The University of Calgary is a relatively young institution, having established itself as a degree granting institution in 1966. It is a comprehensive university with approximately 34,000 full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students pursuing bachelor, master, Ph.D., and post-doctoral programs. Our teaching, research, laboratory, and technical facilities are of the highest calibre, ensuring that students graduate with exposure to the most up to date technology in their fields. The University of Calgary offers a dynamic learning experience and the opportunity to study with leading academic explorers in 14 faculties, which are subdivided into more than 60 academic departments. The U of C's Cooperative Education program, which provides students with valuable work experience along with first rate academic instruction, has recently been expanded with many innovative new programs leading to bachelor, master, doctoral, and professional degrees.

The U of C campus features 18 academic buildings, most connected by indoor passages, as well as the modern Students' Union building housing several ethnic restaurants, recreational facilities, and student organizations. Other buildings include a museum and art gallery, five libraries, two performance theatres, married and single student housing, a day care centre, a large biological field station, an astrophysical observatory, a large sports stadium, a health and lifestyle centre, an Olympic speed skating oval, and an Olympic sized swimming pool.

The University of Calgary is a member of nine national Centres of Excellence and houses several research institutes investigating topics as diversified as law and family, the humanities, the environment, energy, petroleum engineering, software research, and development, as well as transportation. In 2008, the university opened its Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which was the first newly created program in more than 20 years and has since become Canada’s fifth veterinary medicine program. This innovative four year doctor of veterinary medicine program offers a multispecies/multidisciplinary core, as well as three specialized curricular streams: food production; population medicine; and investigative medicine.