Athabasca University is one of North America’s first online universities and one of the world’s fastest-growing digital-education institutions, teaching more than 38,000 students worldwide and offering more than 1,000 courses at the undergraduate, graduate, diploma and certificate levels. Disciplines include arts, business, health, education and science.

AU offers an open and continuous enrolment model. Anyone 16 years or older can register for most first-year courses, regardless of previous education, and most courses start the first of every month. Using the online model, students can study from anywhere; 12 per cent of students live in rural or remote areas. The university’s experience in distance learning was an asset during the COVID-19 pandemic, and AU worked with other institutions to support the massive transition to online learning.

Although most students never set foot in tiny Athabasca, Alta., some science courses require students to complete labs in Athabasca, Edmonton or Calgary. “Flexibility and openness make Athabasca University unique among Canadian universities,” says president Alex Clark. “Our learners can work, fulfill family commitments and advance their careers, all while studying at AU.” The university is home to Canada’s only UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources as well as four Canada Research Chairs. A partnership with Amazon Web Services has helped to modernize AU’s infrastructure and expanded the development of technology-based programs.