University in Canada
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
University profile
The University of Alberta is a public research university in Edmonton, one of the northernmost major cities in the world, with 46,201 students from 159 countries, 11,884 employees, more than 200 undergraduate programs and more than 500 graduate programs. It describes itself as one of Canada's top teaching and research universities, with strengths across the humanities, sciences, creative arts, business, engineering and health sciences. Its founding president, Henry Marshall Tory, set the aim that knowledge should not be the concern of scholars alone and that the uplifting of the whole people should be its final goal.
The university has five campuses in two cities. North Campus in Edmonton is the main site, with 150 buildings across 50 city blocks on the edge of the North Saskatchewan River. South Campus holds agricultural research land and recreational facilities, Enterprise Square is a downtown hub for lifelong learners and for turning research into new businesses, Campus Saint-Jean is the French-language campus in Edmonton's francophone community, and Augustana Campus in Camrose is a small residential campus in a rural community. Calgary has satellite spaces for Campus Saint-Jean and the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Teaching is organised in 17 faculties, among them Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences; Arts; Augustana; Business; Education; Engineering; Law; Medicine and Dentistry; Native Studies; Nursing; Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Public Health; Rehabilitation Medicine; Faculté Saint-Jean; and Science, together with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Average class size is 38 on North Campus, 22 at Augustana and 20 at Campus Saint-Jean.
Research runs through more than 100 institutes and centres, with focus areas in energy and environment, artificial intelligence, health and well-being, Indigenous research, and agriculture and food. The university counts one Nobel Prize winner, 78 Rhodes Scholars and 41 3M National Teaching Fellows, and its athletics teams hold 103 national titles.
Student life includes on-campus residences, among them the apartment-style and dormitory-style buildings on North Campus and the French-language Residence Saint-Jean. First-year students who apply to North Campus residences by April 30 are guaranteed a space. International students make up 5,457 undergraduates and 3,090 graduate students, and more than 270 study-abroad programs in over 50 countries are open to students. There are more than 340,000 alumni worldwide. The university's research and teaching take place on the territory of Treaties 6, 7 and 8 and the homeland of the Metis, and 2,184 students are Indigenous.
The Office of the Registrar administers more than $53 million a year in undergraduate scholarships, awards and financial support; the university does not offer full scholarships to domestic or international students. Applicants must enter directly from high school and begin first-year full-time study in September. Apply for admission first to obtain a CCID, then apply through Awards Hub; the application for September 2027 opens October 1, 2026 and closes January 10, 2027. See the entrance scholarships page.
Admission-based (automatic, domestic): Gold Standard Scholarship, up to $6,000 for the top 5% of students in each faculty by admission average; Indigenous Entrance Scholarship, $1,500 for First Nations, Metis or Inuit applicants with an average of 80% or higher.
Application-based: Scholastic Distinction Scholarship (admission average 95%+); Entrance Leadership Scholarship (average 80%+); AP and IB Scholarships up to $3,500; Fly Home Award up to $1,500 for out-of-province Canadian students; Opportunities Awards up to $5,000; National Achievement Scholarship, $30,000 over four years for top incoming out-of-province Canadian students. The Discover University of Alberta Award (up to 30 students, up to $8,000) and the Turtle Spirit Pathway Award for First Nations, Metis and Inuit students (up to 20 students, up to $8,000) are need-based, with a February 15, 2027 deadline. External awards listed include the Alexander Rutherford Scholarship (up to $2,500), Schulich Leader Scholarship ($100,000 or $120,000) and Loran Award (up to $100,000).
See the international entrance scholarships page. Automatic: International Admission Scholarship, up to CAN $10,000, and Regional Excellence Scholarship, up to CAN $5,000. By application (deadline January 10): President's International Distinction Scholarship, 25 students a year, up to CAN $120,000 over four years; Chan Pang Kuen Memorial International Distinction Scholarship, up to CAN $120,000 over four years; International Leader Scholarship, up to CAN $15,000; May Quon Undergraduate Scholarship for Chinese or Hong Kong citizens with financial need, up to CAN $100,000 over four years; Cora Martinson International Scholarship at Augustana, up to CAN $56,000 over four years; and a Global Citizen Scholarship for IB Diploma students from Aga Khan Academies covering tuition and non-instructional fees for four years plus up to $28,000 a year for living expenses.
