The University of New Brunswick: A Complete Guide to UNB's Fredericton Campus

What UNB actually is

The University of New Brunswick, UNB to everyone here, is the province's largest and oldest university, and it shapes Fredericton more than any single institution in town. Its motto is Sapere Aude, Latin for "dare to be wise," and it has been daring students to do exactly that since the 1780s.

UNB runs two campuses: the original one in Fredericton (1785) and a second in Saint John (1964). Between them they enrol more than 10,600 students from over 100 countries, organized into 14 faculties offering 250-plus programs, certificates, and diplomas. The student-to-faculty ratio sits around 15 to 1, which UNB likes to point out has been ranked first in Canada by Maclean's. There are more than 100,000 living alumni scattered around the world.

What that means on the ground: Fredericton is a genuine university town of roughly 60,000 people, and a big chunk of the energy, the rental market, the pubs, the coffee shops, and the fall traffic all revolve around the academic calendar. If you are moving here or sending a kid here, UNB is worth understanding. Our Fredericton student guide goes deeper on the day-to-day of actually living here as a student.

The 1785 story (why UNB is a big deal)

Here is the fact UNB will never let you forget: it is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and one of the oldest public universities in all of North America. The origin story runs straight through the American Revolution. In 1785, Loyalists who had fled north petitioned Governor Thomas Carleton to establish "an academy or school of liberal arts and sciences." He granted it, and the institution has been running in some form ever since.

It grew up in stages. The early academy became King's College, and by 1829 the college had a proper stone building (the one now called Sir Howard Douglas Hall). For decades it wrestled with the provincial legislature over religion and curriculum. The turning point came on April 13, 1859, when an act created the secular, provincial University of New Brunswick, cutting the church ties and opening the doors wider.

The 20th century brought a benefactor whose name is everywhere on campus: Lord Beaverbrook, the New Brunswick-raised press baron, funded residences, athletic facilities, and the law building. Enrolment jumped after the Second World War, the Saint John campus opened in 1964, and UNB settled into its role as the province's flagship. Two-plus centuries of history is not just a marketing line here; you can walk past most of it in an afternoon.

The campus on the hill

The Fredericton campus climbs a hill just south of downtown, and locals literally call the area College Hill. It is one of the prettier campuses in the country: mature elms, red-brick and grey-stone buildings, wide green lawns, and views back over the Wolastoq (Saint John River) and the city below. On a clear fall day it is postcard stuff.

The hill setting is also the campus's one honest drawback. It is a real climb from downtown, so walking up from the river in January, into the wind, is a rite of passage students grumble about for four years. Parking on campus is limited and permits are competitive, so many students bus, bike, or walk. The city transit system runs routes up the hill, and the campus is close enough to downtown that a lot of student life spills back and forth between the two.

Physically, UNB Fredericton and neighbouring St. Thomas University blend together at the top of the hill with no fence or gate between them, which surprises a lot of first-time visitors. If you are just here to look around, the upper campus around the oldest buildings is the part you want to see, and it is open to wander.

The buildings to know

A handful of buildings anchor the campus and are worth seeking out, whether you are a new student or a visitor with an hour to spare.

• Sir Howard Douglas Hall (the Old Arts Building): the crown jewel. Its cornerstone was laid in 1826, and it is recognized as the oldest university building in Canada still functioning as part of a working campus. Inside, the Great Hall is lined with presidential portraits and memorial stained glass. We have a full piece on the Old Arts Building if you want the details.
• Harriet Irving Library: the main library, opened in 1967 and named for Harriet Irving, first wife of industrialist K.C. Irving. It holds the Archives and Special Collections, a children's literature collection, and modern learning commons spaces.
• Ludlow Hall: home to UNB's Faculty of Law, one of the oldest university law schools in the country.
• Richard J. Currie Center: the big modern athletics and fitness complex, with courts for Reds basketball and volleyball plus a fieldhouse, track, and gym open to students and members.
• Aitken University Centre: the hockey barn and the largest seated venue in Fredericton, which we cover below.

