Future Students

For many students, finding – and keeping – a safe place to live is one of their first thoughts when they come to VIU. Did you know the University’s Off-Campus Housing department can support you with things like house hunting, tenancy law and conflict resolution? Here are five ways this year-round service can help you.

With more than 120 programs to choose from ranging from trades certificates and diplomas, to undergraduate and graduate degrees, it's safe to say there's plenty of opportunities to discover a variety of places, courses and connections at Vancouver Island University.

Are you looking for help with writing a resumé or cover letter? Want some advice on how to prepare for an interview? Wondering what career options might be a good fit? This fall the Centre for Experiential Learning is launching a new service, called Career Studio, to deliver services vital to building lifelong career planning skills.

As a university student, one of the most important areas you’ll want to get familiar with is the library. University libraries play a key role in enhancing your learning experience, ensuring you have the materials, resources and services you need to succeed. 

Did you know the Nanaimo campus library is visited more than 500,000 times by members of the VIU community each year? The space includes:

Everyone deserves a rewarding career that pays well and makes them happy. For many people, the path to that career includes university education – a path that may seem out of reach to some. Maybe they didn’t do well in high school. Maybe they face language barriers. Maybe they get overwhelmed by the thought of managing post-secondary education. Maybe they worry that they won’t be motivated to complete a program.

The living world has fascinated Ally Badger ever since she was a child, and she always knew she wanted to pursue biology.

She graduated this June with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology. Navigating the challenges of the pandemic and the worsening climate crisis over the past few hasn’t been easy, but despite these obstacles Ally received a perfect grade point average. 

At age 15, Emma Salisbury’s life changed forever.

Diagnosed with lupus – a chronic disease with a variety of symptoms caused by inflammation in one or more parts of the body – Emma put her dance career on hold to undergo treatment. A week into treatment, she suffered a stroke that forced her to reconsider what she wanted to do with her life.

“Within 24 hours, I went from being a sick, but perfectly able-bodied person, to not being able to hold my head up or even speak,” she remembers.

VIU’s First Nations Housing Manager certificate program trains housing managers who work with on-reserve housing. The training program was developed with some initial funding support from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

 A few months ago, Russell Modeste wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to take in his career. 

After completing Adult Basic Education upgrading courses at VIU, he decided to explore different options.

“I wanted to see what trade would interest me. At first, it was carpentry, and then it was heavy equipment operating,” he says.

June is Indigenous History Month, during which we mark the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples across Canada. One of the ways VIU is marking Indigenous History Month is by highlighting the voices and works of some Indigenous writers who are part of our community.