Start Your Quest

Over the next 15 days leading up to the May 1 deposit deadline, we will be counting down 15 reasons Why You’ll Love It Here!

Your academic journey at Quest starts with Cornerstone, where you’ll explore the interdisciplinary question: “What is Knowledge?”

You’ll debate the death of Santiago Nasar in A Chronicle of a Death Foretold, delve into The Apology by Socrates, and conduct your own unique field research. You’ll attend lectures focused on the themes, What is Truth? and Marine Biology.

You’ll also be introduced a wide range of study skills and institutional knowledge that will set you up for success!

We can’t tell you all of our secrets, but you can also look forward to the challenge of Adventure Pursuits, a series of exciting team-building and leadership activities.

Location, Location, Location!

Ranked by The New York Times as one of the top 52 Places to Go, Squamish is recognized around the world as a mecca for sea kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, cross country skiing, hiking and more. The city boasts a vibrant Arts & Culture scene, offering art galleries, local theatre productions, festivals and live music venues. We love it here, and you will too.

The world-renowned Whistler resort is just a 45-minute drive north from Squamish, offering exceptional skiing and snowboarding, plus all the amenities of an urban centre. If you’re craving a true taste of city life, venture down the awe-inspiring Sea to Sky Highway to Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia.

Quest’s campus is located on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation. It boasts breathtaking views of wooded valleys and snow-capped mountains, and all its buildings feature floor-to-ceiling windows that offer picture-perfect vistas.

The Block Plan

Imagine taking just one course at a time.

At Quest, you don’t take four or five classes at once, juggling and managing multiple course loads and competing schedules and priorities. Instead, you take classes one at a time, meeting for three hours every weekday for three and a half weeks in what we call a Block.

The Block Plan allows you pure freedom and flexibility with your class. No more switching your brain from one subject to another. No more picking which courses you take based on the schedule that you’ll have and the course loads you’ll need to balance. Want to go to Toronto or New York to study the stock exchange? You can do it on the Block Plan. Want to visit London and Paris to learn how they evolved into the world-famous cities they are today? You can do it on the Block Plan.

Need we say more?

Block Break

At the end of every month, you’ll enjoy a four-day mini-vacation!

This is your chance to relax, reset and recharge before shifting your academic gears to your next class.

As the end of the Block approaches, the buzz begins. The question everyone is asking is, “What are you doing for Block Break?” We love Quest, but we also love the monthly opportunity to adventure and explore!

Go surf in Tofino or spend a few days in Vancouver to hit the galleries and see a concert. Or stay home and enjoy all that Squamish has to offer. Whatever you choose, you’ll be ready to go once the next Block starts!

So, what will you do on your first Block Break?

Beyond the Classroom

At Quest, we encourage you to get off campus!

The majority of our students study abroad, take Field Studies, learn a new language, or gain work experience in a country they’ve never visited before.

Some popular destinations for Quest students are Amsterdam University College, Royal Thimphu College, or Hanyang University. Each of our partner institutions will enrich your education in a meaningful and substantial way.

Field Studies courses at Quest are an incredible way for students to gain hands-on experience. Studying Marine Biology on Vancouver Island at a Coastal Research Centre, living in Paris for ten days to study art and architecture, or travelling to Antarctica to examine the geopolitical issues affecting the world’s most isolated continent are just a few of the ways that Quest students experience their education beyond the classroom.

Questions, not Majors

Quest rethinks the way education is delivered. Instead of declaring majors, students develop their own unique Question, allowing them to pursue their passions and seamlessly cross disciplinary boundaries.

Developing a Question allows you to take ownership over your academic journey. Rather than being constrained by the myriad of checklists associated with completing a typical undergraduate degree, you’ll be in the driver’s seat, choosing each course along the way.

You’ll develop your Question and your Question Plan. This document includes an academic justification of the Question, a literature review, and a slate of courses and practical experiences that you’ll work on for the next two years. 

Most importantly, the Question is yours. No two students have ever had the same one.

Your Question is as unique as you!

