If you're looking for a small, close-knit residence or academic home base that is a five-minute walk to most buildings at the University of Waterloo, then Renison may be for you!
Renison is a smaller community with its own character and distinctive programs where you can get involved. For students pursuing a University of Waterloo degree, you can live and study at Renison while having access to all of the services and facilities on the main Waterloo campus. Think of it like a small, friendly neighbourhood, within a larger city - it's the best of both worlds!
Territorial Acknowledgement
With gratitude, we acknowledge that Renison University College is located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Hodinohsyó:ni, and Attawandaran (Neutral) Peoples, which is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River from mouth to source. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place in all corners of our campus through research, learning, teaching, community building and outreach. We are guided by the work of our Reconciliation and Re-storying Steering Committee and Anti-Racism and Decolonization Spokescouncil, as well as the University of Waterloo’s Office of Indigenous Relations.
Questions?
Contact us: renison@uwaterloo.ca
News
Renison Alum Ajirioghene Evi receives King Charles Coronation Medal
Renison Alum Ajirioghene Evi (currently CEO of the Ontario Association of Social Workers) was one of two recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal last week at the Region of Waterloo.
Finding Refuge: Vinh Nguyen explores loss, memory, and history in new memoir
Renison faculty member Dr. Vinh Nguyen has worked for years in the area of critical refugee studies. Throughout his academic career, he’s asked the question, “what is refuge?” and his award-winning 2023 book Lived Refuge, examined the lived dimensions of refuge via gratitude, resentment, and resilience. That work allowed Nguyen to turn his focus inward and examine his own experiences as a refugee in his memoir, The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse. Nguyen, his mother, and his siblings were among the millions of asylum seekers who fled Vietnam after the end of the war in 1975.
Laura Paquette: Indigenous and community-based perspectives on social work
In honour of March being Social Work Month, we wanted to share the amazing and diverse placement experiences of some of our Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) students, in order to highlight the fact that social work is an incredibly wide-ranging field that extends into all areas of the community.
Meet Laura, an MSW student currently completing her placement at Shkaabe Makwa at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Here's what she had to say about her experience at her placement, studying at Renison's School of Social Work, and the broader field of social work.
Events
2025 Alumni Beer and Bites
Join us for the annual (and very popular) alumni craft beer and bites event, hosted by the four University Colleges at the University of Waterloo!
For this event, you'll meet us at Renison, and we'll take you on a walking tour to each of the University Colleges to sip craft beer samples paired with great food. Bring your appetite - the "bites" are substantial - you won't be needing dinner!
It's a great way to tour your old stomping grounds (see what we've done with the place) and connect with old (and new) friends!