ACADIA UNIVERSITY

Located on Canada’s iconic Bay of Fundy is the village of Wolfville. Here the stately, redbrick buildings of Acadia rest atop a sprawling picture-perfect green lawn. With 3,000 students, Acadia has roughly the same student population as the town of Wolfville. Despite the small size and the small town, Acadia is rich with diversity and community: nearly 15 percent of its students are international, and almost half of all students live on campus. Co-op programs are important at Acadia. Volunteering, leadership, and professional development are all encouraged here, and the school even offers transcripts to certify these external achievements with credit towards completion of a degree. Staff at this institution encourage collaborative work and participation, and the small classroom setting boasts no more than 15 students to each professor. For a smaller school, there is no shortage of degree programs here: the school has more than 200.

City: Wolfville

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$18,421

Graduate tuition fees:
$18,600

Signature programs

Business Administration, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Music

Cape Breton University

The area of Cape Breton is traditionally known for its Scottish culture, brought to North America by immigrants forced off their land the 18th and 19th centuries. The roots of this higher education establishment began much later, in 1951, but the culture remains strong: there are programs in Celtic culture, Gaelic language, folklore, and ethnomusicology. The school began as a University College, with a distinctly technical and vocational focus. This characteristic remains to this day, and Cape Breton University has long provided Atlantic Canada with skilled workers. The school is well-respected for advancing research and training in petroleum technology and engineering, skills that can be exported abroad. Consequently, many international students from regions rich in energy resources study here, with the plan to go back and enrich their economies. That being said, however, the school has some of the most sustainable university laboratories in Canada, so is clearly looking to diversify itself and become a leader in renewable energy as well. CBU is an undergraduate institution, save for its small number of graduates working on special projects.

City: Sydney

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$16,440

Graduate tuition fees:
$18,522

Signature programs

Engineering Technology, Education, Public Health, Nursing, Celtic Culture and Gaelic

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY

Community spirit is strong at Dal, as the locals call it: the university was created in 1818 to make post-secondary education universally accessible to all classes of people. To this day the school maintains an inclusive, interdisciplinary focus and strong ties to the surrounding community. Staff and students at this institution are well-known for their warmth and friendliness; unsurprisingly students from Canada’s other provinces and thousands of international first-years flock here to study every year. These students are also attracted by more than 250 clubs and organizations. Dalhousie’s three campuses are located in the heart of Halifax, and owing to a merger with the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Dalhousie now maintains an ancillary agricultural program an hour’s drive away. Dalhousie has a strong medical program — indeed, it hosts the only medical school in the Maritime Provinces — and graduate studies are also important here. Dalhousie maintains a strong social scene as well as an emphasis on athleticism. Both of these facets unite a vibrant community within the larger context of Halifax.

City: Halifax

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$18,192 – $21,180

Graduate tuition fees:
$18,669 – $21,657

Signature programs

Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Architecture, Science, Agricultural Business, Arts and Social Sciences

Mount Saint Vincent University

Mount Saint Vincent University, affectionately known as “The Mount”, was established in 1873. At the time, women could not even vote in Canada, but Mount St. Vincent dedicated itself exclusively to higher education for women. Nowadays it’s a co-ed institution but it remains committed to advancing the status of women — its student population is still three-quarters female. Mount Saint Vincent University offers 38 undergraduate degrees in liberal arts and sciences and an array of professional programs. It also offers the only Education program in the Halifax area. Mount St. Vincent is a primarily undergraduate institution, and class sizes are often small, with sometimes as few as six students per professor. Surveys of Mount St. Vincent students have indicated that this has profound, positive effect on their overall learning experience. Research grants and funding are also big at the Mount: the school receives more research dollars per student than the national average.

City: Halifax

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$16,340

Graduate tuition fees:
$11,044

Signature programs

Child and Youth Study, Women’s Studies, Education, Public Relations, Applied Human Nutrition

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University)

Students at NSCAD University (the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) have been shaping art, design and craft in Canada since 1887. With an approach to education that includes the strategic integration of arts, culture and community engagement, students thrive in a learning and research environment that is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and academic excellence. Located in historic downtown Halifax, NSCAD offers students exceptional access to equipment and facilities, and boasts a global reputation for excellence in preparing students for a future in the creative industries. NSCAD’s faculty and alumni represent some of Canada’s most highly regarded curators, designers, craftspeople, filmmakers, artists, educators and entrepreneurs. Close connections between students, faculty and alumni encourage vital and innovative dialogue and collaboration.

City: Halifax

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$19,740

Graduate tuition fees:
$19,920

Signature programs

Interdisciplinary Design, Fine Arts, Art History and Critical Studies, Textiles and Fashion

Saint Mary’s University

St Mary’s consistently ranks in the top spots for primarily undergraduate institutions in Canada. Known as a teaching institution, it prides itself on having one of the highest percentages of full-time professors with a PhD. Because class sizes are kept small, students get quality access to their instructors directly. The school has also developed excellent internationalization measures: not only does it have a high number of international students, it also has articulated agreements with nearly 40 institutions around the world, in countries such as China, Gambia, and Ireland. St. Mary’s supports approximately 8,000 students on its campus, and with nearly a third originating from other countries, it makes for a collaborative international learning experience. The school is big on clubs and sports: with more than 80 societies, and a famous football team, the Huskies, St. Mary’s is a place rich in diversity and school spirit.

City: Halifax

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$18,280

Graduate tuition fees:
$12,284 – $16,751

Signature programs

Business, Astronomy, Chemistry, International Development Studies

1. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1868, the history of St. Francis Xavier is dotted with achievements. In 1897 the school became the first co-ed Catholic university in North America to issue degrees to women. In more recent history, St. FX frequently features on ranking lists for the best primarily undergraduate university in Canada, and student satisfaction regularly tops over 90 percent. The school also excels in research. The St. FX campus is reminiscent of Ivy League-style architecture, with limestone halls and a sprawling, pedestrian-friendly design. With around 5,000 students, the school is neither too big nor too small. Meanwhile, the surrounding town of Antigonish, N.S., with fewer than 5,000 residents — many of whom are students themselves — is small and welcoming. For this reason on campus activities fill out much of the average undergraduate’s schedule.

City: Antigonish

Undergraduate tuition fees:
$18,190

Graduate tuition fees:
$11,670

Signature programs

Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Information Systems, Music and Jazz Studies