Aurora College, formerly Arctic College, is a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

located in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

, Canada with

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

es in

Inuvik Inuvik (''place of man'') is the only town in the Inuvik Region, and the List of municipalities in the Northwest Territories, third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Re ...

, Fort Smith and

Yellowknife Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of t ...

. It has learning centres in 23 communities in the NWT. The head office for Aurora College is located in Fort Smith. Aurora College is the only English post-secondary institution in the Northwest Territories. Aurora College is a member of

Colleges and Institutes Canada Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is a voluntary membership organization established in 1972 that represents public colleges, institutes, polytechnics, and CEGEPs in Canada. The organization advocates for its members with the federal govern ...

(CICan). Through its membership with CICan, the institution has signed the Indigenous Education Protocol.

Programs

Aurora College delivers programs at three campuses, 21 community learning centres and other community sites in the Northwest Territories. Aurora College delivers community-centred post-secondary programs that accurately reflect northern culture and the needs of the northern labour market. Aurora offers several certificate and diploma programs as well as the

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

degree program and the

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in nursing program.

Athletics

Aurora College provides intramural sports, such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton and hockey and recreational programs. Before the new Aurora Campus was built the old gymnasium (now torn down) in Inuvik was the largest in the Northwest Territories.

Residence

Aurora College provides a limited supply of accommodation for single students and for those with families.

Aurora College Community Learning Centres

The Aurora College has community learning centres in several communities, which deliver academic upgrading and community-based courses and programs, depending on demand and funding. Community learning centres are located in

Aklavik Aklavik (Inuvialuktun: ''Akłarvik'') (from the Inuvialuktun meaning '' barrenground grizzly place'') is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, with a population over 1,500, the community served ...

, Deline,

Fort Good Hope Fort Good Hope (formerly ''Fort Hope'', ''Fort Charles'', also now known as the ''Charter Community of K'asho Got'ine''), is a charter community in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on a peninsula between Jack ...

Fort McPherson Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in Atlanta, Georgia, bordering the northern edge of the city of East Point, Georgia. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Ar ...

Ulukhaktok Ulukhaktok ((Kangiryuarmiutun (Inuit): , ) and known until 1 April 2006 as ''Holman'' or ''Holman Island'') is a small Inuvialuit Settlement Region hamlet on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, C ...

Norman Wells Norman Wells (Slavey language: ''Tłegǫ́hłı̨'' "where there is oil") is a town located in the Sahtu Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. The town, which hosts the Sahtu Regional office, is situated on the north side of the Mackenzie Riv ...

Tulita Tulita, which in Slavey means "where the rivers or waters meet", is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime betwee ...

Tuktoyaktuk Tuktoyaktuk ( ; , ) is an Inuvialuit hamlet near the Mackenzie River delta in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, at the northern terminus of the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway.Montgomery, Marc"Canada now officially connected ...

Tsiigehtchic Tsiigehtchic ( ; "mouth of the iron river"), officially the ''Hamlet of Tsiigehtchic'', is a Gwichʼin community located at the confluence of the Mackenzie River, Mackenzie and the Arctic Red Rivers, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territor ...

Fort Providence Fort Providence () is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located west of Great Slave Lake, it has all-weather road connections by way of the Yellowknife Highway (Great Slave Highway) branch off the Macke ...

Fort Resolution Fort Resolution (''Denı́nu Kų́ę́'' (pronounced "deh-nih-noo-kwenh") "moose island place") is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores ...

Fort Simpson Fort Simpson (Slavey language: ''Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́'' "place where rivers come together") is a village, the only one in the entire territory, in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on an ...

, Hay River, Lutselk'e,

Fort Liard Fort Liard (Slavey language: ''Echaot'l Koe'' "people from the land of the giants" or ''Acho Dene Kue'') is a hamlet in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located north of the British Columbia border. It became access ...

and Hay River Reserve, Behchoko,

Whatì Whatì (; from the Dogrib language meaning "Marten Lakes"), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Whatì'' is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Whatì is located by Lac La Ma ...

Gamèti Gamètì (; formerly known as Rae Lakes until 4 August 2005), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Gamètì'' is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Gamètì, according to the Prince of Wa ...

, Wekweeti, and

Dettah Dettah, sometimes spelled incorrectly as ''Detah'', is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located just southeast of the capital of Yellowknife, it is a drive from that city by ice road acros ...

/ N'Dilo.

Partnerships

Aurora programs prepare students for further education through university partners. Aurora College is an active member of the

University of the Arctic The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arcti ...

. UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region. Aurora College participates in UArctic’s mobility program north2north. The aim of that program is to enable students of member institutions to study in different parts of the North.

Scholarships and bursaries

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Aurora College scholarships for

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

and

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

students include: Gail Marie Jones Scholarship;

ATCO Atco or ATCO may refer to: Businesses * ATCO, a Canadian diversified company involved in manufacturing, utilities, energy and technologies ** ATCO Electric, a subsidiary of the above company * Atco (British mower company), a mower manufacturing com ...

Continuous Academic Effort Scholarships;

Enbridge Pipelines Enbridge Pipelines is a collection of four different systems of natural gas pipelines, all owned by Enbridge. They include the Enbridge Pipelines (AlaTenn) system, the Enbridge Pipelines (MidLa) system, the Enbridge Offshore Pipelines (UTOS) system ...

(NW) Inc. Bursaries; Town of Inuvik Scholarship;

Diavik Diamond Mine The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about northeast of Yellowknife. Description Diavik Diamond Mine is an industrial complex set in a remote, subarctic landscape. It consi ...

s Inc. Trades and Technology Bursaries; ATCO Developmental Studies Scholarships;

ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in t ...

Scholarship; Aurora Research Institute Awards and Fellowships.

History

In the 1970s, the Adult Vocational Training Centre (AVTC) was established. In 1981, the Adult Vocational Training Centre (AVTC) was declared a college and renamed Thebacha College. In 1984, Arctic College was established with campuses in Fort Smith and Iqaluit. The college grew to include campuses in each region of the Northwest Territories. The mandate was to deliver adult and post-secondary education. In preparation for

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

's establishment as an independent territory, Arctic College was divided on January 1, 1995.

Nunavut Arctic College Nunavut Arctic College (, , Inuinnaqtun: ''Nunavunmi Inirnirit Iliharviat'') is a public community college in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. The college has several campuses throughout the territory and operates as a public agency (Crown co ...

was established to assume responsibility for Arctic College's operations in Nunavut with remaining Arctic College facilities in the western Arctic renamed to Aurora College. The Science Institute of the Northwest Territories was amalgamated with Aurora College in January 1995 and was renamed the Aurora Research Institute. In 2023, Aurora College paused acceptance of international students after receiving roughly 700 applications. The board chair stated the spike in applications was likely due to foreign recruitment directing applicants seeking to immigrate. He stated the college was for Northerners first, then other Canadians, then International students. Angela James was named college president in 2024. It was announced the college was putting plans to become a polytechnic university on hold.

References

All facts, unless otherwise stated, are from Aurora College's web site.

External links

* {{authority control Universities and colleges in the territories of Canada Education in the Northwest Territories Educational institutions established in 1981 1981 establishments in Canada