The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in Saanich and Oak Bay within Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The university was founded as Victoria College in 1903, as the affiliate branch of McGill University.[5] A non-denominational institution, it transitioned to its current status as the University of Victoria in 1963. The university's annual enrollment is around 20,000 students. UVic's campus is known for its innovative architecture, beautiful gardens, and mild climate.
Academically, the University of Victoria is noted for its programs in the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, Faculty of Law, Earth and Ocean Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts, and Engineering along with a strong focus on (mandatory) co-operative education. It It is the nation's lead institution in the VENUS and NEPTUNE deep-water seafloor observatory projects.[6] UVic also participates in several multi-institutional research consortia, such as the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Studies, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, TRIUMF, the Canadian Consortium of Oceans Research Universities, WestGrid, and Compute Canada making it British Columbia's third largest research university.[7][8]
The Victoria Vikes (more commonly known as the UVic Vikes or simply the Vikes) represent the university in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) community in a number of competitive sports, as well as through a variety of intercollegiate leagues. The Vikes have especially long and eminent ties to competitive rowing, basketball and rugby.
