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 Coat of arms of the university | |
| Motto | Latin:Rerum cognoscere causas |
|---|---|
Motto in English | "To learn the reasons of realities" |
| Type | Public university |
| Established | May 8, 1964; 61 years ago (1964-05-08) As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) |
| Endowment | CA$445 million (2023)[1] |
| Chancellor | Mary Anne Chambers[2] |
| President | Rene Van Acker |
Academic staff | 830 |
Administrative staff | 3,100 |
| Students | 28,415 |
| Undergraduates | 25,325[3] |
| Postgraduates | 3,090[4] |
| Location | , Canada 43°32′00″N80°13′25″W / 43.53333°N 80.22361°W /43.53333; -80.22361 |
| Campus | Urban 589 ha (1,455 acres)[5] |
| Colours | |
| Nickname | Gryphons |
Sporting affiliations | CIS,OUA |
| Website | www |
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TheUniversity of Guelph (U of G) is a comprehensivepublicresearch university inGuelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation ofOntario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald Institute (1903), and theOntario Veterinary College (1922), and has since grown to an institution of almost 30,000 students (including those at the Humber campus, Ridgetown campus, off-campus degree enrolments, diploma enrolments and part-time students) and employs 830 full-time faculty (academic staff) as of fall 2019.[6] It offers 94 undergraduate degrees, 48 graduate programs, and 6 associate degrees in many different disciplines.
The university conducts a significant degree of research and offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. According to theJournal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, the university's Hospitality and Tourism Management program has Canada's highest research index.
The faculty at the University of Guelph hold 23Canada Research Chair positions in the research areas of natural sciences, engineering, health sciences and social sciences.[7] Academic achievements include the first scientific validation ofwater on Mars,Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on board theCuriosity rover,[8] and theBarcode of Life project for species identification.
The University of Guelph traces its origins back to when theOntario government bought 200 hectares (500 acres) of farmland from Frederick William Stone and opened the Ontario School of Agriculture on May 1, 1874, which was renamed theOntario Agricultural College (OAC) in 1880.[9] The Experimental Farm has been part of the original project along with the museum of agriculture and horticulture.[10] Its first building was Moreton Lodge, located where Johnston Hall now stands, which included classrooms, residences, a library, and a dining room. In 1874, the school started an apiculture department, teaching students about bees and beekeeping, in a dedicated building. In more recent years, the program has continued at the Honey Bee Research Centre located in the Arboretum, continuing research on honeybee health, providing apiculture and beekeeping courses and offering "many other educational experiences" including informative videos for beekeepers.[11][12]
The Macdonald Institute was established in 1903 to house women'shome economics programs, nature studies, and some domestic art and science.[9][13] It was named after its financier,Sir William Macdonald, who worked to promote domestic sciences in rural Canada, and foundedMacdonald College andMcGill University College of British Columbia. The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), founded in Mimico in 1862, was moved to Guelph in 1922.[14] EconomistJohn Kenneth Galbraith was an undergraduate at the college (graduating in 1931). In 1919 the Ontario Agricultural College aimed at recruiting "farm boys" with a low cost, two-year program ($20.00 per year) and "the lowest possible rate" for room and board.[15]
TheOntario Legislature amalgamated the three colleges into the single body of the University of Guelph on May 8, 1964. The University of Guelph Act[16] also brought about the Board of Governors to oversee administrative operations and financial management, and the Senate to address academic concerns. The non-denominational graduate and undergraduate institution was, and remains known especially for the agricultural and veterinary programs that shaped it.[13]
Wellington College was established shortly after the University of Guelph Act, and five years later, was split three ways into the College of Arts (COA), which exists in the present day, the College of Physical Science and the College of Social Science. The Macdonald Institute would also be renamed the College of Family and Consumer Studies during the split.[9] After this split, the University of Guelph started reorganizing into its present-day form, starting from the establishment of the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) in 1971. The College of Physical Science would be married to the OAC's School of Engineering in 1989, creating the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS). The College of Social Science and the College of Family and Consumer Studies were joined to create the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS) in 1998. Finally, the College of Management and Economics (CME) would be established from the segregation of offered business, management and economic degrees and courses in 2006.[9]
The university is named after the city. Guelph comes from the ItalianGuelfo and the Bavarian-GermanicWelf also known as Guelf. It is a reference to the reigning British monarch at the time Guelph was founded,King George IV, whose family was from theHouse of Hanover, a younger branch of theHouse of Welf was sometimes spelled as Gwelf.[17][18]
Campus safety is provided by the University of Guelph Campus Community Police, First Response Team and Fire Safety officers.[19][20][21]
