Female Indigenous student

Indigenous students

Join UCalgary's thriving community of Indigenous learners, leaders and changemakers

Oki, Aba wathtwch, Danit’ada, Tawnshi, Tansi, Hello

We look forward to supporting you to join our campus community! You’ll be joining a community that welcomes, respects and supports the rich diversity of Indigenous learners, their communities, cultural traditions and aspirations in post-secondary education. 

Learn more about the University of Calgary

More than 1,300 self-identified Indigenous students

Writing Symbols Lodge is a hub of Indigenous student life

Monthly ceremonies and events for Indigenous students

$2M+ in awards distributed to Indigenous students last year

Acknowledgement of Traditional Territories

The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).

The University of Calgary is situated on land Northwest of where the Bow River meets the Elbow River, a site traditionally known as Moh’kins’tsis to the Blackfoot, Wîchîspa to the Stoney Nakoda, and Guts’ists’i to the Tsuut’ina. On this land and in this place we strive to learn together, walk together, and grow together “in a good way.”


Student at Writing Symbols Lodge

Your home on campus

As the hub of Indigenous life on campus, Writing Symbols Lodge helps students succeed by providing a variety of services, facilities, programs and events.

Learn more

Supports for Indigenous students

Academic support and community-building

  • Cultural crafting 
  • Program advising 
  • Connections to Traditional Knowledge Keepers 
  • Language cafés

Cultural events

Graduation celebration

Student facilities

  • Computer and printing lab 
  • Study spaces 
  • Indigenous Student Circle office 
  • Red Lodge Student Lounge 
  • Ceremonial room 

Student leadership opportunities

Tiya Dagumisasriy

Did you know UCalgary has a variety of Indigenous-specific clubs such as the Indigenous Students’ Circle or the Calgary Indigenous STEAM Students’ Association? Explore all of our clubs here

Meet Tessa

Tessa WolfLeg is taking International Indigenous Studies at UCalgary, with a minor in psychology.

Watch our presentation

Join Alysha Akins (Student Recruitment Specialist, Indigenous) for this short 10-minute presentation about the opportunities available at UCalgary.

The application process for Indigenous students

UCalgary is committed to recruiting and supporting Indigenous students in our post-secondary programs. Admission pathways offer a supplementary admissions review process and bridging programs for Indigenous applicants. These admission pathways enable faculty-specific commitments to increase access for Indigenous learners.

Learn about Indigenous admissions

Indigenous Recruitment Team

Meet our Indigenous Student Recruitment Team

UCalgary has a dedicated team to support prospective Indigenous students with questions about programs, admission and Indigenous support on campus.

Connect with us today

Don’t be too shy to explore the Writing Symbols Lodge. Even if you don’t know anyone, come and sit down. And, if you’re alone, I’ll come say hi! We have a supportive group of Indigenous students from across Canada at UCalgary, and it's a place to seek help when you need it because we can't go through life alone.

Two students working together in the Writing Symbols Lodge

Joshwa Campiou, BA in Psychology


Ucalgary

ii’ taa’poh’to’p

UCalgary‘s Indigenous Strategy, ii’ taa’poh’to’p, was launched on Nov. 16, 2017. 

Grounded in compassion and informed by community, ii’ taa’poh’to’p remains a guiding light for the campus community to engage in transformative reconciliation through acts of decolonization and indigenization of the academy in ways of knowing, doing, connecting, and being. 

As a strategy, ii’ taa’poh’to’p is both a collective vision and a call to action, guiding the university on a progressive journey of transformation and renewal. The strategy outlines the university’s ongoing commitment to principles and recommendations designed to inform and imagine our way forward towards Truth and Reconciliation.