What makes St. Stephen's University distinct?

St. Stephen's University is the kind of place where you can come as you are and figure out who you want to be. We welcome students from a wide variety of backgrounds and stages in life's journey. We believe that as we find beauty in ourselves and others, together we will discover wholeness in life with Jesus. St. Stephen's University is a true 'thin place;' a centre of higher learning sustained by God, where people live and journey together, are stretched, transformed and given new life in serious study and strenuous sharing, and over time, these same people become free -- to love and serve -- anywhere.

Why our students love St. Stephen's University

	“During my four years in the SSU community I have discovered that the people here know how to keep a balance between seriousness and silliness. Anyone considering SSU should know that the past and present teachers and students highly esteem faith and academics. But another irreplaceable element of the community is silliness. The teachers and students here know how to have fun both inside and outside of the classroom. I absolutely love that I have the freedom and opportunity to talk about my faith, my schoolwork, and share a laugh with my professors every day. SSU truly is a beautiful entanglement of seriousness and silliness.” DAVID MCCALLUM, Guelph, ON
	“Life at SSU is like living a miracle. Despite being from among the broken dysfunctional youth of the 21st century, we manage to have stimulating classes with engaging professors, bonfires with guitars and roasted-black sausages, communion at chapel, and bonding moments on travelling trips. All of these unique and beautiful episodes have shaped my worldview and changed how I treat and react to people. We at SSU learn to love despite our various quirks and incapabilities. That is a miracle that goes on.” JEN NGO, Hong Kong
	“SSU proved to be an invaluable foundation for further education. When I graduated, I worried that other schools might pick me last for acceptance or that I wouldn’t be ready for an institutional education. But, I have since attended three universities and found myself teaching other students because of my interdisciplinary, experience-based education from SSU.” LUKE WILSON, Carlisle, ON
	“I originally came to SSU for the travel terms. Experiencing the Grand Tour of Europe and exploring Southeast Asia while getting a B.A. was an opportunity too good to miss. Yet though I came to SSU for the promised adventures, I ultimately stayed for the people. Classmates and professors have profoundly influenced me with their passion for social justice, their appreciation for art in all its forms, and their ability to see beauty where I had forgotten to look for it. SSU has confirmed for me that a Liberal Arts education should not only be academically challenging, but should also challenge us to deliberately consider who we are growing up to be, and how we want to relate to the rest of the world.” KARIS TAYLOR, Ventura, CA
	“St. Stephen’s University was an exceptional experience for my undergrad degree. SSU is a unique community that offers the opportunity to separate oneself enough from mainstream culture to offer informed critiques of it. The friends I’ve made have deeply affected my life, while the travel and course material have begun a lifelong journey in learning. SSU’s programs, professors and faculty are second to none and it has been a privilege for me to spend the last four years at St. Stephen’s University.” ZACHARI SMITH, Kelowna, BC
	“At no other school could you hang out with monks, hike through a jungle and swim in the South China Sea all in one day. These semesters have broadened my perspective of the world while inspiring me to be more intentional in my responsibilities as a global citizen. I was grateful for the open environment at the school in which professors and fellow students alike encourage free-thinking growth, both academically and spiritually.” CARA LEHOCKI, Burlington, ON
	“I remember visiting the campus of the Ontario university I had chosen to attend after graduating from high school. It was then that I decided to give SSU a shot, and I have yet to regret my decision. The challenge of living in community, coupled with the intimacy of the small classroom, the opportunity to develop real relationships with one’s professors, and the interaction with Christian students from different denominations and cultures has allowed me to grow in ways that would not have been possible anywhere else.” SAM SHANTZ, Kanata, ON
	“I originally enrolled at SSU because of the classes offered and the lure of travelling the world,but I quickly discovered much more than that. Here, people find common ground in knitting, Jane Austen, Halo, environmentalism, politics, and even favourite childhood movies—and then there’s dancing an Irish jig while baking cookies in the kitchen. Here, everyday life offers opportunities for a heart-to-heart with professors and classmates about anything from the trivial and nonsensical, to the intensely political and personal, to the vibrantly academic and philosophical, or the enlighteningly spiritual. I have found repeatedly that SSU is a perpetual and collective learning experience amidst laughter and positive conflict, and I will never cease to value my share in that.” ALICIA FARNHAM, Waterville, NB