How universities choose their students

The process of selecting students to enter Canadian universities is not simple. Every year hundreds of thousands of students try their luck at a university, and the academies have to verify that the candidate meets several requirements. The educational institutions compare high school grades, resumes, and letters of motivation, and in the end only the students with the best grades, resumes, and letters get the coveted position.

Queen’s University was created in 1841 and now is home to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 5,000 faculty and staff. Queen’s has a big reputation for leading-edge physics, cancer research, geoengineering, data analytics, surveillance studies, social science and mental health research is well documented, highlighted by the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics. The university based in Kingston, Ontario, is also well known by robotics labs, research centres, and innovation hubs.

Queen’s has eight faculties and schools, operates six research centres and institutes and has an important position in Canadian post-secondary school rankings. In the 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities rankings, the University ranked 201–300 in the world, and 9–12 in Canada. The 2022 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 240th in the world and the eleventh in Canada; tied with the University of Calgary.

Like most of the Canadian Universities, they also recruit new students through individual school visits and education fairs across the country. International students are also an important part in the institution. The job market is always changing and with the international demand for automation, Queen’s decided to create the Mechatronics & Robotics, a new program that offers to the students three engineering disciplines: computer, electrical and mechanical engineering. However, Health and Life science also play an important role in the new program offer of Queen’s. 

Milénio Stadium: How does your university recruit new students? What are the main channels? And also, how much does the Queen’s University spend on recruiting?

Queen’s University: Queen’s recruits first-year undergraduate students through outreach to high-school guidance counsellors, individual school visits, and education fairs across Canada, as well as internationally.

These activities are supported by a range of materials such as our website, viewbook, presentations, social media.  Our campus tours program offers online as well as in person tours (on hold currently – will be restarting soon) to provide prospective students and their supporters with a glimpse of our beautiful campus and close-knit community. We also hold open houses in the fall (Fall Preview) and in the winter (March Break Open House).

We are also increasing efforts on our outreach to equity-deserving groups. This includes our peer equity ambassador program, in which equity ambassadors will be connecting about their lived experiences as BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) members of the campus community and supporting applicants from equity-seeking backgrounds through the admissions process, as well as their transition to first-year studies. We also have a newly created Manager, Access and Inclusion role which will be responsible for recruitment initiatives and community outreach activities related to equity deserving and underrepresented undergraduate students.

MS: What are the most recent programs of the Queen’s University, and how do you fill classes in a new graduate program?

QU: Recent programs at Queen’s University include Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering, Health Sciences, and Life Sciences & Biochemistry. Faculties and graduate programs recruit at various events throughout the year.

MS: What are the most popular programs that you offer?

QU: At Queen’s you can make your degree as unique as you are. We offer a range of undergraduate programs in multiple academic areas including Arts & Science, Health Sciences, Engineering, Computing, Commerce, Nursing, and Kinesiology. Students in some programs also have the option to complete their first year of studies at the Bader International Study Centre, Queen’s campus in the United Kingdom. Students can also consider integrating a 12-16 month internship to round out their studies and gain some real work experience.

MS: The majority of the foreign students from the Queen’s University are originally from which country?

QU: We have a diverse international student population; students from over 100 countries study at Queen’s. Our top countries for international students are China, India, and the US. The Queen’s University International Centre is a support service for all members of the Queen’s community and through its activities promotes an internationally informed and cross-culturally sensitive learning environment.

Joana Leal/MS