TheOntario Agricultural College had a network of campuses and research stations throughout Ontario which were operated by theMinistry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.[14] At one time, courses were offered in English in Guelph, Kemptville and Ridgetown, and in French at Campus d'Alfred near Ottawa. From 1889 to 1961, this college published the OAC Review, a magazine published by and for students, with topics on everything from political and social events to photographs from around campus.[22]
In 2014, the University of Guelph announced that academic programmes at the Alfred and Kemptville campuses would close after the existing students completed their studies.[23] In early 2017, the University of Guelph web site clearly indicated that this institution was no longer offering programs at either location.[24][25]
The OAC does operate in Guelph and at the campus in Ridgetown, Ontario at the former Ridgetown College of Agricultural Technology, on over 180 hectares (450 acres). It does not offer degree programs in this location. Instead, the focus is on technology transfer, with two and three year diploma programs. Specialties are agriculture, veterinary technology, environmental management and horticulture. This location also offers one-year certificate programs in performance horse handling and veterinary office administration. There is also an apprenticeship program for Dairy Herdsperson (new for 2017).[26]
The University of Guelph-Humber is asatellite campus created by a partnership in 2002 between the University of Guelph andHumber College. Located on Humber's North Campus inToronto, it offers seven four-year academic programs that grant anhonours degree from the University of Guelph and a collegediploma from Humber College.[27][28]
In the fall of 2015, there were 4,174 full-time and 503 part-time undergraduate degree students enrolled at the Guelph-Humber campus.[5]
The University of Guelph is composed of eight colleges, delivering leading teaching and research across a range of disciplines:
The War Memorial Hall was erected in 1924 of stone-cut limestone by theOntario Agriculture College;[31] The landmark building was designed by architect Harry Reginald Coales as a lecture hall or theatre to honour students who had enlisted and died in theFirst World War.[32] Two bronze tablets in the Memorial Chapel remember the alumni who died in theFirst World War and in theSecond World War.[33] Johnston Hall, a signature symbol of the university, was built in 1931, taking the place of the torn-down Moreton Lodge (c. 1874) and becoming the home for the OAC Administration. The Johnston Clock tower overlooks Winegard Walk and is visible from much of the campus. The building also overlooks Johnston Green, a popular location for recreational sporting activities and outdoor concerts.
Rozanski Hall (2003) is in the heart of the campus. Equipped with electronic white boards, laptop sound, picture and wireless internet and high luminance video/data projectors, Rozanski Hall accommodates over 1,500 students in several lecture halls.[34]
Summerlee Science Complex (2006) is a state-of-the-art classroom and research complex, built with the assistance of the Province of Ontario’s Super Build program, primarily for student learning and scientific research.
Summerlee Science Complex atrium was renamed Waasamowin[35], which means "to be bathed in light," in 2024, in support of efforts to Indigenize science at U of G and support and retain Indigenous students in STEM. Waasamowin is one of the favourite gathering space for students, faculty and staff and can accommodate a gathering of 200 students. The complex is also home toU of G’s Advanced Analysis Centre (AAC), which is a group of research laboratories and is a modern, centralized and highly serviced space for large-scale advanced analytical laboratories and provides an unequalled range of capabilities for research and advanced education at the interface of the physical and biological sciences.
Originally built in the 1940s and expanded in the 1950s, the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre was upgraded and expanded to keep up with university and community's needs in the fall of 2016. After a student referendum in 2010, students choose to contribute $45 million to the innovation of the W.F Mitchell Athletic Centre. One of the major focuses on the new building was being able to accommodate the growth in Guelph's population since the 1950s. The new 170,000-square-foot Athletic Centre serves as an all purpose building, supporting students, athletes, and the public in a variety of new spaces such as a 22,000-square-foot fitness room, multiple gymnasiums, and a rock-climbing wall.[36][citation needed]
On June 25, 1988, No. 4 Wireless School Association erected a bronze plaque as a war memorial the Royal Canadian Air Force No. 4 Wireless School, which was located on the campus (1941-1945); the plaque honours the memory of their comrades who died in the armed service of Canada during World War II.[37]
South Residence, the largest residence on campus, is home to 1800 students and over 50 Residence Life staff members.[38] It is split into three self-contained halls with independent fire alarm grids. It was built in 1968 byAustralian architectJohn Andrews, aBrutalist architect who has designed several Canadian university residences, as well as Toronto's iconic CN Tower.[39]
The six-storey McLaughlin Library provides students with more than 400 computers in the library and access to books, periodicals, films, audiovisual and archival materials, government documents and maps. During the 2017/2018 school year, the Library received over 1.4 million visitors.[40]
Students have access to millions of library resources through the automated library system that partners with 14 other academic libraries in Ontario.[41] Guelph students, faculty and staff also have access to electronic resources from any location at any time.
The MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, which includes the University of Guelph collection is cosponsored by University of Guelph. The art centre is a public gallery and sculpture park which houses a collection of 4000 works, mainly Canadian c. 1700 to the present. The collection consists of mixed media, multimedia and installations, painting, photography, prints and drawings, sculpture, costumes, glass, metalwork, silverwork and goldwork, textiles and tapestries.[42]
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| World rankings | |
| ARWU World[43] | 501–600 |
| QS World[44] | =504 |
| THE World[45] | 401–500 |
| USNWR World[46] | 540 |
| Canadian rankings | |
| ARWU National[43] | 19–20 |
| QS National[44] | 19 |
| THE National[45] | 17–19 |
| USNWR National[46] | 18 |
| Maclean's Comprehensive[47] | 6 |
| Maclean's Reputation[48] | 19 |
The University of Guelph is one of Canada’s top comprehensive and research-intensive universities.
In the2024 Research Infosource Inc. ranking ofCanada’s Top 50 Research Universities, U of G was ranked second[49] in the comprehensive category.
In 2025, U of G was ranked in the top 6 for Best Comprehensive University[50], and #1 for Total Research Dollars according to the2025 Maclean's University Rankings[51].
2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by subject ranked the University of Guelph ranked among the top 150 universities in the world for life sciences[52].
U of G placed 201-300 among the top universities in world for reputation and tied for ninth among Canadian institutions according to the2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings.[53]
The University of Guelph has also been named as one of the world’s top universities for the study of 12 subjects, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025[54]:
In the Canadian University Report byThe Globe and Mail, Guelph was ranked in the top 3 in 15 of 19 categories among medium-sized universities. This included the top spot in course registration, academic counselling, student residences, information technology, campus atmosphere, environmental commitment and work-play balance.[58]
According to a study in 2012 by The Impact Group, the University of Guelph was at that time Canada's most inventive university in terms of invention disclosures per full-time faculty member, and the number of inventions per million dollars of research funding.[59]
Forbes ranked this university as number 61 on its list of Canada's Best Employers 2019.[60] The magazine stated, "Guelph is considered one of Canada’s top universities for its rigorous academic offerings combined with experiential learning and research training".[61]
Additionally, the University of Guelph's Sustainability MBA program was ranked as the best sustainability MBA in Canada and ninth in the world during the 16th annual Better World MBA Rankings in 2018 by the Toronto-based Corporate Knights.[62]
TheCSA supports current research and innovation for instruments used in space, primarily the APXS found on the Mars rovers and Mars Science laboratory. Other initiatives include development of air filters for crewed spacecraft and research on changes in skin sensitivity and balance experienced by astronauts in space.
The university holds a partnership withResearch In Motion (RIM). Ground is being broken through the Center for Mobile Education and Research, the chair for Women in Science and Engineering and the financial and educational support RIM extends to the University of Guelph.[63]
The university receives research funding fromHuawei but has not disclosed the details of the funding.[64]
A collaborative effort between theUniversity of Waterloo, the University of Guelph,Wilfrid Laurier University, andConestoga College, the Partnerships for Employment Career Fair is the largest in the country.[65]
The collaboration between the University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness delivers world-class research, innovation and laboratory services while training the next generation of agri-food innovators. Known as the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, this collaboration unites academia, government and industry to drive innovative solutions that strengthen the agri-food economy.[66]
The University of Guelph's John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise business incubator[67] provided funds, space, and mentorship to Emperor Investments which has developed a unique automated investment platform that focuses on personalized pure-equity investment portfolios for small investors.[68]
| Undergraduate | Graduate | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 40.1% | 43.3% |
| Female | 59.9% | 56.7% |
| Canadian student | 97% | 85.4% |
| International student | 3% | 14.6% |
Student government on campus is governed officially through the university's Student Organization Policy. This document, created in 2005, provides the basis for accrediting student groups on campus. The student groups listed as Primary Student Organizations under the policy are:
Each of the above PSOs accredit and thus are held accountable for many of the various clubs and student groups on campus. The CSA accredits the most student groups, with approximately 70 accredited today. Generally CSA-accredited groups are special interest groups like CHAT (a multi-lingual group), the Jewish Students' Organization (JSO), or the Muslim Students' Association (MSA), catering to those who wish to begin new interest-specific clubs on campus. The College Governments (CASU, CBSSC, LSA, CEPSSC, CSAHS-SA, SFOAC and the CVSA) accredit academically focused groups while IHC accredits 14 groups (includes the temporary residence Gordon Hall for 2022-2027) as hall councils, one for each residence hall on campus.
