University of Ottawa

History

First founded in 1848 under the name of the College of Bytown, it was an institution spearheaded by the Catholic faith first and foremost, as it’s foundation was the direct result of the Catholic Bishop of Ottawa, and it’s first years saw it being administrated by missionaries.

From there on the institution would continue to grow, first achieving proper university status in 1866, then forming it’s own Officer’s Training Corps, and ultimately being reorganized during the 60s, turning it into an institutions separate from the church.

In the present day the University of Ottawa is the single largest university that teaches in both English and French, and it’s world famous for it’s library, one of the biggest in the entire country.

Programs Offered

Through it’s 10 faculties, the University of Ottawa offers well over a hundred programs aimed at undergraduates, with more coming soon to make their already impressive offering even more robust.

It’s important to note however that programs in English and French are listed separately, so the actual number is smaller than it might seem at first, nonetheless, due to the large number of courses, the following list is only a sample of the full catalog offered by the University of Ottawa:

  • English as a Second Language
  • Animal Studies
  • Music
  • Nursing
  • Social Sciences
  • Biomedical Mechanical
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental and Water Resources
  • Computing Technology
  • Software Engineering
  • Creative Writing Certificate
  • Human Resource Management
  • Law Certificate
  • Piano Pedagogy
  • Translation English-French

Admission requirements

While admissions to the University of Ottawa are mainly based on a student’s high school results, the somewhat fragmented nature of education in Canada can make the enrolling process slightly more confusing than on most universities, based on where in the country students come from they’ll have slightly differing requirements, those from Ontario require at least six 4U courses, Quebec students will be qualified based on their Secondary V classes.

Ultimately most students can apply and in their native scoring system, but due to the wide abundance present in the nation they’ll have to properly research to know the cut-offs.

Student Life

One of the most interesting parts of studying at the University of Ottawa is it’s bilingual campus, while a multitude of languages is not uncommon in an international campus, at Ottawa the facilities and community are explicitly bilingual, and as such students new to the Franco-Canadian experience will face a completely different student experience than they expected.

Part-time work

The University of Ottawa counts with it’s own portal for student employment in the form of JobsNow, available through the site’s student portal, JobsNow offers listings on both full and part time employment for currently enrolled students.

Fees

For most programs at the University of Ottawa, undergraduate students can expect to pay $4,500 per term, a number that is based on the number of units a student has undertaken and their cost based on their chosen course or faculty, however some programs like Law can reach up to $9,000 per term, so it’s important to properly check the fees section of the institution’s official site.

Ranking

The University of Ottawa is currently ranked as the 189th best college level institution in the world, making it the overall 11th best university in it’s home country of Canada.

University Contact

Address:  75 Laurier Ave. East, Ottawa ON K1N 6N5 Canada

Phone: 613-562-5630

Email: [email protected]

Summary

The University of Ottawa offers a high level of education in 2 different languages, with a wide selection of courses bound to appeal to any student, ultimately however this bilingual aspect might also end up turning off a lot of students, and due to the fact that it’s ultimately easier to get scholarships while enrolled on French courses, internationals students versed in the language might be the most interested in enrolling into the institution.