At the forefront of innovation, the University of Waterloo is home to world-changing research and inspired teaching. From quantum computing and nanotechnology to clinical psychology, engineering, the environment, and health sciences research, ideas that change the world are at the heart of who we are.
Our graduates’ success is one of the top reasons students choose Waterloo. Waterloo ranked 22nd in the world for graduate employability and 1st in the world for partnerships with employers (ahead of schools such as MIT and Stanford) as part of a 2017 ranking conducted by global research firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
Waterloo offers more than 100 undergraduate and 190 graduate programs and is consistently ranked as the top comprehensive research university in Canada. Our international reputation for excellence and innovation attracts some of the most inspiring and creative students and researchers in the world.
More than 19,000 of our undergraduate students’ alternate 4-month school terms with 4-month co-op terms through our global network of 6,700 employers, gaining experience and money to pay for their education. Graduate students benefit from our intellectual property policy that provides ownership and commercialization rights to the inventor, not the university.
Each year, Waterloo welcomes 36,000 students, of which 17% of undergraduates and 37% of graduates are international. Times Higher Education listed Waterloo 34th in its ranking of the World’s Most International Universities in 2017. Waterloo students start strong and excel in a learning environment that is experiential, research-rich, and real-world relevant.
Research Strengths
The University of Waterloo inspires and supports discovery, creativity, and innovation across all disciplines, with a focus on multidisciplinary research areas including:
- Mathematical, Sciences and Computer Science
- Quantum Information and Nanotechnology
- Manufacturing and Devices
- Discovery and Design of Materials and Systems
- Environment and Energy
- Health and Well-Being
- Society, Culture, and Governance
