Address: 2325 Rue de l’Université, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
Administrative Sciences, Agriculture and Food Sciences, Architecture, Dentistry, Education, Law, Letters and Humanities, Forestry and Geomatics, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Science and Engineering, Social Sciences, Theology
Laval University, in French Université Laval, traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded in 1663 by François de Montmorency-Laval. The Petit Séminaire followed in 1668. A royal charter granted on 8 December 1852 created Université Laval. Its Montreal campus became the Université de Montréal in 1919. This makes Laval the oldest centre of higher education in Canada in the French language.
The main campus lies in the suburban borough of Sainte-Foy, Sillery and Cap-Rouge in Quebec City, where the university moved in the 1950s from Old Quebec. The historic site of the Séminaire de Québec is at 1 rue des Remparts, in the old city. The campus covers 1.2 square kilometres, with more than 30 buildings and 10 kilometres of underground walkways, which is welcome in a Quebec winter.
The record gives more than 38,000 students and more than 350 programmes as of 2002, and these figures are older than the present situation. The university welcomes more than 2,500 foreign students a year and about 1,000 students from other Canadian provinces. Staff numbers are not given in the source used here.
The faculties and schools cover Administrative Sciences, Agriculture and Food Sciences, Architecture, Urban Planning and Visual Arts, Dentistry, Education, Law, Letters and Humanities, Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Hautes Études Internationales, Arts, Music and Philosophy, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, Science and Engineering, Social Sciences, and Theology and Religious Studies. A faculty of postgraduate studies completes the structure.
Research is strong. Laval holds four of the 19 Canada Excellence Research Chairs awarded nationwide. Among its alumni are three prime ministers of Canada, Louis St. Laurent, Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien, and several premiers of Quebec, such as Lucien Bouchard, Jean Lesage, René Lévesque and Pauline Marois. Eleven Supreme Court justices are listed, and Niklaus Wirth, the designer of several programming languages, is also on the roll. Fees depend on the residence of the student. Check the current tariff.
The campus layout deserves a note. The underground walkways link the main buildings, so students can move from one pavilion to another during winter without going outside. Teaching is mainly in French, and applicants from abroad should check the language requirements on the official pages before they apply.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Optics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Campus in the Sainte-Foy borough of Quebec City with more than 30 buildings linked by 10 km of underground walkways.
Research:
Health sciences, forestry, agriculture and food, engineering, social sciences and international studies.
Famous Alumnis:
Louis St. Laurent, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chrétien, Lucien Bouchard, Jean Lesage, René Lévesque, Pauline Marois, Niklaus Wirth
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
N/A
Current students***:
38000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Oldest French-language university in North America, large campus, 4 of the 19 Canada Excellence Research Chairs, wide range of programmes.
Cons
Teaching in French, winter climate in Quebec City, competitive admission in health programmes.
Best For
Students who want a research university with French-language teaching in historic Quebec City.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
University of Alberta sits close to this institution on agriculture, ecology and sustainability and life sciences; it also offers certificate and diploma programmes and covers chemistry and AI and machine learning as well.
McGill University takes a similar route through ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes.
University of Calgary overlaps with this institution on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it also offers certificate and diploma programmes and covers geotechnics and AI and machine learning as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of optics, life sciences and data analytics can consider University of Ottawa, and it is also a public institution and also offers certificate and diploma programmes.
Both schools build their programmes around agriculture, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, and University of Manitoba is the one to compare first within the country, since it is slightly smaller, at about 31,000 students against roughly 38,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Stellenbosch University brings a South Africa setting to the same core fields, finance, agriculture and life sciences, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
For a study option in Australia with a comparable spread of finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, University of Newcastle Australia is the reference point: it covers civil engineering as well, and has almost the same size, at about 36,244 students.
Indiana University Indianapolis (the United States) works on the same fields as this university, chiefly finance, life sciences and data analytics; it is slightly smaller, at about 29,390 students against roughly 38,000 here, and is also a public institution.
If this institution is on your list for agriculture, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, La Trobe University in Australia deserves a comparison, because it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
On content, George Mason University in the United States and this institution are close, as both teach finance, ecology and sustainability and life sciences; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers statistics and software engineering as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Laval University?
In Quebec City, on a campus in the Sainte-Foy borough.
When do its roots date from?
From 1663, with the Séminaire de Québec.
When did it receive its royal charter?
On 8 December 1852.
What became of its Montreal campus?
It became the Université de Montréal in 1919.
How large is the campus?
1.2 square kilometres, with more than 30 buildings.
What language is used for teaching?
French.
How many Canada Excellence Research Chairs does it hold?
Four of the 19 awarded.
Which prime ministers studied there?
Louis St. Laurent, Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien.
How many foreign students does it welcome?
More than 2,500 a year.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the residence of the student. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Engineering, Environment, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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