The Keystone

Keystone (/ˈkēˌstōn/)

• a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together
• the central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends
• your undergraduate thesis and the final course at Quest

The Keystone project allows students to conduct an in-depth exploration of their broader Question. As the name would suggest, the Keystone is a fundamental piece of the Quest education, drawing together the skills and knowledge that have been gathered throughout each student’s individual path.

Here are just a few examples of previous Keystone projects:

Allison Black (‘11)

Title: An Analysis of Mechanisms of the Spread for New World Arenaviruses: Biological Mechanisms of Infection, Social Mechanisms of Disease Spread, and Cultural Competency in Epidemic Control Measures

The Project: Focusing on social epidemiology, this Keystone examines which factors predispose people to the kinds of interactions that favour viral transmission. Specifically, it investigates Bolivian Hemorrhagic Fever through social determinants including community interactions, lifestyle choices, religion, and folklore explanations of disease.

Juan Pablo Alcocer (‘14)

Title: Mas Lluvia: Providing Alternative, Small-Scale, and Localized Water Sources for People and Businesses in Mexico

The Project: A business plan designed to provide solutions to Mexico City’s long-standing potable water shortages by providing alternative, small-scale, and localized water sources for people and businesses

Dr. Kirsty Graham (‘12)

Title: Foraging Behaviour of Alouatta Palliata, Ateles Geoffroyi and Cebus Capucinus in Costa Rica’s Lowland Tropical Wet Forest

The Project: Kirsty studied three types of primates and their diets in Costa Rica’s tropical forests, using scan sample methods to record the diet and activity levels of the primates in order to determine key habitats for future conservation.

Easton Smith (‘13)

Title: In Defence of the Strong Artificial Intelligence Hypothesis: A Response to Searle’s Chinese Room and Penrose’s Meta-Mathematical Critique

The project: This project demonstrates the complexity of artificial intelligence, exploring the intersections of consciousness, computational innovation, meta-mathematical critiques, neurobiology, and evolutionary biology.

Breeanna Jantzen (‘14)

Title: A Culture of Trafficking: Understanding the Persistence of Thailand’s Lucrative Sex Trade

The project: A sociological study that investigates the root causes that allow Thailand’s sex trafficking industry to thrive.

The possibilities are endless!

Amazing Alumni

Quest gives you more than just an education. It gives you access to a worldwide community of artists, entrepreneurs, scientists and leaders.

Quest Alumni do remarkable things! Many pursue advanced studies at the University of British Columbia, Yale University, Stanford University, the London School of Economics, McGill University, St. Andrew’s University, Seattle University, and more.

They apply their unique Quest education in fields as varied as Neurophysiology, Anthropology, Logic, A.I. and Quantum Mechanics, Epidemiology, Literature, and Digital Media and Design, and careers spanning Marketing, Cyber Security, Public Policy, Midwifery, Journalism, Medicine, Law, Art, and beyond.

When you graduate from Quest, you become a member of the Quest University Canada Alumni Association. 

QUSA!

 The Quest University Student Association (QUSA) is the organization that unites and supports Quest students. Just recently, QUSA took a major step forward and transformed into its own legal entity on campus, which allows for better support and advocacy for the student voice at Quest. 

QUSA not only funds events like Dancing Bear, Cabaret, and our annual welcome home Hullabaloo, but they also provide funding and key support to conferences and student discussion panels. Whether it’s OurFutures, the Power, Race, and Privilege Symposium, the Kermode Cave Bouldering Gym,  the recording studio, or the community garden, QUSA has made sizable investments on campus.

QUSA has also successfully advocated for the creation of a student liaison position with the Quest Board of Governors, and worked in the co-development of Quest human rights and sexual misconduct policies. As the leader of student initiative and voice on campus, QUSA is one of the premiere ways to connect and make a positive impact on the Quest community.

Check out the QUSA website for more information.

Balance of Work & Play

Attending university is an exciting and busy time! Quest is dedicated to providing health & wellness and recreation to help you maintain balance in your life. All students receive free access to the Mindbody app to sign up for workshops, fitness classes, intramurals, and more!

