Western University

Western University

Since that first class graduated in 1883, the university has become a vibrant centre of learning. Through 12 faculties and three affiliated university colleges, Western today offers its 36,000-plus students more than 400 specializations, majors and minors.

It was at Western where Sir Frederick Banting rose from a restless sleep in 1920 and wrote out 25 words that led to his discovery of insulin.

It was at Western where Canada’s first French Immersion program was established at Trois-Pistoles, Québec, in 1932 – a program that continues today.

It was at Western where researchers led by Ivan Smith developed the world’s first ‘cobalt bomb’ to treat cancer in 1951. This discovery increased the cure rate for cervical cancer to 75 per cent from 25 per cent.

And while our excellence roots itself in history, Western continues to eye the next-generation discoveries.

Western, a leader in wind engineering since 1965, testing such structures as the World Trade Center, Sears Tower and Jakarta Tower. Western Engineering will continue its dominance with the opening of the WindEEE Dome research facility.

Western leads at home and abroad thanks to construction of a state-of-the-art Richard Ivey School of Business in 2012. North America’s first business school campus opened in Hong Kong in 1998.

Western has continued to push innovation. In 2012 a HIV vaccine developed by Dr. Chil-Yong Kang received approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration to start human clinical trials. Western has been a medical advancement leader since 1878.

Key facts about Western University

• Ranked among the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide

• A founding member of the U15 – Canada’s most distinguished research universities

• 40,000 students, including more than 5,800 international students from 128 countries

• One of the highest national entrance averages of first-year students at 90.6%

• First to second year retention rate of 93.6%—one of the highest in Canada

• A proud legacy of Rhodes Scholars, with the 24thannounced in 2019

• 12 faculties, including the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, as well professional programs in Medicine, Business, Law and Engineering

• More than 400 combinations of undergraduate majors, minors and specializations

• 88 different graduate degree programs, including a range of interdisciplinary programs

• 26 faculty recipients of 3M National Teaching Fellowships—second highest in Canada

• 95.2% employment rate after graduation

• More than 325,000 alumni in 150 countries worldwide