November 11, 2002 For Immediate Release

Reflecting the quality of its students, faculty, and facilities, the University of Northern British Columbia has placed in the top-10 (number 8) in the annual Maclean's magazine ranking of Canadian universities. In a national reputation survey conducted by Maclean's, UNBC was also recognized for producing the "leaders of tomorrow".

Students
The average entering grade for first-year students has increased to just over 80%, and nearly three-quarters of new UNBC students enter with a grade-point average of 75% or higher. As an important measure of student satisfaction, Maclean's also measures the proportion of new students who actually graduate from the University. This is the first time UNBC has produced statistics on student retention for the Maclean's ranking. "We're delighted to be placed second nationwide in this category," says UNBC President Charles Jago.

Students can now access more than $1 million in scholarships and bursaries (up from $732,000 last year). UNBC's commitment to student services is also reflected in its being ranked 6th in Canada in this category, up from 21st last year.

Faculty
The quality of faculty is, in part, measured by their ability to compete successfully for national research grants. The value of nationally funded research at UNBC has increased 24%, surpassing $1 million in federal grants for the first time in the University's history. In social sciences and humanities research, for example, UNBC ranked 2nd in the country, improving from 6th last year.

Access to quality faculty is key for students. At UNBC, class sizes have become smaller. In first and second-year courses, more than 60% of classes have fewer than 25 students. At third and fourth-year, the number exceeds 70%.

Facilities
Surveys of UNBC students often reveal a high level of satisfaction with the architecture and high-tech access at the Prince George campus. In its measures of the Library, for example, Maclean's has ranked the UNBC Library best in the country for its commitment to funding new library acquisitions. In fact, the budget for acquiring electronic library resources has doubled every year since 1999.

"I'm delighted that we are in the top-10," says UNBC President Jago, "but I'm even more satisfied when I see that our students have more access to library materials, more scholarships, and have greater opportunities to learn from our top-quality faculty in small classes. It's those things that students notice day-to-day."