Where there's a challenge, Waterloo is on it
- The University of Waterloo opened in 1957 with 74 students, with engineering and co-operative education as cornerstones
- Waterloo now has 41,000+ full and part-time students cumulatively between undergraduate and graduate programs (2025)
- 1,000-acre main campus, 3 satellite campuses, 100+ buildings with six faculties
Experience student life
Building academic success starts in the classroom but doesn't end there. Waterloo nurtures community, contributing to a positive and successful student experience.
- 57% of varsity athletes achieve an academic average of 80% or higher (2024/25)
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Waterloo offers housing for nearly 7,000 students on campus
- 15% undergraduate and 41% graduate students are international (2024/25)
Learn. Work. Earn
Defining entrepreneurship
From early-stage inventions to growing commercial ventures, Waterloo delivers mentorship, funding and commercialization supports for every stage of the entrepreneurial journey.
- Home to Velocity, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, GreenHouse Social Impact Incubator, Grebel Peace Incubator and FlintHub for Indigenous entrepreneurship
- Creator-owned intellectual property (IP) policy grants students and researchers full ownership of their work and innovations
Research that connects
Waterloo leads innovation with expansive research capacity and deep industry connections to transform knowledge into tangible solutions.
- 1 Nobel Laureate
- 5 Killam Prize winners
- 71 Canada Research Chairs, 2 Canada 150 Research Chair Laureates 2 Canada Excellence Research Chairs, 2 Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureates
- 360+ researchers and 900+ courses aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals (2025)
Nobel Prize in Physics
On October 2, 2018, Physics and Astronomy professor Donna Strickland was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, making her the third woman in history to receive the prestigious honour.
Dr. Strickland was recognized for her breakthrough work on chirped pulse amplification in lasers, allowing for the development technology used for eye-laser surgery, within laser printers, and scanners sold in retail stores.
Strickland conducted her Nobel-winning research while a PhD student under French laser physicist Gérard Mourou in 1989 while attending the University of Rochester in New York.
Global game changers
Waterloo blends academic excellence and real-world opportunities to shape alumni who drive change across industries and communities
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263,000 alumni in 160 countries (2025)
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$66.7 million raised from 6,600+ donors across 34 countries (2025)
