Spotlight on Mount Allison University: Canada’s Top Primarily Undergraduate School

Mount Allison University, a quaint liberal arts and science institution in Sackville, New Brunswick, stands out as the best undergraduate university in the country by offering something larger schools cannot: a desirable student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1, with a remarkable lineup of professors who are also groundbreaking artists, chemists, historians and community leaders. It’s the seventh time in eight years Mount Allison has taken the top spot and the 25th time in total, more often than any other school in our rankings.

Nearly 40 per cent of the 2,300 students at Mount Allison are New Brunswick locals, while the rest come from across Canada and 85 countries around the world, all to experience a learning environment tailored to their individual goals. The school offers more than 50 programs across a range of disciplines, including astronomy, biopsychology, environmental science, museum and curatorial studies, fine arts, and screen studies and popular culture. Students can pair any minor with their chosen major, and paid internships are available across a variety of disciplines, with past students having worked in places like art galleries and law firms. Mount A’s faculty is as diverse as its program offerings: in addition to leading experts in music, visual culture and pre-Confederation Canada, the school has an impressive roster of science professors, including Canada Research Chairs in cell signalling, pharmacology and phytoplankton ecophysiology.

The university, which sits on 72 acres near the Tantramar marshes in Sackville, has a storied history in the province, tracing its roots back to 1839. It was the first university in Canada to award a bachelor of arts to a woman (in 1867) and is the home of Canada’s first fine arts degree, launched in 1941. The school also has a long tradition of training local and global business leaders; its commerce program at the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The program recently launched the university’s investment club, where students learn to manage real funds donated by a partnering investment firm.

Another thing students can learn at Mount A? How to fly. Its innovative aviation program includes a partnership with Moncton Flight College that allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in science, arts or commerce while also completing more than 200 flying hours—and the required ground training and technical courses—to obtain a commercial pilot’s licence, preparing them for a career as an airline pilot, air traffic controller or airport manager.

Learning extends beyond campus—and national—borders. Earlier this year, a handful of Mount Allison students travelled to five international field schools in the Galápagos Islands, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Scotland to study biology, classics, drama and religious studies through Global Skills Opportunity, a federally funded organization that helps Canadian universities set up international experiences for its students. On campus, meanwhile, Mount A offers free summer workshops for students, faculty, staff and alumni that teach digital skills from the basic (Excel, PowerPoint) to the advanced (algorithmic ethics). This fall, the university is running a special-interest course called “Mindful Self-Compassion” for students and the community at large.

Getting involved is easy at Mount A, with more than 100 student-run clubs, including musical theatre, chess, fencing, model United Nations and First-Gen Den, which provides social events and support to first-generation Canadian students. There are also plenty of opportunities to volunteer, play sports and explore the surrounding area.

The 185-year-old campus looks like something out of the Ivy League, shrouded in red and yellow foliage every fall. The tiny university holds its own amid larger academic institutions across the country instilling a deep underdog pride in students. But pride in being small isn’t standing in the way of the school’s growth. In August, Harper Hall, one of the largest residences on campus, reopened after a two-year, $32-million renovation project that upgraded the residence to include common study rooms, active areas, social spaces accessible to all students and a green makeover—it even earned the Green Globe certification for low-emissions buildings. It’s that spirit of constant improvement and creativity, etched deeply inside of the school’s DNA, that keeps it secure in its spot at the top.