- Living in Kitchener-Waterloo
- UWaterloo's community
- Waterloo services and support for you
- Getting to campus
- Resources
Living in Kitchener-Waterloo
Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, image courtesy City of Waterloo
uWaterloo is located in the heart of the Kitchener–Waterloo area, 120 km west of Toronto, Ontario. A safe, clean, and vibrant community, the twin cities region features two universities, a community college, dynamic shopping, eclectic restaurants, cultural venues, diverse cinemas, and beautiful parks. The nearby local farmers′ markets are great places to visit as are interesting neighbouring towns such as Stratford, St. Jacob′s, Elora, and Fergus and the cities of Cambridge and Guelph. Kitchener-Waterloo′s central location and close proximity to Toronto mean you can take in major theatre, entertainment and sporting events, including Raptors basketball, Maple Leafs hockey, and Blue Jays baseball.
UWaterloo's community
Waterloo consistently places among the top universities in Canada in Macleans magazine′s national reputation survey.
A green, rolling landscape. A glittering stream. The sharp look of architecturally modern buildings nestled among tall trees. This is your first impression of the University of Waterloo. Look again, and you will discover one of Canada′s leading universities. Over 50 teaching and research buildings, including the School of Optometry, are spread across our 400-hectare campus where more than 26,000 people live, work, study and play. The campus also prides itself on social and cultural diversity, with students from over 80 countries living and studying in our campus community.
UWaterloo services and support for you
As a full-time Waterloo student, you’ll have access to a wide variety of on-campus facilities and services, including:
- Student Success Office First Year Experience
- Student Awards & Financing Aid
- On line student information system (Quest), universal ID card
- Bookstore, computer store, and retail shops
- Campus Housing: Provides information about on-campus and off-campus housing for the University of Waterloo. Also provides a searchable database of accommodations off-campus and links to our affiliated church colleges that offer residence rooms.
- Campus recreation, varsity and intramural sports teams, a complete athletics facility
- Centre for Career Development
- Counselling Services
- Health Services
- Libraries
- Restaurants and meal plans
We’ll also provide you with the support you’ll need through our many student services, both within the School of Optometry and also in the broader campus community.
- Student services: Turnkey Desk, Student Life Centre, AccessAbility Services
- Indigenous Students Centre
- Waterloo International
- International Student Experience
- Ombudsperson
The university is an excellent place to live – everything you need to make life comfortable is located either right on campus or close by. Many of our upper-year students choose to live off campus; however, there are a number of spots for senior students in some of our residences. Our Off-Campus Housing Office can help with your search for housing should you choose to live off campus.
Getting to campus
Additional information is available from the driving directions section of Optometry's Contact Us page.
By car: From Highway 401 take exit 278 (from Toronto) or exit 278B (from London) to Highway 8 West Kitchener. Exit at Highway 85 to Waterloo. Exit at University Avenue West – second University Avenue exit. Follow University Avenue West to the University of Waterloo – at the corner of Seagram Drive. The University visitor centre is located in South Campus Hall. The School is located on the north campus off Columbia Street.
By train, bus, or plane: You can easily reach the University of Waterloo by taking the Via Rail train or the Greyhound bus to Kitchener, and then Grand River Transit to the campus. Transportation from Pearson International Airport in Toronto – the closest major airport – is available by contacting Airways Transit at 519-886-2121.