Are you looking for an intensive, interdisciplinary academic experience while learning and socializing within a close-knit and lively community? Consider King’s.

At King's, you'll experience the academic excellence found in an Ivy League school with the added benefit of the new insights that come from studying and living in another country.

There have been 20 Rhodes Scholars from King’s, including Rosanna Nicol, who was awarded the prestigious scholarship in 2009. She is currently attending Oxford. Our students have also pursued graduate studies at Harvard, Cambridge and Columbia, to name a few.

Great books...with a difference

Picture yourself surveying the history of Western civilization from ancient-world beginnings to contemporary times by engaging with great books. Then imagine doing this where traditional boundaries between the disciplines are removed. This is the Foundation Year Programme at King’s. FYP is a highly-respected first year of study where English, history, philosophy and sociology come together in a single course, allowing humanity’s ideas and dilemmas to be discussed from many perspectives.

You will be an integral part of that discussion, as you, your colleagues and professors are challenged and moved by texts including The Aeneid, The Divine Comedy, and The Ego and the Id. After first year, continue your interdisciplinary exploration through upper-year programmes.
 

Student engagement

King’s ranked first in Canada for student satisfaction in the 2008  National Survey of Student Engagement. With a student body of just over 1,200, King’s is a community where your professors really do know you. Intellectually lively, brimming with extracurricular opportunities and tradition – including a monthly formal meal where faculty and students don academic gowns and dine together – there is a special spirit at King’s.
 

Rich history

King’s rich history includes American connections. The first King’s College was founded by King George II in New York in 1756. The college’s short life ended with the American Revolution and King’s was later reorganized as Columbia. Anglican Loyalists who moved to Nova Scotia in the wake of the revolution founded the University of King’s College in Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1789. It was the first university to be established in English Canada. Following a devastating fire in 1920, King’s accepted the terms of a generous grant from the Carnegie Foundation of New York to rebuild in Halifax, and entered into association with Dalhousie University.  
 

King’s + Dalhousie

Wonderful synergies happen when a small liberal arts college partners with a world-renowned teaching and research institution. King’s and Dalhousie University, which has a student population of about 16,000, share a campus and faculties of arts and science. This means King’s students can seamlessly access over 2,500 classes and programmes from both institutions and a variety of library and athletic facilities.

Global citizenship

Broaden your global outlook by bringing together your new understanding from King’s interdisciplinary approach and the experience of living in another country. While Canadian and American cultures have many similarities, there are interesting differences, too. And if you want to look beyond North American borders, the world is open to you through over 60 different exchange programmes offered in association with Dalhousie University. 

After King’s

The skills you learn at King’s – to think critically, write effectively, and defend positions while being open to others’ viewpoints – will serve you well, no matter what career paths you follow. King’s graduates have applied these skills to many settings including education, medicine, law, journalism, the arts, international development, public policy and business.

Affordable excellence

As an American student attending King’s you will receive an outstanding liberal arts education at exceptional value. King’s and other Canadian universities receive significant government funding, which ensures a high level of quality and speaks to the value that Canada places on higher education. 

In addition, King’s offers a $2,250 renewable entrance award to all American students who have not previously attended a post-secondary institution. 
 

Location, location, location

Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia and the business and cultural centre of the region, is a historic city with a youthful heart. The population of Halifax is about 400,000 and the average age is 28, due in large part to the six universities that call Halifax home. Flight time from Boston is well under two hours and the drive is about 12 hours.

King’s is in the centre of Halifax. The university’s buildings, with their beautiful architecture, frame a quad which is much more than a green space. It’s the meeting place. Students and faculty chat, jam sessions break out and a moment can be found to read a book under a tree. When it’s time to stretch your legs, enjoy a host of downtown restaurants, a lively waterfront, cultural events and musical performances, all a walk away.

Weather forecast

“If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” is a saying you’ll hear more than once in Nova Scotia. As in New England, rain, sunshine and snow are all part of the meteorological menu. Halifax has a temperate climate and enjoys a particularly beautiful fall. Winter can be cold, but with warm clothing and boots you’ll be fine, and you might even take part in an impromptu hockey game – there have been times when the quad at King’s has been turned into a makeshift hockey rink.

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U.S. Students and Parent Testimonials