Our Recreation Complex, referred to as The RecPlex, offers sports ranging from ultimate frisbee and soccer, to basketball and volleyball, badminton, rugby, and even dodgeball. It has a full-size basketball court, indoor climbing gym, fitness room, weight room, two squash courts, lockers and change-rooms. Quest also has a dance/yoga studio! And we neighbour Garibaldi Provincial Park, if you need some nature ASAP.

Your health is important to us! We have a health clinic conveniently located on campus, but if you require care outside of clinic hours, we also have a walk-in-clinic just down the hill from campus. And there is an entire host of medical services in Squamish available at the Squamish General Hospital.

Quest regularly brings in specialty care such as a dietitians, dental hygienists, mindfulness coaches and offers various wellness workshops throughout the year. If you need someone to talk to, we also have counsellors on campus.

We got this!

Dancing Bears and More

What makes most of our events so incredible, is that they are entirely student-funded and organized (thanks QUSA!). The students contribute an amazing amount of work to Quest events managing aspects such as advertising, coordinating volunteers, schedules, collaboration with local organizations, rentals, planning, set up and breakdown. And good news! There are always ways to be involved beyond the center stage in case you’re more comfortable behind-the-scenes.

Without the initiative of the student community, special events like Dancing Bear, Cabaret, Naked, Polaris, Our_Futures, TEDx QuestU, movie screenings, and much more wouldn’t happen. These events encourage community-building and provide an opportunity for students to express themselves through art, dance, spoken word, song, and any other performance you can think of! 

Faculty That Love to Teach

At Quest, we call our professors Tutors. Our accomplished and dedicated faculty are experts in their fields, and also experts at finding new ways to engage students. They create dynamic classes that make learning both rigorous and fun! And with a maximum of 20 students per class, your Tutors will really get to know you.

Quest faculty can also contribute to your education by sharing information about exciting academic and career opportunities. They connect students to a broader circle of academia outside of Quest through research opportunities, and conferences. Their level of investment in Quest is clear from the support they provide to students, even after graduation.

Our Tutors are also involved in the community outside of academics. They can frequently be found at events around campus, hosting discussions, workshops and events.

Your Tutors will be some of the coolest people you know!

A Higher-Ed Pioneer

Founded in 2007 by Dr. David Strangway with a single goal: to revolutionize higher education. And we are continuing to do just that!

Quest’s philosophy is simple. Education, in its truest form, comes from asking insightful questions. We started with a blank slate, and created a university to challenge the traditional notions of an undergraduate education. 

At Quest, we learn from a variety of disciplines and perspectives, so we can think critically when approaching problems. We are curious about the world, not just one discipline. We are motivated by the challenges we face, and we aim to be innovative, collaborative and creative to overcome those challenges.

Home Sweet Home

Without a doubt, our location shapes who we are and how we learn. Whether it’s the stunning natural environment that surrounds us, or our thoughtfully-designed sustainable campus, we form a deep attachment to our place. And now it’s official. We really are one of Canada’s most beautiful campuses!

When you study at Quest, you live on campus for four years. Your neighbours become your friends. You become part of our close-knit community.

Each residence building at Quest has a peer-elected student Resident Assistant. They help coordinate activities, provide support and foster an inclusive atmosphere.

Quest is committed to accessibility and equity. As such, we strive to create an environment that is universally designed. If you require accommodation, please see our Student Accommodation Policy.

The Experience of a Lifetime

The community at Quest cannot simply be described in a single word. The feeling you’ll get when you first step on campus is unlike anything else you have likely ever felt. It’s notoriously impossible to describe without having been here, but when you get here, you’ll know. 

Quest is the type of place where impromptu jam sessions, delicious dinners with faculty and friends, and the ability to create your own pathways are the norm.

You’ll develop friendships with fascinating people from all around the world.

You’ll be part of an incredible community of iconoclasts, convention-challengers, creators, adventurists, and engaged curious minds.

You’ll love it here!