As the days start to get longer and brighter, Queen’s typically hosts hundreds of prospective students and their families and supporters so they can get a feel for the campus as they make their university decision. While COVID-19 has resulted in the continued cancellation of all in-person tours, Queen’s is now bringing the campus to applicants with a new virtual tour.

“The visits many students make to the university this time of year are important because they want to experience the campus first-hand to find out if they can see themselves living and learning here,” says Chris Coupland, Executive Director (Acting), Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment. “The new virtual tour can never replace our actual campus, but it can give prospective students a sense of what it’s like to be part of the Queen’s community.”

On the virtual tour, prospective students and their supporters can get an up-close look at some of the places central to first-year life on campus, including the Queen’s Centre, the Athletics and Recreation Centre, residences, and Mitchell Hall. Each section of the tour is interactive with photographs, videos, and information about Queen’s and Kingston. The tour is divided into two parts, one focusing on academics and the other on student life.

“Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be adding more material, including interactive 360 images that can help students feel like they’re navigating the campus environment in person,” says Allison Yokom, Director, Undergraduate Enrolment. “Among other features, prospective students will soon be able to read information in multiple languages and take a virtual tour of the Bader International Study Centre campus in the U.K.”

Along with the virtual tour, prospective students can connect with campus tour guides who have created a video tour on Instagram and are also available for one-on-one virtual appointments.

For those who do visit Kingston, Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment has created a self-guided tour of the campus. Visitors are asked to follow all health and safety protocols and to keep in mind that most university buildings are closed due to the pandemic.

Take the virtual tour on the Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment Website.

Recruiting the Class of 2025

Despite the pandemic, prospective students are showing a strong interest in Queen’s this year, as the university has received over 50,000 applications for just over 4,700 spaces in direct-entry, first-year undergraduate programs across all faculties and schools. First-year applications to Queen’s are up 13 per cent from this time last year.

Applications from self-identified Indigenous students are up 18 per cent. Applications are also up 14 per cent for self-identified first-generation students and 12 per cent for international students.

Queen’s has begun sending out offers of admission and will continue to do so until the middle of May.

The university is looking forward to expanding on-campus activities in the fall term. For the latest information on the university’s planning for the 2021-22 academic year on the Queen’s COVID-19 Information website.