In 1957, the University of Waterloo opened its doors to 74 engineering students with co-operative education as its cornerstone.Today, with more than 42,000+ students attending annually, Waterloo is #1 in Canada for experiential learning and employer-student connections.With a global network spanning more than 220,000 alumni in 151 countries, Waterloo attracts world-class scholars including a Nobel Laureate, leads in providing work-integrated learning opportunities with 7,100+ active co-op employers and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit that’s created 5,000+ jobs through Velocity alone, Canada’s most productive startup incubator by private investment.This is why 474 Waterloo entrepreneurs have been able to raise $12.9 billion since 2006. It's also why more than 10,000 donors from 39 countries donated $46 million to Waterloo in 2019-20 and continue to donate today.The University of Waterloo continues to spur innovation to solve problems on a global scale. Together, with the help of our partners and community, we can accomplish even more.

In the 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities, the university ranked 151–200 in the world and 7–8 in Canada. The 2022 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 149th in the world and seventh in Canada.