The 'prettiest' Canadian university campuses were revealed and the top school is on the ocean

Another campus reminds someone of "an English country estate." 🌳

people in a park on the western university campus. right: aerial view of university of british columbia campus with ocean in the background

Western University campus. Right: University of British Columbia campus.

Senior Writer

The "prettiest" university campuses in Canada have been revealed in a new ranking.

Some of the most beautiful schools in this country are right on the water, according to Canadians.

Narcity recently posted on Facebook and asked people to share which Canadian universities have the "prettiest" campuses.

More than a dozen universities across the country have been mentioned in the almost 130 comments.

According to Canadians, the prettiest campus in the country is the University of British Columbia.

UBC's Vancouver campus is located at the western tip of the Point Grey Peninsula and spans more than 400 hectares.

It's surrounded by forest on three sides and the ocean on the fourth!

Queen's University is the second most beautiful university campus in this country, according to Canadians.

Located in Kingston, Ontario, it has old limestone architecture, modern buildings and an arboretum with rare and unique trees.

It's also right on the shores of Lake Ontario.

"Queen's was really pretty in the fall," someone commented.

McGill University is in the third spot, making it one of the prettiest university campuses in Canada, according to Canadians.

The downtown campus has more than 100 buildings of various architectural styles and is located at the foot of Mount Royal.

It's known as "a green oasis in the middle of downtown Montreal."

Located in London, Ontario, Western University ranks in fourth place.

The campus spans more than 1,300 acres with lots of green space and a combination of modern and historic architecture.

Rounding out the top five is the University of Guelph, which is located in southern Ontario.

"Guelph is so pretty and reminds me of an English country estate," someone commented. "Also, it's so contained, so no long distances to walk. It has a beautiful farm atmosphere."

Another person commented that the University of Guelph campus is "absolutely beautiful."

On the campus, you can find a circa 1800 cannon, an expansive network of greenhouses, and a 408-acre arboretum with gardens, walking trails, natural woodlands, wetlands and meadows, and more.

After those top five campuses, a few people said Trent University, Saint Mary's University, University of New Brunswick, St. Francis Xavier University, Royal Roads University, Dalhousie University, University of Victoria, and Bishop's University are the prettiest.

One person commented that the University of New Brunswick has lots of green space and old architecture, which makes it a beautiful campus.

These schools only got one vote each: University of Toronto, Université Laval, University of Alberta, Acadia University, York University, and University of Ottawa.

Someone said that the University of Toronto's St. George campus is "jaw-dropping" because of the old buildings that look like castles and the new modern ones.

"My camera was out constantly while touring," they said.

Narcity also recently asked people to share what the best universities in Canada are and which Canadian universities have the best reputation.

UBC, McGill and Queen's were top picks in those rankings, just like they are in the prettiest campus ranking!

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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