Aurora College
Aurora College has three campuses across the N.W.T. The largest is Thebacha in Fort Smith, just outside Wood Buffalo National Park. At the college’s northernmost campus in Inuvik, renovations are planned at the Western Arctic Research Centre (WARC). The upgrades, scheduled over the next two years, will add a warehouse, a loading bay, a marshalling space to support field research and a new workshop for researchers. The WARC is home to the Aurora Research Institute, which responds to the N.W.T.’s socio-economic needs while integrating Indigenous knowledge. The Yellowknife North Slave campus houses the school’s nursing program, which has graduated more than 400 registered nurses.
The majority of Aurora College’s students identify as Indigenous and come from Northern communities. The school offers more than 35 certificate, diploma, degree, upgrading and apprenticeship programs catering to the labour needs of the region. Areas of study include office and business administration, leadership, trades and industrial training, education, the environment and natural resources, and health and human services. Aurora also operates 19 community learning centres, which focus on academic upgrading and adult basic education to prepare residents in remote communities to enter the school’s certificate, diploma and degree programs. The college is undergoing a transition and will launch as a polytechnic in 2025.
Quick facts
School size:
Small
Tuition:
Degree $5,300-$5,600
Diploma $5,300-$5,600
Certificate $5,300
Residence offerings:
Yes
Popular programs
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Personal Support Worker Certificate
Trades, Apprenticeships and Industrial Training
Early Learning and Child Care
Business Administration Diploma
Cool options
Licensed Practical Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Bridge-In: This program allows current licensed practical nurses to complete an online bridge-in course that prepares them to enter the second year of Aurora College’s bachelor of science in nursing.
Blended Delivery Personal Support Worker: Students can learn online and attend in-person labs outside Yellowknife.
Environment and Natural Resources Technology Diploma: Combining western and traditional Indigenous knowledge, this program prepares students for jobs in natural resources and environmental management.
