Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MTA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts college located in Sackville, New Brunswick. It has been ranked the top undergraduate university in the country 21 times in the past 29 years by Maclean's magazine, a record unmatched by any other university. With a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the average first-year class size is 60 and upper-year classes average 14 students.
Mount Allison University was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccalaureate to a woman (Grace Annie Lockhart, B.Sc, 1875). Mount Allison graduates have been awarded a total of 55 Rhodes Scholarships. American chemist James B. Sumner, who later won Nobel Prize in Chemistry, used to work at Mount Allison as a teaching fellow. Mount Allison also has one of the largest endowments per student in Canada.
A liberal arts & sciences education
At Mount Allison, our approach to liberal arts and sciences allows you to gain a broad knowledge base through learning across disciplines while developing a deeper knowledge of specific academic disciplines through advanced study in your chosen major and minor.
Benefits of a liberal arts & sciences education
Skills that last a lifetime
A liberal arts and sciences education from Mount Allison will teach you important skills that can help you thrive, both personally and professionally, in today's ever-changing world. You'll gain critical thinking, communication, research, and problem-solving skills – and that's just the beginning.
You'll benefit from:
- the flexibility to explore a wide range of courses
- small class sizes
- hands-on learning experiences
- easy access to award-winning professors
- a close-knit and engaging community
At Mount Allison, our education is designed with one goal in mind: to give our students the best possible chance at a meaningful career, and fulfilling life.
The small class difference
Build bonds that will provide you with countless learning opportunities.?
We like to call it the small class difference — you'll be able to connect with your professors both inside and outside the classroom. These meaningful interactions will guide you throughout your degree and help you figure out your future.
By the numbers:
- Approximately 2,100 students
- Average first-year class size is 60, one of the smallest in the country
- Upper-year classes average 14
- A low full-time student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1
- One-on-one independent studies
At Mount Allison, you'll have the space to collaborate, the confidence to ask questions, and the freedom to share your ideas.
Teaching excellence
High-quality teaching is at the core of what makes us distinct.?
Professors come to Mount Allison from all over the world to focus on teaching while actively pursuing their research.
At Mount Allison, you'll be mentored, taught, challenged, and encouraged by accomplished leaders in their field:
- Eight Mount Allison professors have been named 3M National Teaching Fellows — Canada’s top teaching honor
- Four Mount Allison professors are Canada Research Chairs — the highest research honor in the country
- Our faculty ranks first in national awards won in the 2020 Maclean's magazine's annual university rankings (primarily undergraduate category)
Mount Allison consistently ranks among Canada's best undergraduate universities.
Discover how Mount Allison compares against other Canadian universities in some of the key areas students consider when choosing a university.
Student experience and engagement
In Maclean’s 2020 University Rankings, Mount Allison ranked #1 in student satisfaction, as well as on a variety of student satisfaction measures including:
- first — course instructors
- first — student life staff
- first — administrative staff
- first — extracurricular activities
- first — experiential learning
- second — academic advising staff
- second — residence living
- third — mental health services
- fifth — steps to prevent sexual assault
- sixth — promoting Indigenous visibility
The annual National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) surveys students at many Canadian and U.S. universities.
Student experience. The 2017 NSSE survey finds that Mount Allison students are more likely than students at other Canadian institutions to:
- work on research projects directly with professors
- be involved in on-campus events
- be encouraged to attend social and cultural activities
- interact with faculty members on activities other than coursework
Mount Allison students also report higher overall satisfaction than students at other schools. Over 80 percent of first-year students, and more than 90 percent of senior students, rate their experience at Mount Allison as excellent or good.
