Every year, millions of people from around the world board planes, trains, and boats to experience Victoria. The city’s charm has made Victoria an extremely desirable place to live and has no problem attracting visitors. Between the city’s stunning natural beauty, historic downtown, and thriving arts, culture, and foodie scene, there’s a little something for everyone here.
Aside from tourists and travelers, Victoria attracts thousands of students from across the country and the globe. They too want to experience what the city has to offer. But along with the natural beauty and attractions of the city, the quality of education available is a major selling point. Despite its relatively small size, Victoria has some excellent post-secondary options.
In this article, we’re going to break down some of those choices:
Camosun College
Camosun College is one of Victoria’s mainstay post-secondary institutions that enrolls over 19,000 students per year. With over 160 different programs and a wider range of credentials, Camosun is known for being a school for all ages and experience levels, backgrounds, and career aspirations.
Camosun has 2 major campuses in Victoria, with another under construction in the West Shore. The Lansdowne Campus is found on the corner of Lansdowne and Foul Bay Road, with plenty of greenery and historic architecture. The Interurban Campus is in more a rural Saanich area, dedicated to mostly business, trades, and nursing students.
There is no shortage of programs at Camosun, many of which prepare students for direct entrance into the workforce. There are degree programs available in business, sciences, and humanities, certificates for more technical careers, post-degree programs for returning students, and more. From Accounting and Automotive Service to Welding and Ways of Indigenous Leadership, Camosun opens all kinds of doors for students.
In the athletic department, Camosun has also made a name for itself after joining the CCAA and PACWEST conferences in 1994. The Camosun Chargers have competed in over 100 national and provincial championships with over 50 medal winning finishes in basketball and volleyball.
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic) is Victoria’s other main post-secondary institution, which along with Camosun educates the majority of students in the city. UVic enjoys a world-wide reputation for high-quality education, employability, and research, with over 3,500 students from around town and abroad.
UVic’s one campus is located on Finnerty Road in Oak Bay near the neighbourhoods of Gordon Head and Cadboro Bay. UVic’s beautiful campus clustered with towering trees and dense foliage is known for its “ring road”, which encloses all university buildings, campus housing, and recreation facilities.
UVic is a place where students can earn bachelor’s degrees, diplomas, and post-graduate degrees like Masters and PhDs. There are separate faculties for Business, Education, Engineering and Computer Science, Fine Arts, Human and Social Development, Humanities, Law, Science, Social Sciences, and Graduate Studies.
The university has made a name for itself in the international academic community thanks to its research departments. Every year, UVic churns our impressive research on climate, sustainability, health and wellness, social justice, and technology. Related to their reputation for research, UVic was recently ranked #3 globally for climate action, and #4 among Canadian universities for citation impact per faculty member.
The Victoria Vikes are the collection of athletic teams that represent Uvic, part of the U SPORTS (formerly CIS), CWUAA, and NAIA organizations. The athletics program is among the best in the country, having taken home 86 national titles since 1969. The sports teams at UVic include basketball, golf, field hockey, rowing, rugby, soccer, swimming, and track.
Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University is an applied research university that opened its doors in 1995. Designed for students of all ages including lifelong learners, the university has made a name for itself with post-graduate programs that are hands-on and practical. The school does offer undergraduate degrees in Arts, Commerce, Business Administration, and Science, but the majority of programs are offered at the masters, doctorate, and post-graduate level.
What truly sets Royal Roads apart is their campus. Located about 25 minutes from downtown Victoria in the municipality of Colwood, the campus is situated on a national historic site. Hatley Castle is one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in the city and is used in many famous movies and TV shows, including Deadpool and X-Men. The grounds are filled with beautiful gardens, and forests with ocean views, so you’ll enjoy taking classes both indoors and outdoors.
Sprott Shaw College
Sprott Shaw College provides career-focused college programs, small class sizes, hands-on training, accelerated programs, and flexibility. The school educated about 3,5000 students per year across 18 government-designated campus locations. The Victoria campus is conveniently located downtown in Bastion Square.
Sprott Shaw isn’t necessarily designed for students just graduating high school, but instead for students who are looking for flexibility, career placement assistance, and skills upgrading. Many students are returning to school thanks to Sprott Shaw, getting ready to re-enter the workforce or switching careers. The schedules are highly flexible with plenty of online courses and monthly start dates.
Programs available at Sprott Shaw are divided into 5 general categories:
- Administration, Legal & Hospitality
- Business, Marketing & Cybersecurity
- Early Childhood, Education & Support
- Healthcare, Dental & Nursing
- Trades & Design
Cambria College
Cambria College has campuses in Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, and Richmond, and focuses on providing a student-centric learning environment. The Victoria location is found right in the heart of downtown on Fort Street. Founded in 2005, the college helps students enter the workforce in careers that are in-demand in the region. Class sizes are small and program loads are manageable.
At Cambria College you’ll find plenty of programs for those hoping to become administrators or assistants and enter the workforce sooner than later. Programs available include Health Care Assistant, Dental Office Administrator, Addiction & Recovery Specialist, Education Assistant, Hospitality Management, and many more.
