Kwantlen University

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Motto	Through Tireless Effort, Knowledge, and Understanding
Type	Public
Established	1981
Chairperson	Hanne Madsen
Chancellor	George Melville
President	Dr. Alan Davis
Provost	Dr. Salvador Ferreras
Academic staff	1,400
Students	20,000
Location	Surrey, Richmond, Langley, Cloverdale, British Columbia, Canada
Campus	Urban, 92.988 acres (0.376 km²) net
Colours	Rich Burgundy      White
Affiliations	AUCC, IAU, CICan, ACU, CBIE, CUP
Mascot	Eagle
Website	kpu.ca

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (commonly abbreviated to KPU) is a public degree-granting undergraduate polytechnic university in British Columbia with campuses located in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, and Langley. KPU is one of the largest institutions by enrollment in British Columbia with a total of 20,000 students and 1,400 faculty members across its four locations, encompassing the Metro Vancouver district. KPU operates as the only English-language polytechnic university in Canada and provides undergraduate and vocational education including bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, apprenticeships and citations in more than 120 diverse programs. The school operates largely as an undergraduate polytechnic university but also functions as a vocational and technical school, offering apprenticeships for the skilled trades and diplomas in vocational education for skilled technicians and workers in support roles in professions such as engineering, accountancy, business administration, nursing, medicine, architecture, and criminology.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University was founded as Kwantlen College in 1981 as a response to the growing need for expanded vocational training across the Fraser Valley. In 1988, it became a university college. In 2008, the provincial government announced its intention to amend the University Act to appoint Kwantlen University College a polytechnic university. The legislation renaming the university college to university received royal assent on May 29, 2008 and KPU began operation as Kwantlen Polytechnic University on September 1, 2008.