MacEwan University

MacEwan University, in the heart of downtown Edmonton, emphasizes small class sizes and individualized learning; most classrooms accommodate between 10 and 50 people, with an average first-year class size 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. New for fall of 2025, design students can add a Digital Experience Design major to learn how to create user-centered digital solutions to improve 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: In November, MacEwan will host about 300 students from universities around the world in Banff for a Model UN focused on a variety of issues affecting Indigenous populations and communities.

Quick facts

Tuition (includes compulsory ancillary fees)
$8,345

Minimum Entering Grades
Arts: 65% | Science: 68% | Commerce: 70%

Student Body
Undergraduates: Full-time: 13,115 | Part-time: 2,983
International Students: First-year: 6.3% 

Housing Facts
Residence Spaces:  860 (430 reserved for first-year students)
Cost of apartment-style:  $5,624 to $9,200

Standout programs

Science: Students learn to analyze problems from different angles, ask the right questions and find creative and thoughtful solutions through rigorous academics, research opportunities and work placements.

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.