What Students Say
Likes
- Co-op and career program support
- Many clubs and extracurricular activities available
- Student union is extremely supportive and advocates for students
Dislikes
- An athletic fee is required but limited athletic facilities that are available without additional fees on top of the mandatory one.
- Poor planning for unexpected emergencies or adverse weather events (students were injured because of this last year)
- limited parking available for $$$$
I already lived in Victoria, so it was an option that is close to home. I also received a GPA-based entrance scholarship of $3000, which motivated me to continue at UVic. I like the student engagement and different options for clubs/activities/events that are available, and the campus is quite lovely, especially in the sun. We are also very close to beaches and water, which is great. The psychology program is great and has lots of options such as co-op and honours to elevate your degree. Many of the profs that I’ve had are absolutely incredible. I definitely haven’t had the busy, extra-curricular-filled experience that some students may have, but I have benefited from the support and resources provided by Uvic numerous times. I have learned a lot and generally enjoyed my classes and experience so far.
Course Curriculum
With psychology, many things are changing all the time, and courses must be updated frequently. In general, my program has done a good job of this!
Faculty
Jessica Rourke is fantastic, as well as Johnathan Rush and Maria Iankilevitch. Faculty to student ratio could be better, many of my 3rd-year classes are still 100-200 students for 1 professor and 1 TA. Most professors are knowledgeable and very approachable.
Campus Life
So many clubs and course unions available, and many extracurriculars of various kinds, including, but not limited to, sporting events. Uvic is a research centred university, so there is a lot of support available in this regard. Wifi available all over campus, and many, many different study locations, both inside and outside.
Placement
I know that more than 75% of co-op students receive a job offer before graduation, but I’m not sure about my current program-specific opportunities yet.
Accommodation
Living with family to save money, uvic has on-campus accommodation, and renting in Victoria is AWFUL, average 1 bedroom for ~1500+ CAD$ per month.
Exams
- No standardized tests (at least for a local student) but there is an English language requirement, minimum GPA depending on the program (my high school GPA was 91%) as well as high school course requirements, program dependent. - British Columbia, Canada curriculum. 10th grade = 95%, 12th grade = 91% - Requirements: High school transcript was required, and some questions to be answered, but I don’t believe there was any additional documentation.
Fees
I pay approximately $3000-3500 CAD per semester, depending on the number of courses (usually around $650 CAD per undergrad course, plus $300/year for medical/dental coverage, and $80/semester for a bus pass (mandatory), in addition to ~$100 of various fees (student union, athletics, etc)
Scholarship
Entrance scholarship - no additional application process (GPA-based - I had 91% high school GPA). One-time tuition credit of $3000 CAD (approximately 1 semester’s worth)