PhD students receive minimum guaranteed funding of $100,000 CAD over four years and not less than $25,000 in the first year. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies also co-administers awards open to international applicants and works with the China Scholarship Council, under which the university covers tuition and fees. See graduate fees and funding.
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View scholarships for University of Alberta →Admission to all undergraduate programs is competitive and subject to space. Direct-entry programs require five specific Grade 12 subjects, which vary by program and always include English 30-1 or the equivalent in the applicant's province. Meeting the minimum or competitive average does not guarantee admission. Admission is based on required subjects, English proficiency and grades. High-school applicants may list two program choices; the second is assessed only if the applicant is not eligible for the first. Current and previous U of A students may list one program choice per application.
All undergraduate applicants must show English proficiency regardless of citizenship (French proficiency for Campus Saint-Jean). Ways to meet it: three or more years of full-time education in English (at least five academic for-credit courses per year); Alberta/NWT English Language Arts 30-1 with 75% or higher; IB English A 5 or better, IB English B 6 or better; AP English 4 or better; A-level, AS, GCSE, IGCSE or O-level English language or literature at B/6 or better; Indian ISSC Functional English 80% or Core English 75%, ISC English 75%; or six credits of university English at B+ or better.
Test minimums: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0 (One Skill Retake not accepted); TOEFL iBT 90 with no section below 21 for tests taken before 21 January 2026, and for tests on or after that date an overall 4.5 with no band below 4.5 on the 1-6 scale (TOEFL Essential and Home Edition not accepted); Duolingo English Test 120 with no integrated subscore below 100; CAEL 70 with no band below 60; Cambridge CAE or CPE 180 with at least 170 per skill; PTE Academic 61 with at least 60 per skill. Results older than two years are not accepted.
Spoken English Proficiency is also required for some Education and Health Science programs such as Nursing: IELTS speaking 7.5; TOEFL iBT speaking 26 (5.0 on the new scale); Duolingo 140 overall with no integrated subscore below 120. Applicants who meet every requirement except English can use the Bridging Program in the Faculties of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, Arts, Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation, Native Studies, and Augustana. ELP and SEP documents are due August 1 for high-school applicants and June 15 for post-secondary transfer applicants.
International applicants are assessed on their complete academic history: required subjects, English proficiency and grades. Documents not in English or French need an official English translation, and official transcripts must be sent directly by the issuing institution to the Office of the Registrar ([email protected]). Alberta high-school transcripts are obtained automatically. International students must obtain a new study permit for post-secondary study even if they hold a high-school permit. Contact for applicants outside Canada: [email protected].
Applications for Fall 2027 open October 1, 2026 at apply.ualberta.ca, and residence can be applied for on the same application. The non-refundable application fee is CAN $150 for new applicants and CAN $100 for current or previous U of A students; professional programs may charge different fees, and fee waivers are not granted. Key dates for Fall 2027: entrance award deadline January 10, 2027; most program applications March 1, 2027; final high school marks April 30; offer acceptance May 1 for offers made before April 1; outstanding documents for high-school students August 1; post-secondary final transcripts June 15. The Juris Doctor offer acceptance deadline is March 31, 2027 with a CAN $1,000 deposit.
Master's applicants need an admission grade point average of 3.0 on most 4-point systems (B on letter systems) over the most recent two years of full-time study; doctoral applicants generally need a master's degree or equivalent and the same average, and programs may set higher standards. The graduate application fee is CAN $135, non-refundable, paid by credit card. International graduate applications are due July 1 for September, November 1 for January, March 1 for May and May 1 for July; there is no Faculty-level deadline for Canadian and US applicants, though departments set their own. Graduate English minimums: IELTS Academic 6.5 with at least 6.0 per band, CAEL 70 with at least 60 per subtest, PTE Academic 61 with at least 60 per band, Duolingo 120 with no integrated subscore below 100, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 176 with at least 169 per skill; EAP 500 may be used as an alternative.
Residences are furnished with utilities, high-speed internet and tenant insurance, with options from dormitory-style to on-campus apartments, and a meal plan, leadership training and academic programming in residence. Recreation facilities are on South Campus.
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