Business (Ivey Business School), Health Sciences, Engineering
Western University sits in London, Ontario, and began on 7 March 1878 as The Western University of London, an institution tied to the Church of England. Its roots go back further still, to Huron College, an Anglican theological school opened in 1863 that later became one of the university’s affiliated colleges.
The name has changed twice since the founding. The institution became the University of Western Ontario in 1923 and took the shorter public name Western University in 2012, although its legal name remains The University of Western Ontario. Today the university presents 12 faculties and schools, among them Arts & Humanities, Engineering, Health Sciences, Information & Media Studies, Law, Science, Social Science, the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Ivey Business School and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
Huron University College and King’s University College are affiliated colleges that stand beside the main campus. Among the people who studied at Western is the writer Alice Munro, who received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, and the astronaut Roberta Bondar is also a graduate. Programme lists, admission requirements and fees are published on the university’s official website.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of U15. Ivey Business School has strong global alumni network and industry connections. Partnerships with London Health Sciences Centre.
Research:
Research strengths in neuroscience (Brain and Mind Institute), musculoskeletal health, imaging, materials science, wind engineering, and business research.
Famous Alumnis:
Alice Munro, Sir Frederick Banting (discovered insulin here), Roberta Jamieson, Kevin O’Leary (Ivey MBA, also Waterloo)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
8000
Current students***:
43000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
300000
Pros
Highly reputable business school (Ivey), strong student life and campus experience, comprehensive research university.
Cons
London is a smaller city than Toronto/Montreal, some programs are highly competitive, can have a ‘party school’ reputation for some.
Best For
Students seeking a strong academic and social experience, particularly in business (Ivey), health sciences, or engineering, at a major research university.
Queen's University lists engineering, business and health sciences, a mix that overlaps closely with Western's, and it is another public university in Ontario.
McMaster University pairs health sciences and engineering with nuclear science and is a public institution in Ontario as well.
York University offers business through the Schulich School and law through Osgoode Hall, a professional-school combination comparable to Western's Ivey and Law faculties.
The public University of Ottawa, also in Ontario, concentrates on public policy and international affairs, health sciences and law.
Dalhousie University, a public university in Nova Scotia, centres on ocean studies, health professions and law.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) is a public university covering medicine, engineering and business, the same trio that defines much of Western's profile.
Monash University in Australia is public and combines medicine, engineering, information technology and business.
Lund University, a public institution in Sweden, spans engineering, law and medicine.
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (Netherlands) is a public university working in data science and health technology, which parallels Western's health and business emphasis.
University of Sydney, also in Australia, is a public university with medicine and health, law, business and engineering.
*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
When did Western University start, and how did it get its current name?
It opened on 7 March 1878 as The Western University of London, Ontario. It became the University of Western Ontario in 1923 and adopted Western University as its everyday name in 2012, while the legal name is still The University of Western Ontario.
Where is the campus?
Western is in London, Ontario, Canada. Maps, visitor information and contact details are available on the university's official website.
How many faculties and schools are there?
The university lists 12, including Arts & Humanities, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Science, Social Science, Information & Media Studies, the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Ivey Business School and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is also counted among them.
Is Ivey Business School a separate institution?
No. Ivey Business School is one of the faculties listed by Western, so its programmes are part of the university's offer alongside medicine, law and engineering.
Which colleges are affiliated with Western?
Huron University College, founded in 1863, and King's University College are affiliated with the university. Huron's origins therefore predate Western's own 1878 charter.
Have any notable people studied there?
Alice Munro, awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, studied at Western, and the astronaut Roberta Bondar is among its graduates. Further names appear in encyclopaedia entries on the university.
Where can applicants check programmes, admission rules and costs?
The official Western website lists undergraduate majors, minors and specializations as well as master's and doctoral programmes. Tuition and admission requirements differ by programme, so the faculty pages are the reliable place to confirm them.
Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Customer Experience, Design for Sustainability, Engineering, Innovation, User experience (UX), Value Proposition
*: 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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