Western University - Overview & Background

Founded in 1878, Western University is one of Canada's best universities. The university has a world-class infrastructure spread over an area of 481.2 hectares. Western University is a global hub for academic excellence and future leadership due to its advanced learning program and intensive research modules. Different undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs are available at the university.

The different faculties and schools of Western University include:

  • Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Social Science
  • Faculty of Arts & Humanities
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Information & Media Science
  • Don Wright Faculty of Music
  • Faculty of Education
  • Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
  • Faculty of Health Sciences and Ivey Business School

Additionally, it is home to world-famous research centres such as:

  • The Rotman Institute of Philosophy
  • The Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment Research Institute
  • The Brain and Mind Institute
  • Robarts Research Institute
  • The Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research
  • The Bone and Joint Institute

With more than 24,000 students and over 306,000 living alumni worldwide, Western is a co-educational institution. Heads of government, professors, business leaders, Nobel laureates, Rhodes scholars, and distinguished fellows are the university’s prominent alumni.

Former Names

    The Western University of London, Ontario

Established

    7 March 1878

Founder

Isaac Hellmuth

University Type

Public Research University

University Motto

 Truth and Usefulness 

University City

London, Ontario 
Acceptance Rate

58%

Faculty to Student Ratio

1:23

Endowment

CA$990.1 million 

Campus Size

1,120 acres

Graduation Rate

86.4%

Employment Rate

92.5%

Official Website Link

Western University, Canada

Contact Details

+1 519-661-2111

 

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Western University Virtual Tour

Infrastructure

Most of the campus is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, with the Thames River bisecting the eastern portion of the site. Western Road is the main transportation artery of the university, heading from north to south. The main campus contains most of the residences and teaching facilities for students at the University. Hi-tech labs, art studios, libraries and technology centers are available at the campus to allow for the best in-class training.

Western Libraries, the library system of the University, operates six libraries which contain as of September 2015 more than 2.45 million books, as well as digital assets including e-books, serial titles and databases.

  • Various Libraries include the Allyn and Betty Taylor Library
  • C. B. Johnston Library
  • The D. B. Weldon Library
  • The Education Library
  • The John & Dotsa Bitove Family Law Library, and the Music Library

Western also operates two art galleries

  • The Artlab Gallery
  • The McIntosh Gallery

The Artlab Gallery, housed at the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, displays roughly 14 projects per year and is focused on social and cultural issues and seeks to assist students and faculty members in studies and practices. Western also maintains educational and organizational ties with the Museum of Ontario Archeology. 

Residing Options

The main campus of The University of Western Ontario offers student housing options, with nine student residences housing either first-year students or upper-year students. Student residence buildings are classified into:

  • Traditional residences
  • Suite-style residences
  • Hybrid-style residences

which combine the elements of traditional residences and suite-styled residences.

Traditional-styled residences include:

  • Delaware Hall
  • Medway-Sydenham Hall
  • Saugeen-Maitland Hall

Suite-style residences include:

  • Alumni House
  • Elgin Hall
  • Essex Hall
  • London Hall

Hybrid-styled residences include:

  • Perth Hall
  • Ontario Hall

Alumni House and London Hall are reserved only for upper-year students. The university also runs three campus apartments exclusively for students in the upper and graduate years. The residences of the College are Bayfield Hall, consisting of 299 one-bedroom units, Beaver & Ausable Halls, consisting of 99 two-bedroom units, and Lambton Hall, consisting of 150 two-bedroom units.

The accommodation charges approximately lie between $7140 and $10,000.

Financial Aid

The university offers funding aid packages to the qualifying research-based Master's and PhD students to reduce the cost of completing full-time graduate studies and alleviate financial barriers for students who might otherwise be unable to pursue an education in the university. Such packages may consist of funds from a variety of sources and may vary from student to student. Western also offers minimum annual funding of $13,000 plus fees to doctoral students from all sources.

Apart from the financial support received from federal and provincial sources and support for research grants, Western also offers a variety of internal awards which are among the best available for outstanding scholars in Canada. Full-time Western graduate students are eligible for School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies funding, as long as they meet the relevant criteria.


Graduate students seeking funds have access to a full array of Western bursary services, grants and financial assistance counselling. Some of them are:

  • Graduate Bursary Assistance
  • Work-Study Program
  • OSAP/Government Student Loans
  • Students with Disabilities
  • Society of Graduate Students Financial Support

Jobs and Placements

In global university rankings, the university ranked 201–300 in the world and 10–12 in Canada in the 2019 Academic Ranking of World University rankings. The university ranked 141-150 in the world in the 2019 student employability ranking of QS, and 7th in Canada. Popular degrees amongst the university graduates are Bachelor of Science (BS / BSc); Bachelor of Engineering (BEng / BE) and Master of Science (MS).

  • Software Developer
  • Project Manager
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Marketing Manager
  • Structural Engineer
  • Human Resources (HR) Manager
  • Account Manager

Are few of the most popular jobs the students from Western University offered.

The top recruiters who employ graduates from the university are:

  • Bell Canada
  • Voices.com
  • Aecom Canada Ltd.
  • TD Canada
  • The University of Western Ontario
  • IBM Canada Ltd.
  • Emco Corporation

Notable Alumni

 Some famous alumni from Western University include:

  • Leola Neal, psychologist, first female president of the Ontario Psychological Association
  • Robert C. Dynes, physicist, former President of the University of California
  • Jennifer Gunter, OB/GYN and author
  • Christine Simpson, sports reporter, Rogers Sportsnet
  • Cameron Bailey, film critic and Toronto International Film Festival programmer
  • Nicole Dunsdon, the last person to win the Miss Canada competition before it was cancelled in 1992
  • Elliotte Friedman, sports reporter, host, Hockey Night in Canada
  • Heather Hiscox, CBC news anchor

Western University Location

In Western University, students are given enough opportunities to revitalize themselves.

The complex comprises of :

  • Sport courts
  • Health and leisure facilities
  • Bars
  • Bestaurants
  • Cafeterias
  • Auditoriums
  • Theatres

The campus regularly organizes sport meets; music, dance, and drama programs; art exhibitions; and numerous other events. The university encourages cross-disciplinary participation among students and motivates them to take up various extracurricular activities to cultivate their talents and foster team spirit.

Western University's closest major airport is London International Airport, 13 km from the centre of Western Ontario University. Two air carriers plus seasonal charters are currently serving the airport. 

RobertQ airbus services are also available to pick you up and drop at either your home or their London offices and ride directly to or from Toronto or Detroit airport.

Western Accessible Transportation is offered via Disabled Student Services for Western Students. This program is only available for travel in university and associated schools.
A compulsory bus pass is available through the University Student Council and London Transit for students with disabilities who attend Western part-time. The service is intended to provide free travel by rail.

Public Bus Service:

The London Bus Transit Authority and Greyhound have services between London and most U.S. and Canadian cities. For journeys to Toronto, Kitchener and Hamilton, Greyhound provides pick-up-and-drop service from the Western campus.

Megabus is a subsidized bus company providing pick-up services in Toronto and connects to different destinations in Canada and the United States.
ISX is committed to arranging bus trips only for students to famous Ontario and Quebec destinations. The Students' Council offers a late-night Exam Shuttle Service to provide students with a safe way to get home.

Campus Shuttle Bus Service, VIA Rail, Carpooling, Mustang Express, Purple Bikes and several London Taxi Companies make stay in the university and commutation easy.


Western University Map Location

Address: 1151 Richmond St, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada

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