Each year, Options Solutions team members visit many, many post-secondary institutions. These visits allow us to learn beyond what is readily available on the internet and in print materials. While on campus, we often meet with admission staff and Options alumni who attend the institution. We love learning about the nuance and vibe of each place and about all the hidden opportunities that exist there.
Our Options on Tour series highlights some of our recent adventures and shares them with you. We’ll feature what we saw, who we met, and what neat things/hidden nuggets we learned.
University Tour Up North
As part of my summer road trip to Yukon and Alaska this past summer, I stopped by two post-secondary institutions, distinguished for their strong focus on undergraduate teaching and on dedicated research into global issues facing life in Canada’s north.
University of Northern British Columbia
With only 3,000 undergraduate students, UNBC is consistently named Western Canada’s top small school. Undergraduate students not only enjoy small class sizes but also get more opportunities to participate in research with faculty members, much of it focusing on protecting wildlife and natural resources surrounding their stunning main campus in Prince George, BC.
This school is both driven to protect and serve BC’s northern communities while also embracing a global perspective, regularly attracting many international students, who make up 22% of the total student population. UNBC was uniquely founded, not by a small number of wealthy donors, but by the 16,000 members of the Interior University Society in the 1980s, who each contributed $5 to found a university in Prince George. The doors were officially opened in 1990. With over 10% of students identifying as Indigenous, the university takes its Indigenous roots and connection very seriously, with Indigenous language translations appearing all over campus, an active First Nations Centre, and the university community celebrating many ancestral and cultural traditions.
UNBC’s stunning campus was built for life up north: all buildings are entirely connected indoors, so students never need to step outside to get to class, the bookstore, student centre, pub, dining hall, library or anywhere else – except the residence halls and athletic complex. UNBC also has its own rooftop weather station that provides weather data for the area and is one of the only such stations that exists at a university where students can work and study. Finally, there are so many skylights and windows throughout the campus that my guide boasted that there are more windows than students.
Student residences are entirely suite-style with several single rooms sharing a kitchen and bathroom. Costs of attendance, residence, and living in Prince George are among the lowest in BC. With over 70 undergraduate programs from Arts to Commerce, Science to Nursing and Social Work, this is the place for students to explore all of their interests. UNBC further partners with UBC in some joint degree opportunities, especially for students in environmental engineering, medicine, and health careers.
Yukon University
Described as Canada’s first university north of 60 degrees latitude, Yukon University offers programs dedicated to life in the north, from trades to education to a four-year business degree. This could be a great option for those students eager to venture further into Canada’s north or students looking for a unique summer or study-abroad experience in Northern Canada, exploring a wilderness, culture, and history all its own.
Yukon College opened its main campus in Whitehorse in 1988 with a potlatch, where it was given its First Nations name right from its founding. The school became a university in 2020 and includes 13 regional campuses.
Check out our Admissions category for all our Options on Tour posts!
