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Brandon University

Canada Canada

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Overview

Overview

Brandon University (BU) offers students the chance to join a welcoming learning community in the heart of Canada. There are just 3,500 students studying 26 programmes, most at the undergraduate level. Everyone at BU can benefit from life on a beautiful campus where they, as individuals, matter to their peers and lecturers. In fact, 70 per cent of BU courses are taught to 20 or fewer students per cohort. Every person gets to know their classmates and tutors well.

 

The small class sizes and close community are two of the many things past students rate highly about BU, and 98 per cent of graduates would recommend the university to potential future students searching for the right fit.

 

Students enjoy high-quality teaching across the faculties at BU. Lots of the programmes give learners important specialist skills that prepare them for a professional career in their field, like degrees in psychiatric nursing and rural development. The institution is also well-known for its School of Music, with great facilities open to students pursuing music studies.

 

The main BU campus is in Brandon, the second-largest city in the beautiful Canadian province of Manitoba. Students who live and learn in Brandon enjoy the personality of a small town with all the convenience of an urban environment. There are lots of nightlife options, but there are also many peaceful parks. Plus, the people of Brandon are friendly and welcoming, and the city is a very safe place to live, surrounded by national parks and lakes.

 

Of the 3,500 students at BU, approximately 415 are international. These international students come from a variety of countries, including China, Ghana, Jamaica, Nigeria, and the USA. An additional 13 per cent of students are Indigenous Canadians. Wherever a student comes from, they are welcome at Brandon University, and they will be supported with a wide range of expert student services.

 

If a person wants to continue their studies in a place where they’re a true part of the community, BU is one of the best options out there. Small classes, expert tutors and a commitment to accessibility mix perfectly to make everyone feel at home and included during their studies. Fees are reasonable, support is easy to access and graduate outcomes are strong. Few who choose BU ever regret their decision.

 

Find out more about studying at BU:

 

Teaching quality

Entry requirements

Scholarships & funding

University structure

Facilities

Student support

Graduate outcomes

 

Teaching Quality

The high-quality teaching at BU isn’t just thanks to the small class sizes (70 per cent of courses have 20 or fewer students on them, so tutors can give their focus fairly and pay enough attention to every class member every semester). The quality teaching also comes from the content itself, the attitude to learning and the talented faculty.

 

Students aren’t just taught the theory. They’re given what they need to succeed in the working world. Staff are well-respected in their fields. Research from the university is regularly published in reputable journals and covers a range of subjects. In every area, students are getting an education from dedicated experts.

 

A graduate survey from 2017 confirms the teaching quality at BU, with almost 100 per cent of graduates (98 per cent, to be exact) confirming that they would recommend the university to other students. This is further confirmed by BU’s rankings compared to other primarily undergraduate universities in Canada, BU is fifth for student services and seventh for its student-to-faculty ratio.

BU also takes accessibility and student support very seriously. All students, including international students, minority students, disabled students, and students with unique learning needs, can study effectively at a university that cares enough to take the time to help them. The support can start as soon as it needs to, long before a student even arrives on campus.

 

Applying to BU equals choosing a supportive university that puts students and their learning needs first. There are no overcrowded lectures where students can fade into the background and be forgotten at the university. Instead, the learning experience is interactive, friendly, and far more interesting.

 

Entry Requirements

If prospective students want to apply to BU, they need to know the entry requirements for their chosen course. BU has high standards, and if these standards aren’t met, an applicant won’t be considered for enrolment. For international students, university entry requirements will vary from country to country, but thankfully, full guidance on individual country requirements is easy to find on the university’s website.

 

For general admission at the undergraduate level, the university requirements are a certain standard of English language understanding and a complete high school education (or the equivalent for an applicant’s home country).

 

This education must, for example, include at least four GCE subjects, including three Advanced Level qualifications, or five GCE subjects, including two Advanced Level qualifications. Alternatively, for International Baccalaureate students, at least 24 points will be needed, along with a diploma containing at least three Higher Level courses.

 

Similar requirements should be met at the postgraduate level, but applicants should instead be able to evidence their previous relevant university qualifications (usually a minimum of an undergraduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above).

 

As mentioned above, it’s essential that a student knows the entry requirements for their specific course before they start an application for admission. The general requirements always apply, but course requirements might add extra conditions or be higher than the general BU standard. There are some options available to applicants that almost meet the requirements, and these people should contact the university directly to find out their status/if it will be possible for them to attend.

