Welcome message from the Dean

Welcome to Vancouver Island University! We are pleased that you have chosen to study with us in Nanaimo on lovely Vancouver Island. We wish to make your stay at Vancouver Island University (VIU) as enjoyable and successful as possible. Therefore, we are offering you this series of pre-arrival messages to ensure that you have all the information you need as you prepare to come to VIU. This message will be the first of a series of weekly messages that you will receive before the start of classes.

As Dean of International Education, I am pleased to extend good wishes to each and every one of you for a successful stay at Vancouver Island University. The University has over 10,000 students studying in the Faculties of Arts and Humanities, Education, Social Sciences, Management, Trades and Technology, Health and Human Services, and Sciences. You will join about 1,000 international students each year who study English as a Second Language, undergraduate academic programs such as the BA, BBA and BSc, and graduate programs such as the MBA.

No matter which program you will be studying, we want to ensure that you are fully prepared for success in that program. Please take the time to read the messages that we send as they will help ensure that you can get settled more easily when you arrive. Make sure that you plan to arrive in time to participate in the orientation program for international students. We find that students are much more successful if they take part in all orientation activities. During the orientation, you will find out about the full range of support services that are available to students at VIU.

I  look forward to meeting you when you arrive!

Graham Pike, PhD

Dean of International Education