KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is a prominent public undergraduate polytechnic university located in British Columbia, Canada. It operates across several campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, Whalley, and Langley, making it one of the largest educational institutions in British Columbia. KPU boasts a substantial enrollment of 20,000 students and employs 1,400 faculty members across its five locations, serving the diverse Metro Vancouver district. The university offers a wide range of educational programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, apprenticeships, and citations in more than 140 different fields of study.

KPU primarily functions as an undergraduate polytechnic university but also fulfills the role of a vocational school. It provides apprenticeships for skilled trades and offers citations, certificates, and diplomas for skilled technicians and support roles in various professional domains, including academia, engineering, high technology, accountancy, business administration, financial services, hospitality, nursing, medicine, architecture, and criminology.

The institution was originally founded as Kwantlen College in 1981 in response to the growing demand for expanded vocational training in the Fraser Valley. In 1995, it transitioned into a university college. In 2008, the provincial government announced its intention to rename Kwantlen University College as a polytechnic university. This legislative change was formalized when KPU received royal assent on May 29, 2008, and it officially began operating as Kwantlen Polytechnic University on September 1, 2008.

KPU has garnered affiliations with several prestigious organizations, including the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the International Association of Universities (IAU), the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), and the Canadian University Press (CUP).

The university has received accolades in national rankings. The Globe and Mail Canadian University Report recognized KPU as one of the top post-secondary institutions in Canada, with high ratings in categories such as quality of teaching and learning, career preparation, student satisfaction, and information technology. Moreover, the National Survey of Student Engagement, featured in Maclean’s magazine, has consistently listed KPU among the leading Canadian institutions in terms of student engagement, educational practices, and overall quality of education.