Overview of Ottawa
Ottawa is Canada’s national capital, located in the province of Ontario. The city’s high quality of life and prosperity are largely due to its vibrant culture, cutting-edge academic institutions and expanding economy.
World-class educational instituTions
The Ottawa region is home to six top-tier universities and colleges, which provide education and training in a vast number of fields and professions. Ottawa’s institutions include:
Carleton University – A sizeable campus located south of the city centre. Programs include health sciences, global and international studies, computer science and engineering. With state-of-the-art facilities and well-integrated intern placements, Carleton helps students to reinforce their theoretical learning with practical workplace experience.
University of Ottawa – A bilingual (English and French) university with over 300 undergraduate programs and 250 graduate degrees spread across its 10 faculties. The university’s co-op programs are renowned for their high placement rates (95%). The campus is conveniently located in Ottawa’s city centre. The University of Ottawa is known for its business, biomedical sciences and French immersion programs. The QS World University Rankings 2024 placed Ottawa 204th in the top 700 institutions in the world.
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology – Ottawa’s largest college, Algonquin has three campuses: a primary campus located in Ottawa, and secondary campuses in Perth, Ontario, and Pembroke, Ontario. The college offers bachelor's degrees, diplomas, and college certificates in a range of disciplines and specialties. It has been ranked among the top 50 research colleges in Canada and has been recognized as one of Canada's foremost innovation leaders.
diverse economy
Ottawa employs over 500,000 people.
Ottawa’s industries include government, high tech, health and education, finance, insurance, real estate, tourism, trade and construction.
The city’s two main sectors are high tech and the federal government, which account for 37% of its $40 billion GDP.
stability
Ottawa is ranked consistently among the best cities in Canada.
Ottawa’s federal government sector helps to create a very stable economy.
Ottawa boasts low unemployment rates; the city’s quarterly economic development report indicates a steady decrease from 2017 to 2018.
Ottawa was ranked 19th of 231 in Mercer’s annual quality of living survey which assesses world metropolises based on aspects such as education, housing, health care and crime.
Ottawa has an extensive and highly efficient public transportation system (primarily bus and light-rail trains), which serves every major neighbourhood in the city. Ottawa is currently expanding the light-rail portion of the system.
Student Challenges
Entering a new culture is filled with both challenges and opportunities. Many parents don’t consider that although international education is a tremendous advantage, many students come into Canadian culture without the tools, associations or knowledge they need to adapt to a different way of life and, more importantly, to deal with different values.
Many students run the risk of underperforming and losing their “native” values of faith, family, and may have trouble adapting to the freedom of living independently.
What pitfalls might a foreign youth encounter in Canada?
o A drop in marks
o An inability to budget
o Loss of faith
o Difficulty taking care of themselves
o Getting in with the wrong crowd