In 1957, the University of Waterloo opened its doors to 74 engineering students with co-operative education as its cornerstone. The University of Waterloo is Canada’s top innovation university. With more than 36,000 students it is home to the world's largest paid-internship education system of its kind. The unmatched entrepreneurial culture, combined with an intensive focus on research, powers one of the top innovation hubs in the world.

With a global network spanning more than 220,000 alumni in 151 countries, Waterloo attracts world-class scholars including a Nobel Laureate, leads in providing work-integrated learning opportunities with 7,100 active co-op employers and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit that’s created more than 5,000 jobs through Velocity alone, Canada’s most productive start-up incubator by private investment.

Experiential learning fosters a willingness for students to take risks and be open to experiences that will change them and help them grow. As students venture out and back, they share experiences and inspiration that transform their curriculum and community. Waterloo was a pioneer in experiential learning, and it continues to partner with industry to create co-operative education that tools their students to become change makers and leaders in their chosen field.

The main University of Waterloo campus is in the city of Waterloo, located in southwestern Ontario with easy access to Hamilton, London, and Toronto. It also have 3 specialized campuses (for architecture, health sciences, and digital media) in the nearby cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Stratford.