  • OpenText
  • RBC
  • Sun Life Financial
  • Twitter
  • The Hospital for Sick Children
  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.

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