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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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Programs

Learning Services

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Explore your options with one of our friendly recruiters. Online and in-person meetings available.

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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

Saving salmon and keeping the romance alive

February 5, 2026 - 11:50am

Dr. Amanda Wager, wearing a green shirt and black blazer, stands in front of a white wall.

Indigenous Youth Exploring Issues through VIU Art-based Literacy Project

June 23, 2021 - 02:00pm

Samantha Good sits in her excavation square during the dig she attended in the Drimolen Palaeocave system.

VIU Grad Discovers Two-Million-Year-Old Skull while Attending Field School in South Africa

June 14, 2021 - 01:30pm

Genevieve van der Voort examines insect samples with a microscope.

VIU Undergraduate Student Publishes Research Paper in Peer-Reviewed Journal

June 9, 2021 - 10:30am

Portrait shot of Shawn O'Keefe

Alum of the Month: Shawn O’Keefe

June 4, 2021 - 09:30am

Dr. Lindsay McCunn smiles at the viewer while wearing a grey blazer and shirt.

VIU Researcher Investigates Hospital Design Elements to Improve Employee Well-being

May 20, 2021 - 10:15am

Dr. Deb Saucier: Reflections on a Pandemic

April 30, 2021 - 12:15am

VIU Blog

Find out what's going on at VIU!

three students walking down the stairs in front of the VIU library.

Starting the semester right

January 29, 2026 By Becky Duarte

What to do so you don't feel so behind

Sheets of paper with writing on them

Preserving the sacrifices of armed forces members for future generations

November 9, 2022

Two innovative ways people are using letters from the Canadian Letters and Images Project

Student studies at a desk in the library with a view of the City of Nanaimo in the background

Time management, Mariners at nationals and study resources 📚

November 9, 2022

VIU Student Pulse News: November 9, 2022

A clock on a desk next to a laptop and pen holder

Time Management 101

November 8, 2022 By Samantha Allan

Learning to use your time more effectively can make all the difference in university

A view of VIU's Nanaimo campus library from the exterior with a snowed-in quad

Preparing for West Coast weather scenarios

November 8, 2022 By Samantha Allan

Extreme weather preparedness for on campus and in the community

Armin Saatchi next to a mass spectrometer on loan to VIU from Thermo Fisher Scientific

From recovery to harm reduction

November 2, 2022 By Rachel Stern

One alum’s story of personal healing and joining the fight against the opioid epidemic

Shanon Sinn leans on a balcony railing and gazes at a night city scape

Three real Vancouver Island ghost stories to get you in the Halloween spirit

October 30, 2022 By Shanon Sinn

Alum Shanon Sinn shares his research

Statements & Announcements

Aerial view of VIU campus

An Important Update on Our Fall 2021 Semester

March 9, 2021 - 11:15am

Deep Bay

BC Government Announces Support for Development of a Food Hub at VIU's Deep Bay Marine Field Station

March 2, 2021 - 04:30pm

Man holding camera

VIU Media Highlights: February 16-28, 2021

March 1, 2021 - 04:45pm

Equity, diversity & inclusion in the post-secondary and public sectors

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Post-Secondary and Public Sectors

March 1, 2021 - 10:45am

Ralph Nilson Centre for Health and Science LEED Gold Certified

VIU’s Two Newest Buildings Achieve LEED Gold Certification

February 26, 2021 - 12:00am

Man holding camera

VIU Media Highlights: February 1-15, 2021

February 17, 2021 - 05:30pm

VIU in the News

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