About About

Get to know VIU. As a teaching university and a research university, we offer a unique experience to students.

About VIU Why VIU

About VIU

Why VIU?

Explore where VIU is going

The Strategic Plan builds on our commitment to diverse learners and draws on our connection to the community.

Strategic Plan

Programs Programs

Explore a wide range of program offerings and learning services. Choose from degrees, vocational training, certificates and more.

Find your program Learning Services

Programs

Learning Services

Talk to a recruiter

Friendly VIU recruiters can help you find a program that’s right for you.

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recruiter

Admissions & Aid Admissions & Aid

Discover how to apply to VIU and get more information about tuition and financial aid.

Admissions Tuition and Aid

Admissions

Tuition and Aid

How to become a student

Make your VIU application successful by following these steps to becoming a student.

Steps to become a student

Student Life Student Life

Make the best of your time at VIU. Get involved in campus events and enjoy island adventures.

Student Life Student Services

Student Life

Student Services and Support

Get ready for the new student orientation

Attend in-person and online events, explore campus and connect with your professors and soon-to-be classmates!

RockVIU

Support VIU Support VIU

Connect with other VIU alumni and learn about the impact of donor generosity at VIU.

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VIU Alumni

VIU Donors

Your support means so much to VIU students

Our donors fund over 2000 scholarships, awards, and bursaries each year.

Research Research

Discover how VIU's interdisciplinary research is making a real-world impact.

Research

Research and Creative Activity

Explore the research highlights. Includes recent publications, ground-breaking studies and more.

Research Reports

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Diversity, Equity and Human Rights

Dates of recognition, observance and celebration

About this calendar

At Vancouver Island University, we aim to foster a culture that affirms people’s lived experiences and identities. By learning about each other’s stories, histories and traditions, we build a more inclusive and welcoming environment for our campus community.

On this page, you’ll find VIU’s calendar of days of recognition, observance and celebration, along with links to other resources that support engagement and learning around key local, national and international observances. These include dates that highlight the rights and representation of the four groups identified under the Employment Equity Act: Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized persons (visible minorities) and women.

The calendar features a range of observances sourced from VIU activities, federal events and United Nations-recognized days. Some are official holidays, while others have grown from grassroots efforts into meaningful opportunities for education, reflection and connection.

These dates may resonate differently across our diverse communities. We encourage exploration of external resources to deepen your understanding, as VIU does not maintain a comprehensive multifaith or multicultural calendar.

Our academic and operational calendar follows the Gregorian calendar, reflecting Eurocentric traditions. As a result, holiday breaks align with dates like Good Friday, Easter Monday and the Christmas season, with less activity over the summer.

For key academic and statutory dates, visit the VIU Dates and Deadlines page. We know that students and employees in our community practice many different religions and Vancouver Island University supports accommodations for observance of a religious holy day or holiday. Please see Policy and Procedure 21.08 for more information on students’ and employees’ rights to request accommodations.

Students and employees have access to meditation, prayer and reflection rooms on the first floor of Building 200 on the Nanaimo campus. Email MedAndPrayer@viu.ca with your full name and student or employee ID number for after-hours access.

Instructors and event planners are encouraged to be mindful of these dates when scheduling exams or events to help avoid conflicts with religious holidays and holy days.