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Get to know VIU. As a teaching university and a research university, we offer a unique experience to students.

About VIU Why VIU

About VIU

Why VIU?

Explore where VIU is going

The Strategic Plan builds on our commitment to diverse learners and draws on our connection to the community.

Programs Programs

Explore a wide range of program offerings and learning services. Choose from degrees, vocational training, certificates and more.

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Learning Services

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Admissions & Aid Admissions & Aid

Discover how to apply to VIU and get more information about tuition and financial aid.

Admissions Tuition and Aid

Admissions

Tuition and Aid

How to become a student

Make your VIU application successful by following these steps to becoming a student.

Steps to become a student

Student Life Student Life

Make the best of your time at VIU. Get involved in campus events and enjoy island adventures.

Student Life Student Services

Student Life

Student Services and Support

Get ready for the new student orientation

Attend in-person and online events, explore campus and connect with your professors and soon-to-be classmates!

Support VIU Support VIU

Connect with other VIU alumni and learn about the impact of donor generosity at VIU.

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VIU Alumni

VIU Donors

Your support means so much to VIU students

Our donors fund over 2000 scholarships, awards, and bursaries each year.

Research Research

Discover how VIU's interdisciplinary research is making a real-world impact.

Research

Research and Creative Activity

Explore the research highlights. Includes recent publications, ground-breaking studies and more.

Research Reports

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aerial view of Building 200 at VIU's Nanaimo campus

News

VIU in the News

Latest Stories

Ajay Shrestha sitting in his office, looking at the camera and in front of a keyboard and three computer screens

Giving youth a voice in Canada’s AI policies

July 27, 2026 - 02:36pm

Métis Elder-in-Residence Stella Johnson standing in a cedar panelled room wearing a red and purple tartanMétis scarf with a King Charles III Coronation Medal

VIU Métis Elder-In-Residence presented with King Charles III Coronation Medal

April 3, 2025 - 11:11am

Dr. Shahana speaks on the stage with a clicker in her hand, wearing a mic set

Helping youth navigate anxiety and depression

March 26, 2025 - 04:21pm

George Anderson wearing a suit with a blue tie

Alumni Spotlight on George Anderson

March 26, 2025 - 09:34am

Shauna stands in the hallway

Alum spotlight on Shauna Andrews

March 18, 2025 - 04:29pm

Dr. Sally Vinden

From hairstylist to university

March 17, 2025 - 02:00pm

VIU Psychology student Cala Annala sitting at a desk with an open MacBook in front of her

Cybercrime’s hidden toll: How online scams impact mental health

March 10, 2025 - 12:15pm

VIU Blog

Find out what's going on at VIU!

Carpentry students working working on a housing construction site.

Carpentry students build skills and community

July 29, 2026 By Neil Every

VIU tiwšɛmawtxʷ students gain hands-on experience while helping build homes that will become part of the Tla’amin Nation community

A small sign with a pink border that reads Happy International Women's Day

Celebrating women who lead

March 5, 2025

Sharing the stories of VIU students, faculty and alum

A young man clad in hipwaders is standing in a river with snowflakes falling around him

Hooked on salmon: student leads record-breaking fish count project

March 3, 2025 By Annette Lucas

Tristen Dieleman follows his passion for fish into local waters

A woman, a man and another woman sitting on a chesterfield looking at a laptop together.

Helping to make health care make sense

February 27, 2025 By Annette Lucas

Nursing students aim to help people make better health decisions

Joe Clark holds a container with a cutthroat trout fry.

From classroom to creek: saving Nanaimo’s cutthroat trout

February 20, 2025 By Rachel Stern

Fisheries student Joe Clark is helping to protect local streams

A woman wearing glasses and a pink and green sweater reads from a poetry book at a microphone

Get the support you need to succeed 📚

February 19, 2025

Student newsletter: February 19, 2025

Tarah Dowling stands next to her exhibit.

Tarah Dowling’s art captures the strength and resilience of Tuition Waiver students

February 10, 2025 By Rachel Stern

Art and audio blend to tell the story of kids growing up in foster care

Statements & Announcements

International Women's Day 2024 poster with three women's faces and Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress

International Women's Day Experts 🌎

March 4, 2024 - 07:30pm

Group photo of Puffs cast

VIU News & Experts: February 29, 2024

February 29, 2024 - 03:45pm

Four photographs hang on the gallery wall. The closest photo is of a person facing the camera smiling.

VIU’s View Gallery presents Kashmir Lesnick-Petrovicz’s Guardians of Land, Life, Seeds and Love

February 27, 2024 - 01:15pm

Six actors on the left reach out to one of their cast mates while another stands in fear on the right.

Beyond the boy wizard’s limelight – PUFFS offers a hilarious twist on a beloved magical world

February 27, 2024 - 10:00am

piggy bank with coins stacked next to it, blocks on top that read 2024

Provincial budget and housing experts 🏘️

February 21, 2024 - 03:30pm

a construction site

VIU News & Experts: February 15, 2024

February 15, 2024 - 07:00pm

VIU in the News

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