Sheila Bautz
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Special to the Herald
The province of Saskatchewan attracts international scholars and produces home-grown minds.
Both near and abroad, scholars migrate to the prairie province to attain the highest standards in education. Showcased in the land of the living skies are three universities and numerous high quality post-secondary institutions.
“Our province’s future depends on a well-educated, innovative and passionate generation of leaders,” said Ken Cheveldayoff, the Saskatchewan Minister for Advanced Education. “Saskatchewan’s post-secondary institutions deliver exceptional education, training and research opportunities that respond to the province’s labour force and community needs while preparing students for a prosperous future.”
Saskatchewan is the land base for three world-class universities on the prairies through the University of Regina (URegina), The First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) and the University of Saskatchewan (USask). Each university offers courses and programs in a variety of academic disciplines that result in degrees, diplomas and certificates at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels. The universities also offer distance learning and correspondence courses in a wide variety of fields to hone or up-grade existing knowledge bases, which employers highly value.
The University of Regina (URegina) offers campus locations in Regina and Saskatoon on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 territories. URegina prides itself on the academic accomplishments of their faculty and scholars. In 2020, the university ranked first for undergraduate research, as well as being designated as one of Canada’s top 15 comprehensive universities. The URegina campus is all inclusive with scholars from around the world attending from 90 countries. URegina works closely with The First Nations University of Canada.
The First Nations University of Canada’s (FNUniv) has a 40-year history of being Indigenous-owned, operated and controlled. The main campus is situated on the Star Blanket Cree Nation’s atim kȃ-mihkosit (Red Dog) urban reserve, which is also the location of URegina. There are additional specialized campuses located in Saskatoon and Prince Albert.
The FNUniv is a unique Canadian institution with specialization in Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous based knowledge systems within a culturally supportive environment. The university welcomes enrollment of international Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars with a goal to enhance educational opportunities for all people.
“FNUniv gave me more than an education, they gave me my identity by teaching me my Indigenous culture,” said Jada Yee in a public statement, a scholar at FNUniv. “I owe a great deal of my success to the staff and Elders at FNUniv that embedded our Indigenous teachings in me. At FNUniv you are more than a student, you are seen as family to the staff.”
The FNUniv is also home to the National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE) that focuses on national and international networking. In 2023, URegina and FNUniv joined a partnership with the Asian Indigenous institution — the Mongolian National University (MNU) — with a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
“The importance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems is becoming increasingly apparent,” said Jacqueline Ottmann, President of the FNUniv about the MOU, “and this international collaboration will benefit, not only our institutions, but language and cultural sustainability initiatives globally.”
The MOU formalized the partnership between URegina, FNUniv and MNU. The international universities share a goal for powerful collaboration on education and research to benefit students, faculty members and institutions. It established the partnership opportunities based on the three universities shared values of manacihitowin (let us lead with respect), wahkohtowin (kinship connections), wichitowin (sharing and learning together) and sîhtoskatowin (being or standing together in support).
“The Faculty of Education and University of Regina are honoured to be included as a partner on this new agreement with First Nations University of Canada and the Mongolian National University,” said Jerome Cranston, Dean of the Faculty at URegina. “The MOU extends the Faculty’s long-standing commitment to support the ongoing development of healthier communities and people.”
At the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask), the main campus is located in Saskatoon on Treaty 6 Territory, the traditional home of the Métis. USask is a historical campus with an outstanding reputation for providing expertise and shaping experts in a variety of fields. The university teaches scholars from 131 countries.
In addition to the URegina, FNUniv and USask, the province of Saskatchewan proudly offers numerous federated colleges, affiliated colleges, polytechnics, Indigenous colleges, regional colleges, career colleges, French focused bilingual university experiences and health programs. International scholars abound and many homegrown academic achievers understand that it is never too late to register for enrollment into one of the many top education institutes located on the Saskatchewan prairies.
For instance, Saskatchewan is home to the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research (GDI) with locations in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, La Loche and other community location sites. The GDI ensures a strong Métis voice as a post-secondary education provider, employment trainer and a cultural resource producer.
The Gabriel Dumont Institute is also partnered with the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP) with universities to offer accredited classes leading to degrees for students. SUNTEP is a four year, fully accredited direct entry Bachelor of Education program with an emphasis on Métis history, Michif language, social justice, anti-racist and anti-oppressive education. The SUNTEP program offers extensive classroom experience with vast knowledge on existing educational issues. SUNTEP is offered by GDI in cooperation of USask and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education.
Another example is the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), which is a First Nations-governed educational institution. SIIT focuses on vocational and technical training alongside services and supports for employment and career growth. The SIIT has campus locations in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and other community sites.
In addition to the main universities in Saskatchewan, the province offers six affiliated colleges and federated colleges, such as Campion College, St. Peter’s College, Luther College and St. Thomas More College. There are technical institutes, known as Polytechnics, that offer apprenticeship training, degrees, certificates and diplomas.
The 2025 fall term for post-secondary academic education enrollment is estimated at 54,000 students. The new energy, vibrance and optimism of scholars reflects onto the province’s communities, including with infusions of international students contributing to the excitement as they are welcomed from abroad. In addition, mature students and adults returning to university and colleges to enhance and build on their existing training and real-world work experience is an asset in itself.
