MacEwan University

MacEwan University, in the heart of downtown Edmonton, emphasizes small class sizes and individualized learning; most classes have between 20 and 30 students, with a first-year average of 38. The school offers 13 bachelor’s programs, including an applied bachelor’s degree, as well as 32 diploma and certificate programs. “At MacEwan, we focus on delivering an exceptional, well-rounded education that is rooted in real-world practicality,” says president Annette Trimbee. “Our students learn how to connect their passions with their community, enabling them to bring their energy and ideas to the workforce and become the leaders and problem solvers our world needs.” The main campus’s contemporary design offers open spaces and plenty of spots to work and study. A second-level walkway connects the university’s buildings, except for the residence. Allard Hall provides classrooms, performance areas, recording and broadcast studios and state-of-the-art technology for programs in the visual, performing and communication arts. As of the fall of 2025, design students can add a digital experience design major to learn how to create user-centered digital solutions for improving people’s lives. Construction of the university’s new school of business building is underway. Slated to open its doors for the winter term in 2027, the 35,000-square-metre space will feature 30 classrooms, 20 collaboration spaces, 15 study areas, computer labs and a state-of-the-art trading simulation lab. At the kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre in the Robbins Health Learning Centre, students can access cultural advice, ceremonial spaces, a kitchen and computers. Just steps off campus, students are surrounded by bars, cafés, restaurants and shopping in downtown Edmonton.

Campus Buzz: Students can get a full body massage for just $20 at the student-run massage therapy teaching clinic on campus.

Quick facts

Tuition (includes compulsory ancillary fees)
$8,103 to $9,123

Median Entering Grades
Arts: 75.8% | Science: 80% | Commerce: 76.6%

Student Body
Undergraduates: Full-time: 13,974 | Part-time: 2,983
International Students: First-year: 6.5% 

Housing Facts
Residence Spaces: 860 (guaranteed for first-year students)
Cost of apartment-style: $5,624 to $9,200

Standout programs

Public Safety and Justice: Students take courses in criminal justice, communication, cybersecurity, emergency management and leadership. They finish their degree with a practice- or research-based capstone project, and can pursue careers as public safety professionals. 
Design: Through practice-based, hands-on research and theory-driven coursework, students learn to solve communication problems through effective design. 
Music: Students work with recording artists in an applied setting with Bent River Records, the only university-run record label in Canada.