 

English Score Required

BU is in Manitoba, Canada, a primarily English-speaking province. Courses at the university are taught and assessed in English, so international applicants who don’t speak English as a first language will need to prove that they can hear, read, speak, and write English to a high enough standard.

 

Usually, proof of English proficiency will be shown through an English language test. An applicant will need to get a minimum English score in this test to be considered for admission. This test must have been taken in the last two years to be considered valid by BU.

 

BU accepts lots of recognised proficiency tests. Some of the most popular are the Cambridge English Test, the Pearson Test of English (PTE), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). To use the IELTS as an example, students hoping to enrol at BU (at the undergraduate level or the postgraduate level) will need a minimum overall IELTS band score of 6.5, with no individual band scores below 6. 

 

If students don’t meet the English requirements for BU, they can apply to join its English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programme. EAP helps students get to the university-level English standard before they begin a degree programme.

 

Admission

When prospective students have decided they want to study at BU, they can begin the university admission process. This involves submitting all the details and documents the university requires so it can consider an application and decide whether to offer a place. To make the admission process more simple, BU offers lots of guidance for applicants (both domestic and international).

 

The BU student admission process begins in October. This is the month when applications start being accepted. The sooner an applicant applies, the sooner they can also apply for scholarships and receive other important pieces of information from BU.

 

Prospective students should fill out the university’s online application form. This form asks for all the personal and educational details BU needs to make a student admission decision, including contact information and schooling history. Once it’s completed, applicants should submit this form with the required fee (CAD 140 for international students, as of 2022).

 

After submitting this form, applicants will have to send the university any supporting documents that are requested. Some of these documents should be original copies, and they should be delivered in a sealed envelope. Applicants should pay attention to format requests from BU during the admission process and meet all the relevant deadlines. Incomplete applications will automatically be rejected after the application deadline date.

 

Once everything is received from an applicant, BU will decide about their admission. Successful applicants will receive an offer letter by email and further guidance. If applicants or newly admitted students have any questions, they should contact BU’s Admissions Office for answers.

 

Scholarships & Funding

Students at BU are lucky to pay reasonable fees for their studies. The university is proud to be accessible to students from all backgrounds. There’s a lot of funding guidance on the website, including tables students can use to calculate their exact tuition costs and a rough cost estimator for undergraduates that factors in extra costs like residence plans, fixed fees and textbooks.

 

BU also offers future and current students lots of funding assistance. In the 2021–2022 academic year, students at the institution won almost CAD 4 million in bursaries and scholarships. Lots of the BU university scholarships are open to international students upon admission, including the International Baccalaureate Scholarship, which provides a lump sum of up to CAD 2,800 (depending on previous academic achievement).

 

If students perform well during their studies, they will be eligible for even more university scholarships (BU applicants and students should be aware that winners often have GPAs close to/as high as a 4.0.). Students can also apply for external government scholarships. Canada has several support options for international learners studying in the country, and a wide range of people are eligible to apply.

 

University Structure

Staff at BU are organised into six faculties. Lecturers and tutors in similar fields work together, collaborating effectively to deliver excellent teaching programmes to their studies. The faculties at BU are:

 

  • The Faculty of Arts
  • The Faculty of Education
  • The Faculty of Graduate Studies
  • The Faculty of Health Sciences
  • The Faculty of Science
  • The School of Music

 

Across these faculties, which are generally focused on undergraduate programmes, there are 19 courses of study. Many students will select one area of study throughout their time at BU, but some programmes will give them the chance to specialise even further according to their interests. Students enrolled on bachelor’s degree courses at BU will be able to select between a variety of majors and minors, tailoring their degree to their own needs and professional plans.

 

There are six postgraduate programmes at BU and one course at the graduate diploma level. Each postgraduate programme is offered in a field that the university is globally recognised for (including rural development, education, music, environmental and life sciences, and psychiatric nursing). The university also has several research centres. Researchers in similar areas, working through these centres, can coordinate and share resources. The centres are:

 

  • The Rural Development Institute
  • The Environmental Science Laboratories
  • The Micro-Analytical Facility
  • The Study of Cultural Adaptations in the Prairie Ecozone
  • The Brandon University Centre for Aboriginal and Rural Education

 

Facilities

BU’s main campus is in the city of Brandon, Manitoba. There’s also a satellite site in Winnipeg for students studying towards an undergraduate degree in psychiatric nursing. Other than this, all in-person classes and facilities are on the main Brandon campus.