Faculties, academics, and what it's known for

UNB is a comprehensive, research-focused university, not a niche school, so the program list is broad: arts, science, business (the Faculty of Management), engineering, computer science, forestry and environmental management, nursing, kinesiology, education, law, and more. The Fredericton campus carries the bulk of the historic professional faculties.

A few things it can genuinely claim as firsts in Canada: the first engineering program, the first forestry program, and the first faculty of computer science. UNB Engineering has been ranked first in Canada for research quality by Times Higher Education for 2026, and nearly three-quarters of all publicly sponsored research in New Brunswick happens at UNB. It also leans hard into hands-on learning, with high internship and co-op rates and a claim that all students have access to experiential-learning opportunities.

For prospective students, the practical draws are the smaller class sizes than you would get at a big-city school, guaranteed entrance scholarships for high-school students entering with an 80 percent average or better, and a tight-knit campus where professors tend to know your name. The trade-off is what you would expect from a smaller centre: fewer massive research labs and less of the anonymous big-university buzz. For a lot of students, that is the whole point of choosing Fredericton.

The UNB Reds

If UNB has a religion, it is Reds hockey. The UNB Reds compete in U Sports through the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference, fielding 18 varsity teams (9 men's and 9 women's) across hockey, basketball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, track and field, cross country, and curling.

The men's hockey team is one of the great dynasties in Canadian university sport. They have won ten national championships (the University Cup): in 1998, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2024, with more than a dozen appearances in the national final. In the 2025-26 season they took an eighth straight AUS men's title. The women's program has banners of its own, including back-to-back AUS championships in recent years.

The home rink is the Aitken University Centre (the AUC), which opened in May 1976 and remains the largest seated facility in Fredericton, small enough that every seat is close to the ice. It doubles as the city's main concert and event hall. Catching a Reds game on a Friday night in winter, cheap ticket, loud crowd, genuinely good hockey, is one of the best-value nights out in town. Games often sell out for the big rivalries, so buy ahead.

What it costs (tuition context)

Tuition at UNB is moderate by Canadian standards, and cheaper than the big Ontario and B.C. schools, but the exact number depends heavily on your program and where you are coming from. Prices change every September, so treat the figures below as a snapshot and confirm the current year on unb.ca before you budget.

Higher-cost programs like computer science and engineering sit at the top of those ranges; arts and general programs sit lower. On top of tuition, budget for mandatory student fees (health, athletics, student union, typically another $1,000 to $2,000-ish a year), books, and living costs. The upside for New Brunswick families is that Fredericton is one of the more affordable university cities in the country for rent and groceries, which softens the total bill. Domestic students with an 80 percent-plus high-school average also qualify for guaranteed entrance scholarships, so the sticker price is often not what you actually pay.

UNB, St. Thomas, and how to visit

Here is the thing that confuses newcomers: there are two universities on that hill. St. Thomas University (STU) is a small, undergraduate, liberal-arts university that moved from Chatham to Fredericton in 1964 and settled right next to UNB. Its buildings sit shoulder to shoulder with UNB's, students from both schools use the shared library and some facilities, and you can cross-register for certain courses. The simplest way to keep them straight: UNB is the big research university with law, engineering, business, and the hockey team; STU is the smaller, teaching-focused arts school beside it. They are separate institutions that happen to share a neighbourhood.

If you want to visit, UNB makes it easy. Prospective students can book a guided campus tour through the admissions section of unb.ca, and the university runs open-house style "Meet UNB" events plus a full virtual tour if you cannot make it in person. Casual visitors do not need permission to walk the grounds; just park where permitted and wander the upper campus around the Old Arts Building and the library. Give yourself an hour, more if you want to sit on the hill and take in the river view. Time it around a Reds game and you get the whole Fredericton university experience in one afternoon.