Laurier students aren’t content with simply earning a university degree. To them, education is a springboard to something greater: it’s the key to shaping a life, building a community and making a difference.
For more than a century, Laurier has been known for academic excellence. But we’ve also been dedicated to the philosophy that our students’ success is measured through more than grades – it’s based on the quality of the lives they lead, and those they inspire.
Our innovative programs in arts and social sciences, business and economics, music, science, social work and education cover a broad spectrum. At their heart, though, they reflect a common purpose: Laurier’s determination to address global social, health and environmental problems and advance creative pursuits.
Laurier’s two campuses are in Waterloo and Brantford, but we also have a Faculty of Social Work in nearby Kitchener and a weekend MBA program in Toronto. In all, we have 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Kitchener-Waterloo, with a population of about 350,000, is small enough to be safe and easy to navigate but large enough to offer great art, music, restaurants and other big-city amenities. Our campus in Brantford is fully embedded in the student-friendly downtown core and a stone’s throw from the Grand River and many outdoor activities. Both campuses are only about an hour from Toronto, Canada’s biggest city.
But no matter where you study at Laurier, you’re a Golden Hawk, which means you’re part of a tight-knit, supportive community that knows how to aim high, work hard and take advantage of some truly amazing opportunities to make a difference.
Take a look at our events calendar – there’s always something going on. And we play as hard as we work. We offer more than a dozen varsity sports if you’re looking for some intense competition (Laurier has won seven national titles since 2000), but if varsity isn’t your speed, we have great fitness centres and dozens of intramural sports on both campuses.
If you have an interest, we probably have a club for it; and if we don’t, we’ll help you start one.
Out-of-class activities are a huge part of the Laurier experience – we provide the academics so you can succeed in your career and the extracurriculars so you can succeed in life.
Like many universities in Canada, Wilfrid Laurier University has a bicameral governance system. At Laurier, our bicameral governance system provides for two separate and distinct governing bodies: the Senate and the Board of Governors. The powers of both the Senate and the Board of Governors are set out in the Wilfrid Laurier University Act (the Act).
While each governing body has its own responsibilities, there are many areas where both bodies must act in order to advance a university initiative. For example, the creation of a new academic department requires that Senate review and recommend the proposal to the Board; the Board then considers the proposal, including its financial and other implications for the university, before approving the new department.
The Act also outlines the membership of each governing body, which is broadly representative of the university community and external stakeholders. Each governing body has appointed and elected members, with cross-appointments to ensure open communication between the two.
The University Secretariat provides professional advice to and facilitates the work of the Senate, Board of Governors, their committees and councils, participants and resources on all matters relating to university governance. The Secretariat is responsible for supporting the development, revision and interpretation of university-level policies, and keeping the official records of governing documents and records of decisions made by the governing bodies.
Wilfrid Laurier University recognizes that intellectual inquiry, critical reflection and scholarly integrity are the cornerstones of all universities including our exceptional institution.
Our unique values are drawn from the key elements on which Laurier was founded and which will continue to nurture and shape what we become.
Our commitment is to justice and sustainability now and in the future, so we strive to ignite the minds, spirits and hearts of our communities through excellence in teaching and learning, in the discovery, scholarly exploration, and application of new ideas, and in instilling the courage to engage and challenge the world in all its complexity. The mission describes our core purpose and commitment to stakeholders.
Wilfrid Laurier University is devoted to excellence in learning, research, scholarship and creativity. It challenges people to become engaged and aware citizens of an increasingly complex world. It fulfills its mission by advancing knowledge, supporting and enhancing high-quality undergraduate, graduate and professional education, and emphasizing co-curricular development of the whole student.
For centuries, academic libraries were, first and foremost, places where students and faculty members could find and work with books and articles in printed form.
But in recent years, with the proliferation of digital media, the role of libraries has been transformed.
The Laurier Library of the 21st century is the intellectual and cultural heart of Laurier: an academic nexus of collections, research and scholarly publishing and an experiential hive of community, creative expression and making.
We are home to the award-winning Robert Langen Art Gallery; to WLU Press, a leading Canadian scholarly publisher; and to a thriving program of author events, film screenings, concerts and workshops.
We also house the Laurier Archives, keeper of the university’s historical record and legacy as well as leading collections on the environment, music, and the Lutheran Church.
And, of course, we continue to provide the digital resources, books, instruction sessions and study spaces that inspire our users to achieve excellence in their research, work and lives.
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To be completely honest, I can not believe that I wasted my time trying to get my education here. This learning environment is terrible. And they are for sure not student first. The course schedule makes it very difficult to graduate, and besides STEM programs they are not well preparing you for the work force.
By Jack Gibson (Dec, 2019) |
This isn’t a university to have your beliefs challenged. This is a place for confirmation bias where alternate viewpoints are implicitly not welcomed.
By Ian O'Neill (Jul, 2018) |
Excellent learning environment, friendly professors, lots of opportunity, accepting and welcoming community! Its great to be a LAURIER GOLDEN HAWK!
By Will Borys (Jun, 2018) |
Kind of a smaller campus compared to Waterloo, not as nice to walk around. Can't speak to the education here though they have held some good panels. Some of the classrooms are fairly nice and it is close to a few different restaurants.
By Marta Borowska (Jun, 2018) |
This is one of the greatest universities especially if you a considering a career in business. Everyone here is a family and we all want each other to succeed. Laurier truly embodies the phrase "work hard play hard" and believe me we're really good at doing both ;) Please come down and see for yourself why it's Truky Great to be A Laurier Golden Hawk!!!
By Trevor Chang (Jun, 2018) |
Great University!!!
Wilfrid Laurier University is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada.
Good opportunities after completing graduation.
By Seema Mehta (May, 2018) |
I had an incredible time at this university. I like that it is a small community so professors and administration were able to give us the attention we needed. Laurier gave me and my peers many opportunities to succeed after graduation. I’m very grateful.
By Emma (May, 2018) |
Laurier is laughable, especially with it’s limited course offerings and overpriced fees. It’s not worth the money or time to live in a rundown residence and mandatorily pay for poor quality food. There’s not much to compensate for it’s low tier reputation and programs, but the students generally don’t mind because they’re too busy getting drunk or coked up most nights. Don’t be fooled by their marketing campaigns; it’s better to choose a school with an administration and social climate that’s serious about education.
By thot phd (Apr, 2018) |
My biggest satisfaction is probably the friendly and helpful staff. They offer lots of resources. Profs r usually very helpful and thoughtful. I cannot appreciate them enough for some of their generosity and support.
By Tailai Cheung (Apr, 2018) |
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The education my child receives in Ontario is truly transformative; the dedicated faculty inspires students daily, and I've seen remarkable growth in their confidence and skills.
By Ji-min Park (Mar, 2024) |