University in Canada
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
University profile
The University of Calgary (UCalgary) is a public research university in Calgary, Alberta, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It describes itself as Canada's entrepreneurial university and has more than 38,000 students, over 30,000 of them undergraduates and more than 7,700 graduate students, with 1,850 academic staff engaged in research, scholarship and teaching and over 4,500 non-academic staff. It offers more than 250 programs through 14 faculties and has more than 230,000 alumni.
The university operates four campuses in the Calgary area: Main Campus in the northwest of the city, Foothills Campus, Downtown Campus and Spy Hill Campus. Main Campus, built in the 1960s, covers more than 200 hectares and houses 11 of the 14 faculties, the main research and athletics facilities, and residences for thousands of students.
Faculties and schools
Notable facilities include the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, the first building in Canada dedicated solely to improving post-secondary teaching and learning; the Taylor Family Digital Library; the Olympic Oval, built for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics; the International Microbiome Centre; and W.A. Ranches, a 19,000-acre working cattle ranch for teaching and research. The Dinos varsity program has more than 750 student athletes across 23 varsity and 11 club sports.
Student life is supported by a Students' Union with more than 400 clubs, a Faith and Spirituality Centre, the Student Success Centre, the Centre for Career and Personal Development and the Office of Experiential Learning. First-year students applying directly from high school who are 21 or younger and apply for residence by May 1 are guaranteed a place on campus. First-year residences include the traditional-style Kananaskis and Rundle halls, with apartment-style International House and Yamnuska Hall available competitively. Residence students live and dine with more than 3,000 students from more than 75 countries, and a meal plan is mandatory in first-year residence. Full-time undergraduate fees include a UPass for Calgary Transit.
International students come from more than 130 countries. International Student Services provides study permit and immigration advice, settlement programs and events, and the UCalgary Welcome Centre assists new arrivals. English is the language of instruction.
The university offers $22 million or more in scholarships, awards and bursaries each year to prospective high school students, open to Canadian and international applicants, and 35% of incoming students receive an award in their first year. Applicants must first apply for admission; access to the awards application opens 24 to 48 hours after applying, through the Student Centre.
Prestige award winners receive priority for competitive apartment-style first-year residences. Continuing students may apply for undergraduate continuing awards and need-based bursaries through the Student Centre. Details: Apply for awards, Fees and finances, International Entrance Scholarship.
University of Calgary International Entrance Scholarship →
President's Admission Scholarship →
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View scholarships for University of Calgary →Each degree program sets its own admission requirements, which vary by the applicant's education system (including Canadian provincial curricula, International Baccalaureate, GCE and country-specific systems such as Ghana) and the chosen program. Applicants select two program choices and may change fall program choices until the application deadline.
All applicants must show English proficiency. Ways to meet it: three years of study in an English-exempt country or at an accredited Canadian, American, British or CIS high school where English is the main language of instruction; two years of post-secondary study in an exempt country or at a recognised Canadian institution; or a test score of Duolingo 120, IELTS Academic 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 86 (tests taken before January 21, 2026; for tests taken on or after that date the minimum is 4.5 on the revised scale). The TOEFL school code is 0813 (department code 00). Nursing and Education programs require higher scores. Ghana is on the list of English-exempt countries.
Other routes: completion of the Academic Communication Certificate (4 to 11 months, 6 units of transfer credit), which may allow conditional admission; or a listed English course with a minimum grade, for example English Language Arts 30-1 at 80%, IB English A at 5, IB English B HL at 6, IB English B SL at 4, AP English at 4, GCSE A/S or A-level English (non-ESL) at B (6 on the 9-point scale), or post-secondary English at B-. This is separate from the Grade 12 English course needed for program admission.
Applications for fall admission open August 15 for international students requiring a study permit and October 1 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The application deadline is March 1, with unofficial transcripts and supporting documents due March 15 and final official high school transcripts due August 1. The application fee is $125 (Canadian education only) or $145 (any international education), paid by credit card in the application. Applicants from Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Yukon apply through ApplyAlberta; all others apply directly through the university's application using a UCalgary eID. Required documents are listed in the applicant's Student Centre.
Applicants with 12 or more post-secondary units are considered transfer students; transfer applicants must complete required courses by April 30 and submit final transcripts by June 1. Mature applicants with no post-secondary courses are assessed as high school applicants. Graduate applicants must meet requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the chosen program; the graduate English minimum is TOEFL iBT 86 (4.5 for tests after January 21, 2026) with no section below 20, with the TOEFL institution code 0813, IELTS institution code 139719, and exemption possible at the Graduate Program Director's discretion for applicants with a degree of at least three years from an English-instruction institution. International students should apply for a study permit as soon as possible after accepting an offer.
Library collections total 7.8 million items. The university also operates field stations and other facilities, including a high-Arctic research site, a marine institute and an astrophysical observatory.
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