Across campus, members of the Residence Student Government, known asInterhall Council, contribute to the programming in each hall. This group of 62 elected members works with students within their halls and are also responsible for facilitating a hall council for hall members to attend. During the 2011/2012 year, a council was stricken at the West Residence Family Housing units and the temporary Brock House residence, bringing the total number of councils to 14. Interhall Council also acts as a liaison between students and Student Housing Services, University Administration, and other on-campus organizations.
The governance of the University of Guelph is abicameral system consisting of the Senate and the Board of Governors. Senate consists of faculty, students, administrative staff, librarians, and alumni. It is responsible for academic policies and programming, including admission requirements, program creation/modification/deletion, examinations, and academic misconduct.[70] The Board of Governors consists of a combination of government-appointed representatives, faculty, staff, alumni, and students. It is responsible for the general business and administration of the University, including finance, capital planning, human resources and ancillary services.[71]
The university is represented in theOntario University Athletics and theCanadian Interuniversity Sport by theGuelph Gryphons. The school colors are red, black and yellow or gold. UofG's mascot is a Gryphon named Gryph. The university offers 15varsity sports for men and 15 for women. OUA only sports includebaseball (men),figure skating (men & women),golf,Nordic skiing,rowing, andrugby union (men). Currently 7 out of every 10 Guelph students participate in athletics, recreation or fitness programming.
Nationally, the OUA is one of theCIS conferences, along withAtlantic University Sport,Canada West Universities Athletic Association, and theQuebec Student Sports Federation. CIS sports which UG participates in includebasketball,cross country running,field hockey (women),Canadian football (men),ice hockey, rugby union (women),soccer,swimming,track & field,volleyball andwrestling.
The Gryphon's men's football team won its only national championship in 1984. In 2008 the Gryphon's men's lacrosse team won the Baggataway Cup at the Canadian national field lacrosse champions with a 14–9 win over McGill University at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton. The Gryphons are particularly well known for their exploits in athletics, having won the men's and women'scross-country titles consecutively ten (2006–2014) and eleven (2005–2016) times respectively.[72] The field hockey team won the national title in 2011.[73]
In 2020, the university track-and-field head coach David Scott-Thomas was given a lifetime ban byAthletics Canada for violating its code of conduct.[74][75]The Globe and Mail reported that Scott-Thomas had an alleged sexual relationship with an underage student athlete dating back to 2002-2004 (of consenting age, but unlawful with a person in a position of trust or authority) and he was also accused by multiple students of having fostered a toxic sporting culture for many years.[76][77] The university faced heavy criticism over its handling of the scandal when the reporting revealed that the administration had been aware of the allegations since 2006, but did little to address them and continued to employ the coach.[78][79] It was reported that the university quietly ended its relationship with Scott-Thomas and assistant coach Guyson Kuruneri in December 2019 afterThe Globe and Mail presented the university with the allegations against both Scott-Thomas and the administration's handling of the 2006 and more recent complaints, and requested an interview with the school administrators.[76][80] More than 200 faculty and staff wrote a letter to the university president demanding transparency and an independent review. In the letter, they categorized the content ofThe Globe and Mail report as "evidence of the worst kind of abuse of power" and indicated that "high-level administrators at the time may have participated in willfully ignoring and minimizing this abuse."[80][81]
In 2021, a group of alumni from the university track and field program wrote an open letter expressing concerns that "the systems that enabled the health and well-being of many athletes to be harmed by individuals in positions of power are still in place," and urging the university "to undertake an independent, comprehensive, and transparent investigation to determine how its existing policies failed to protect student-athletes from an abusive environment."[82]. The University eventually agreed to engage with these alumni in a restorative justice process, which concluded in 2025.[83]
Old Jeremiah is the name of an antique British naval gun that rests along Winegard Walk in Branion Plaza, at the heart of the University of Guelph campus. Rumoured to have seen battle during theWar of 1812, Old Jeremiah was last fired in April 1913. AfterWorld War I, the gun's barrel was plugged and it was brought to campus by students as a sign of remembrance for those lost in battle. It is often referred to simply and affectionately asThe Cannon. During the 1970s, Old Jeremiah was briefly relocated to Johnston Green and renamed the Big Johnston.
