Written by Nicole Lorraine Prieto and Arry Pandher

Looking into universities in Western Canada and wondering “Where is the University of Calgary?”, keep reading!

The University of Calgary is located in Canada’s energy capital, Calgary, Alberta. The University of Calgary stands out among Canadian universities in how it actively engages students in leadership development in all areas – the arts, athletics, science, medicine, engineering, volunteerism and business. Not only is it a great place to learn, but there are also a lot of activities you can enjoy around the campus!

Where is the University of Calgary?

The University of Calgary is a busy place with 33,000 students at five separate campus locations. Four out of the five campuses at the University of Calgary are located in Calgary, Alberta. Calgary is one of Canada’s cleanest, safest, most culturally diverse urban centres, repeatedly ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities. With a population of 1.2 million, it’s also the largest city in Alberta and the third-largest municipality in Canada.

Main Campus

The main campus is the hub of academic, recreational, residential and student activities at the University of Calgary. The buildings for Sciences, Engineering, Biology, Social Sciences and Kinesiology make up the northern side of campus, while professional faculties including Education, Environmental Design, Nursing, Social Work, Business, and Law are on the south side, along with residential facilities and the Hotel Alma for on-campus guests. Fine Arts and Humanities facilities include the Art Building, Craigie Hall, and various performance theatres can be found near the main entrance

Foothills Campus

This campus is home to the Cumming School of Medicine and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, this campus is located about a kilometre south of the main campus, next to the Foothills Medical Centre. The Health Sciences Centre, the Heritage Medical Building, the Health Research Innovation Centre and the Teaching, Research and Wellness building are all found here.

Downtown Campus

Located in Calgary’s downtown core, this campus offers resources to its Alumni Association as it is headquartered in the downtown campus. There are also select graduate level and executive educational programming through the Haskayne School of Business and The School of Public Policy hosted at this campus.

Spy Hill Square

This campus hosts hands-on clinical and diagnostic learning for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, as well as clinical and applied research. Facilities include the Clinical Skills Building, the Veterinary Sciences Research Station, and the Wildlife Research Station. Spy Hill is also the site of the university’s advanced High-Density Library storage facility.

Doha, Qatar Campus

UCalgary opened its first overseas branch campus in Doha, Qatar in 2007. The University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) focuses on educating nursing students in the region by offering Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Nursing programs accredited by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN).

What to Do Around University of Calgary

Visit the Calgary Zoo

The Calgary Zoo is located in Bridgeland, Calgary, Alberta, just east of the city’s downtown and adjacent to the Inglewood and East Village neighborhoods. It is accessible via Calgary’s C-Train light rail system, by car via Memorial Drive, and by bicycle and footpath via the Bow River pathway. It is home to over 1,000 animals, excluding individual fish and insects, and 272 different species. The 120-acre zoo is organized into seven distinct zones: Destination Africa, Canadian Wilds, Penguin Plunge, Dorothy Harvie Botanical Gardens and ENMAX Conservatory, TransAlta Rainforest, Eurasia, and Prehistoric Park. The zoo is open every day except for Christmas Day.

Hang Out in the Sky at Calgary Tower

Calgary Tower is a free-standing, 191 m tall observation deck in downtown Calgary allowing panoramic views of the city. There is a small section of glass floor 525 feet off the deck. An elevator takes you to the top in about a minute. The observation deck has panels explaining the views, like the stampede grounds. During peak times, hosts are available on the Observation Deck to provide tours and information to guests. The Calgary tower features a revolving restaurant (45 – 60 minutes for a revolution), Sky 360, that rotates so as to give customers a scenic view of downtown Calgary.

Attend Events at the Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede is a not-for-profit community organization that preserves and celebrates our western heritage, culture and community spirit. Whether you want to be entertained with a wild light show, or a quiet, sophisticated dinner, Stampede Park hosts various events for everyone to enjoy.

Appreciate Art at the Glenbow Museum

The Glenbow Museum is an art and history regional museum in the city of Calgary, Alberta. The museum focuses on Western Canadian history and culture, including Indigenous perspectives. Glenbow’s art collection comprises 33,000 works, mainly dating from the 19th century to the present, primarily historical, modern, and contemporary work from or pertaining to the northwest of North America. The collection contains a selection of landscape paintings, a Canadian prints collection including works from Walter J. Phillips and modernist printmaker Sybil Andrews, First Nations and Inuit Art, American illustration, and wildlife Art. Works from other parts of the world provide a broader national and international frame of reference.

Learn about Music at Studio Bell

Studio Bell is the home of the National Music Centre which offers new exhibits, breathtaking architecture, and pop-up performances. Explore a special self-guided Cross-Country Music Road Trip. To navigate through the tour, visitors can snap a photo of the tour poster at the base of the South staircase. Visitors can see breathtaking architecture, catch roaming educators for instrument show-and-tells, and performances on fan favourite, the Kimball Theatre Organ. Guests will be able to see the expanded onsite version of the Community Storytellers exhibition with over 30 interesting, unusual, and meaningful musical artifacts and stories from the Alberta community.

Support Your Local Sports Team at the Scotiabank Saddledome

Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in downtown Edmonton with a capacity of about 19,000 for various events. Their main tenants include the hockey franchise, the Calgary Flames who play in the National Hockey League and also a Canadian junior ice hockey team, the Calgary Hitmen who play in the Western Hockey League. They also host a National Lacrosse League franchise, the Calgary Roughnecks.

How to Get to UofC

By Air

When you land at the Calgary International Airport (YYC), you can go directly through to the main terminal where you collect your baggage. The University of Calgary campus is located approximately 18 km west of the Calgary International Airport. From there, you can travel to the university by taxi, Uber or public transit.

By Rail

Taking transit is a great way to get around Calgary. Most major destinations in Calgary are accessible by bus and/or C-Train (Light Railway Transit). The closest C-Train station to campus is University Station. It is on the Redline. For some destinations in the Northeast or West of Calgary, you may need to transfer to the Blue line. Trains run approximately every 5 minutes during peak times, and every 10-15 minutes outside of peak hours.

By Road

The campus is a quick 30-min drive from the airport. Use your preferred GPS to drive to the university. You must have an adequate license, car insurance, and a registered vehicle (whether owned or rented) to drive in Calgary.

Make the most out of your time at the University of Calgary! Enjoy the campus scenery and explore the surrounding area. Have a safe trip!

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