We are a teaching-focused university offering a wide range of programs and services that enable students to succeed in their current studies, in their ongoing education, in their chosen careers, in their lifelong pursuit of knowledge, and their contribution as responsible citizens in a rapidly changing and diverse global community.
Capilano University's main campus is located in North Vancouver, B.C., just a 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver. Surrounded by a lush forest and fresh mountain air, the campus is an inspiring setting in which to learn and grow. CapU also has a regional campus in Sechelt that serves the communities of the Sunshine Coast. CapU enrolls approximately 11,600 students each year, 8,300 in for-credit programs, and 3,300 in non-credit courses.
The University is named after Chief Joe Capilano, an essential leader of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) Nation of the Coast Salish people. Our campuses are located on the traditional and ancestral territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Lil' wat, and Sechelt (shíshálh) Nations. At Capilano University, students are safe, comfortable, and challenged and find the individual attention that can make a difference in their achievements. Our goal is to ensure that our students come first – not only at Capilano but in all of their pursuits.
Capilano University was founded by the school boards and residents of North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Howe Sound through a referendum in 1968. Classes that the first year were held in a small building on the grounds of West Vancouver Secondary School. Initial enrolment that the first year was 784 students. Today, Capilano University has blossomed into a publicly-funded learning institution that serves 8,300 students in for-credit programs and 3,300 in non-credit courses annually. The University has more than 1,000 employees.
In 1973, Capilano University opened its permanent 13.76 hectares (34-acre) campus in the Lynnmour area of North Vancouver. That same year, the University also established a regional center in Squamish to serve the Howe Sound communities of Squamish, Whistler, Mount Currie, and Pemberton. In 1977, Capilano University opened the Sunshine Coast campus in Sechelt to serve the Sunshine Coast communities. In 2008, the provincial government changed Capilano College's designation to Capilano University.
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