7 Student support
In this section
Student affairs
The Student Affairs service supports the University’s mission of academic excellence by providing students with services that enable them to be happy and healthy and to thrive as they pursue their ambitions and grow as human beings. The service, supervised by the provost and vice-president, academic affairs, ensures that students benefit fully from their university experience. We recruit the best talent, we support them throughout their time at the University and we prepare them for successful careers and further studies.
The Student Affairs service encompasses five main sectors, all of which are supported by a series of shared services:
- Student health, wellness and support
- Career development and experiential learning
- University recreation and sports
- Customer relations
- Office of the Registrar and Enrolment Management
Student health, wellness and support
Student health and wellness is a priority for us. Consequently, the Student Health and Wellness Centre provides physical and mental health services. No one expects you to be a professional counsellor. However, everyone has a role to play in our caring community.
Learn more about how you can help others.
Case management: We have a team of case managers who want to help more than anything else. The team offers non-clinical case management services to students with complex needs.
Academic Accommodations Service: Students with disabilities have access to specialized learning tools, including personal study plans and adapted exam, transcription and interpretation services.
Career development and experiential learning
Preparing students to land the job of their dreams is one of our greatest strengths. Nine out of 10 of our students take part in experiential learning, which helps them to develop valuable professional skills through our many paid co-op career experience programs (alternating work and study terms), community and volunteer placements and research activities. We encourage you to explore how you can include these experiences in your courses.
Career Corner: A one-stop shop for career resources and experiential learning opportunities. Expert career counsellors help students match their program choices to their career aspirations by providing career, program and networking advice throughout their studies and up to two years after graduation. University of Ottawa graduates can also use these career development services for alumni.
Community engagement and volunteering: Students can apply what they’ve learned in the classroom by volunteering in Ottawa and around the world. They help others while helping themselves. Our Community Service Learning (CSL) program allows students to replace course assignments with volunteer work placements in their area of studies. We will help you with the program. If you would like to join forces, contact the community engagement team at the Career Corner.
Co-op program: You could hire a campus-based research or teaching assistant through our renowned program. Let us know if there are employers in your network who wish to hire a co-op student.
University recreation and sports
A healthy body means a healthy mind that is ready to learn. Cheering on our Gee-Gees competitive and varsity teams boosts school spirit. From the Panda Game to the Capital Hoops Classic, our competitive spirit is a major source of pride for the University.
As a professor, you can take advantage of the following:
- Staff-only hours at the fitness centre and the Montpetit Hall pool
- Staff-only fitness classes
- Staff-only yoga and intensive training classes (registration required)
- Walk-in, open training activities
Note: Access depends on registration type.
Learn more on the Athletics and recreation website.
Boost your sense of belonging:
Customer relations
This sector supervises food services, University of Ottawa student cards, U-Passes, on- and off-campus housing assignments and relations with the two student unions. There are excellent venues where you can eat on campus, including our award-winning dining room, and fantastic resources such as the campus bookstore.
You’ll find a wide range of great places to eat on campus.
To make things simpler, you can order textbooks and course materials that your groups will need and have them sent directly to the campus bookstore. That way, you won’t have to scour the entire city to find what they need. We’ll send you an email reminder every term about deadlines for submitting your purchase orders. If you’re organizing an on-campus event, you can work with Conventions and Reservations.
You can book our residences in summer for short-term stays from May to August. That can be ideal if you’re organizing a conference or are expecting visitors, as they are affordable accommodations.
Office of the registrar and enrolment management
The Office of the Registrar oversees admission and recruitment, academic support, financial assistance and scholarships, and recruits the best and brightest. It also ensures that day-to-day academic operations and processes run smoothly.
Academic support: The Academic Writing Help Centre (AWHC) enables students to strengthen their writing skills with the help of mentors.
Program changes: For questions concerning program changes, refer students to infoservice@uOttawa.ca or to faculty advisors. The program and course catalogue contains detailed information about courses and prerequisites.
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