Renison University College

Come experience the University of Waterloo with Renison University College in a supportive academic community where everyone can follow their passion. You will also have the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of each individual that walks through our halls as being part of a close-knit residence community consisting of 207 people.

Discover why studying at Renison is such a rewarding experience. You can check out the credit programs on offer for undergraduate, postgraduate, and graduate programs. You can also look into our Community and Professional Education programming.

This site contains information on course prerequisites, residence, and a variety of supports Renison offers to students such as course selection and accommodation. We aim to make studying at Renison a great learning experience as well as one in which you’ll make new friends and enjoy a great lifestyle in a great city, Waterloo.

If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Renison University College acknowledges that our work is on the traditional territory of ‎ the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our institution is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, community building and outreach, and is centralized within the work of our Truth and Reconciliation Working Group and the University of Waterloo’s Indigenous Initiatives Office.

What is a University College?

The University Colleges are located on Waterloo's main campus and offer courses as well as residences. All 4 are much smaller than Waterloo Residences, which means you'll get to know almost everyone!

You'll study or live in a smaller community, have access to all services and facilities on the main campus, and earn a valuable University of Waterloo degree.

What makes Renison unique?

If you're looking for a smaller, close-knit residence or academic home base that is a five-minute walk to most buildings at Waterloo, then Renison University College (Renison) may be for you!

Renison is a smaller community with its own character and distinctive programs where you can get involved and contribute.

Students in any program can take classes or live at a University College – or both!
Smaller community with residence rooms for 220 students with the lowest Don to student ratio on campus (1:20).
Most spaces for first-year students are in traditional-style rooms.
A five swipe per day meal plan (largest meal plan at Waterloo) rather than the declining-debit WatCard dollars used by Waterloo Residences.

News

Oct. 8, 2020COVID-19 information - updated Thursday, October 8 at 3:00 pm
In observance of public health recommendations and in keeping with announcements from the University of Waterloo, the following initiatives are now in place at Renison University College:
Feb. 5, 2021Renison’s KDE Hub hosts first-annual symposium!

Last week was an exciting time in the world of Renison’s KDE Hub, as they held their first annual KDE Hub Symposium Jan 25-27! Though originally envisioned as an in-person event, the symposium was fully virtual and hosted over 120 participants from seven time zones and 11 Canadian provinces and territories. Participants included representation from all 20 projects funded by the Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF), the Public Health Agency of Canada, the KDE Hub extended family (Secretariat, Hub Resource Collaborative, and consultants), and invited guests who share interests with the MHP-IF, such as health equity, cultural safety, and social determinants of mental health.
Feb. 3, 2021Walking in two worlds

Renison Social Development Studies (SDS) 2016 alumna Jaydum Hunt is an accomplished Master’s student, studying at the University of Waterloo in Industrial Organizational Psychology. While at Renison, she specialized in Individual Well-being and Social Work as part of her degree in SDS. Jaydum’s original plan was to pursue Social Work, but after being accepted to the program, and taking a year off, her path took her in a different, more personal, direction. Her undergraduate degree was completed while she was a mother to one, and she is now completing a Master’s degree as a mother of two!