As a result of jovial rivalry between Engineering and Agricultural Science students ("Aggies"), the cannon has enjoyed plenty of movement around the Guelph campus in the past as a result of practical jokes between the two majors. Although it is nearly impossible to determine the cannon's previous locations, it is rumoured to have traveled all over campus, at one point even perching on top of MacNaughton (a prominent university building containing the bookstore), and at another even disappearing altogether and showing up a day later on theUniversity of Western Ontario campus. Eventually, fed up with the movement of Old Jeremiah, university officials cemented the cannon in place where it sits today. However, as a final stab at humour, a group of students shifted the still-mobile direction of the cannon's face, and aimed it at the fourth floor of the University Center, home of the institution's senior administration. Old Jeremiah rests in this position today. Due it appearing at University of Western Ontario ("Western") this started a long rivalry between the 2 universities.
Despite its movement, the cannon enjoyed relative tranquility until the 1950s when an aspiring entrepreneurial student came up with the idea of painting a message on the highly visible landmark. The act of "painting the cannon" has since become a campus tradition with students, residences, sports teams, clubs and others braving the early morning hours to paint messages on the cannon, most often about upcoming events but also including birthday announcements, wedding proposals and insults. The etiquette governing "painting the cannon" is unofficial but well understood: 1) do not begin painting the cannon until the sun has set, 2) be finished by the time the first students arrive for classes in the morning, and 3) avoid profanity or coarse language. It is a well-accepted practice to "guard" the cannon until sunrise so as to avoid another person or group painting over one's message.[84]
In fall 2010, Master of Fine Arts student and art teacher Dawn Johnston began to strip Old Jeremiah of all the layers of paint it had accumulated since the 1950s as an art project. Calling it "[her] form of sculpture", Johnston completed the project over a week's time within a wooden enclosure to avoid the watchful eyes of passing students. Some students were upset about the removal, claiming Johnston was "taking away [their] history", although the project was done with the approval of university faculty. Upon completion, the enclosure was removed and the bare cannon was revealed; however, the tradition of painting Old Jeremiah has since resumed.[85]
During the University of Guelph's orientation program, which takes place each year at the beginning of Orientation Week, all new students within each residence are taught a dance–often referred to as the Hall Boogie–which is performed to a variety of mixed popular songs. Awards are presented to the Halls which demonstrate the best spirit, creativity, synchronisation and co-ordination. Many of the dances are very impressive, despite being practised in typically an hour or less.
A University of Guelph dance move, Winding Your Toy, is almost always incorporated into each boogie, usually to a bass-heavy dance track. A winding motion is made with the rear hand–as if winding a wind-up toy–while the knees are bent in rhythm. The origins of "winding the toy" are not well known, yet it retains notoriety among students and friends of students at the university.
The Rally is the kick-off to the remainder of orientation activities. The University of Guelph must apply for a special noise permit for the event as the activity can often be heard for miles.
In 2004, "Student Power" was introduced as a low-key alternative event to the Pep Rally for anyone who may not be as inclined to participate in the highly energetic and boisterous Pep Rally.
During the renovation the location the Pep Rally is held (The School's football field) in 2012, an event named "Rally for Change" was held in place; in which hundreds of University of Guelph students went out into the local community and did street performances to raise money for Cancer research. The Pep Rally was held on a later date. This event has since also become a tradition with plans for it to also be incorporated in the orientation program in 2013.
An annual feature of the university is its open house, known as College Royal. For a weekend each March, every part of the campus and its programs is exhibited to the public, from the barns of the Agricultural College to the sugar bush in the arboretum. It is highly popular with visitors of all ages, especially families with children who take advantage of the March break (the usual Ontario school break) to have an outing.
The 2006 College Royal was visited byRick Mercer, taping a segment for his show, theRick Mercer Report.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The city was named in 1827 to honour the British Empire's King George IV, whose family name was Gwelf. The spelling has been altered over time, but it is pronounced just as it was 185 years ago and rhymes with 'self'.
The University of Guelph is no longer offering programs
The University of Guelph is no longer offering programs
L'Université de Guelph - Campus d'Alfred n'accepte plus de nouveaux étudiants.
As a student at Ridgetown Campus, you are part of the University of Guelph and OAC.
You get into the workplace faster, you have more job-ready skills and you haven't sacrificed anything out of the quality of a university degree.
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