 

This campus is well-designed to include all the facilities students need. Classrooms come in a range of shapes and sizes, from large modern lecture theatres to smaller spaces for group work and discussion. There are also specialist labs and studios for the courses that need them. The on-campus library is a large student activity centre with lots of materials to help with learning and research (available physically and online) and some perfect spaces for individual and group study.

 

When the books are away for the day, there are lots of student life centres for relaxing and socialising. One example is the Knowles-Douglas Students’ Union Centre. The BU Students’ Union hosts a lot of fun events and manages many different clubs, most of them out of the Knowles-Douglas Centre.

 

Other facilities on campus include a university bookshop and a student recreation centre for fitness. This is known as the Healthy Living Centre, and it’s a place where students can take classes, use gym equipment, and practice sports (from the casual level to the varsity level).

 

Accommodation

BU has 470 student rooms across three halls of residence: Darrach, Flora Cowan, and McMaster. Each accommodation option is connected to Harvest Hall, the space for student food services on campus.

 

University accommodation is a convenient option for many students, especially in the first year of an undergraduate degree when, for example, an international student might be moving halfway across the world to come to BU.

 

Rooms in on-campus student accommodation are fully furnished, and connecting with peers is easy in comfortable shared lounge areas. Most rooms will be shared with one other roommate, though there are some single rooms available, too. Washrooms are often used by the whole floor, though there are some ensuite room options available, too. There are no kitchen facilities on offer. Students must buy a meal plan and eat in Harvest Hall (mentioned above).

 

Students can apply for accommodation on campus each year they’re at BU, but with limited rooms available, there’s no guarantee. Students who can’t get accommodation through the university/would prefer to live off campus will find lots of other options in Brandon. The BU Students’ Union even has a partnership with Places4Students.com to make sure every student can find a suitable rental property close to campus.

 

Student Support

Students can turn to BU’s student support services for almost any concern, query or issue. Whether to see a student guide and talk about academics or to see a counsellor and talk about mental health concerns, one-to-one appointments can be booked online easily. They can then take place over the phone, over the internet or in person. Other student services contained within the BU student support programme include:

 

  • Academic skills support
  • Accessibility services/advice for students with disabilities or medical conditions
  • Career services
  • Laptop loans
  • Emergency funding routes
  • Student travel funding
  • Medical health support (physical and mental)
  • Housing help
  • Transport help

 

Overall, there is no kind of student support that a person enrolled at BU can’t access if they need to. This creates peace of mind for everyone on campus. Even when a student doesn’t need anything, they can feel happy in the knowledge that if they did, they’d have somewhere to turn. Plus, since every concern is handled, students can focus on their studies fully.

 

Graduate Outcomes

Every student wants to know that they will enjoy good job prospects and lots of career options after graduation. Students at BU can be sure of it since the university is committed to preparing every person enrolled for work. There are lots of great employment services and work placement opportunities, and nobody has to graduate from BU without a clear path into their chosen future.

 

Specific prospects vary between departments, but they’re always very good. Students with degrees in education and health studies, especially, do very well. 81.8 per cent of people with an undergraduate degree in education from BU are employed within six months of graduation. For undergraduate degrees in health studies, the figure rises to 96.4 per cent.

 

Postgraduates who choose to continue their studies at Brandon also have great prospects. Across the faculties, 84.6 per cent of postgraduates are employed within six months of graduation, with 80 per cent confirming that their programmes at BU prepared them for their job.

 

BU career services offer students access to one-on-one appointments with a career guide, workshops (on topics like CV writing, interviewing, and job hunting), career fairs, employment referrals, online and printed resources, online postings about job opportunities and more. Plus, BU alumni can continue to access the Career Planning and Placement Office after they graduate.

 

This institution is committed to giving students a great education and all the support they need to achieve their career goals. Though lots of graduates choose to stay in beautiful Manitoba, a degree from BU opens options all over the world, and there are alumni across the globe.

 

Subjects you can study at Brandon University

  • Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
  • Applied and Pure Sciences Applied and Pure Sciences
  • Business and Management Business and Management
  • Computer Science and IT Computer Science and IT
  • Creative Arts and Design Creative Arts and Design
  • Education and Training Education and Training
  • Health and Medicine Health and Medicine
  • Humanities Humanities
  • Social Studies and Media Social Studies and Media
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Key facts and figures at Brandon University

Student life in numbers

COSTS PER YEAR
LIVING COSTS

CAD$11,000

AVERAGE PRIVATE RENT

CAD$5,250

AVERAGE TUITION FEE PER YEAR

UNDERGRADUATE

CAD$17,040

POSTGRADUATE

CAD$6,630

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