Trent University is a public university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Founded in 1964, the university is known for its Oxbridge college system and 11 on-campus nature reserves. The university's main Symons campus is located on the Otonabee River at the northeast corner of the City of Peterborough. In 2023, over 13,000 undergraduates and over 1,200 graduate students were enrolled at the Symons campus while Trent University Durham GTA served over 3,000 full- and part-time students at its Oshawa campus. The university is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sports by the Trent Excalibur varsity team. History
Trent University resulted from a community discussion in 1957 about the potential for a post-secondary institution in the Trent Valley."Universities in Canada" . The Canadian Encyclopedia, P. Anisef, P. Axelrod, J. Lennards, 9 March 2012 The campaign to establish Peterborough's first post-secondary institution coincided with the Ontario government's plan to create new and expand existing universities, and was furthered influenced by public pressure and the general belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society.
In 1963, Trent University was founded as a non-denominational, public institution in downtown Peterborough, Ontario. It was established as a provincial university under the Trent University Act, 1962–63."Trent University". The Canadian Encyclopedia, Robert D. Chambers 2 June 2012 In the fall of 1964, the university welcomed its first students, with its initial campus consisting of three refurbished buildings in central Peterborough: Rubidge Hall, Catherine Parr Traill College for women, and Peter Robinson College for men. Georges Vanier, the then Governor General of Canada, officially opened Trent University in the following year.Cole, A. O. C. Trent: The Making of a University, 1957-1987. Peterborough: Trent University, 1992. That same year, there were around 100 students in attendance."Trent University marks 50th anniversary of its opening". Peterborough This Week, 18 October 2014 by Paul Rellinger
Modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906, Trent established a bicameral system consisting of a senate (faculty), responsible for academic policies, and a board of governors (citizens), exercising exclusive control over financial policies and having formal authority in all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the two bodies through institutional leadership.
Canadian General Electric, a major industrial employer in Peterborough, donated a parcel of land along the Otonabee River; other lands were subsequently acquired on both sides of the river to serve as the site of the university's permanent campus. The CGE donation included a functioning hydroelectric power plant dating from the 1890s, which still generates a substantial portion of the university's electricity and produces income for the university. The power plant underwent a $22.8-million upgrade in 2013; Trent University owns 50% of the power plant with Peterborough Utilities Group owning the remaining 50%.
The university's Geography Department was set up in 1968, and in 1969 the university offered Canada's first Native Studies program."Trent University celebrates 50-year friendship with Curve Lake First Nation". Anishinabek News, 18 September 2014
+ Demographics of student body (2015–16) Undergraduate Graduate Male 34% 39.7% Female 66% 60.3% Canadian student 93.6% 84% International student 6.4% 16%
Campuses
Catharine Parr Traill College Named after pioneer writer and biologist Catharine Parr Traill, Catherine Parr Traill College is the only college situated in downtown Peterborough and is the oldest remaining college. It serves as the base for the undergraduate departments of English, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Canadian Studies and the Trent-Swansea Dual Degree in Law program. Four graduate programs have offices in the college including Public Texts (English); Cultural Studies; History; as well as the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies. Traill College is also the home of Trent University's Continuing Education program. The Continuing Education portfolio includes Careerspace micro-credentials; in 2025, the university introduced an 'AI for Business Leaders' program led by strategist Sofie Andreou, M.Eng.
The university previously owned Bradburn and Langton Houses on the adjacent London Street, but both properties were sold to the Peterborough Housing Corporation in 2009.Galen Eagle. "City gives permission to sell Langton House" , Peterborough Examiner, 5 December 2011. The Langton House property was sold to Hospice Peterborough in 2012, demolished and converted into a residential hospice.Brendan Wedley. "Planning committee approves zoning for 10-bed hospice in Langton House building" , Peterborough Examiner, 23 May 2012. In fall 1999, a university task force recommended closing the college as a cost-saving measure, which led to a flurry of protest and a successful campaign to save Traill. In 2008, it was converted to a centre of graduate studies. In 2016, an external presidential review of the college was ordered, which recommended that Traill return to its roots as a more "traditional" college, welcome back undergraduate members, and expand its services and reach into the local community.
Symons Campus As a collegiate university, the Symons campus in Peterborough is currently made up of four colleges that each have their own residence halls, amenities, academic affiliations, dons, and student government (or Cabinet). The student governments and their respective committees cooperate with the College Office in planning and delivering a variety of events for both non-resident and resident members, such as visiting guest speakers, dinners and dances, the bi-annual College Weekend, and a number of intramural co-educational sport competitions.
Champlain College Located along the Otonabee River, Champlain College was opened in 1966. It is named after the early 17th century French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who visited the Otonabee area in 1615. A noted cartographer, diplomat, and soldier, he also founded Quebec City in 1608 and his sword is featured in the Trent crest. The college originally served as an all-male residence, along with Peter Robinson College. It is home to the Political Studies department, the Trent International Office, the university bookstore, and the Trent University Alumni Association.
Lady Eaton College Established in 1968 as an all-women's college, though now co-ed, Lady Eaton College is named in honour of local resident Flora McCrea Eaton, Lady Eaton. The college contains the offices for the departments of History, Philosophy, Classics, Women's Studies, and French and Francophone Studies.
Otonabee College
Otonabee College was founded in 1972. The college's name comes from that of the Otonabee River, which derives from the Anishinaabemowin word Odenabe meaning "river that beats like a heart". Eight "houses" connected by an interior walkway called "the Link" make up Otonabee's residence. The residence is co-educational, although there are single-sex areas within the houses. Past "the Link" (a path leading to the instructional area of the college that bisects the residences) are a set of faculty offices and the main dining hall, which looks to the north and east of the grounds. The academic wing is directly connected with the Science Buildings and houses the School of Education, as well as the departments of Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Forensic Sciences, Nursing, and Computing & Information Systems. Also located in Otonabee College is the Wenjack Theatre, which provides a venue for multimedia lecture presentations, as well as theatrical productions by amateur and professional companies.
Peter Gzowski College Founded in 2003, Peter Gzowski College was named for CBC broadcaster Peter Gzowski, who was the university's eighth chancellor. At one point the college had two locations: on Argyle Street in buildings leased from the current Master's College and Seminary, which housed the Teacher Education and Nursing programs; and the Enwayaang building (Enwayaang means "the way we speak together" in Anishinaabe), which housed the Indigenous Studies, Economics, Mathematics, and Business Administration programs, as well as the First People's House of Learning. Departments at the Argyle location were moved to Enwayaang prior to the 2006–2007 academic year.
Gidigaa Migizi College In November 2023, Trent announced that its sixth college would be named Gidigaa Migizi College, after the late Gidigaa Migizi (Doug Williams), a respected member of the Trent community and an Elder and community member of Curve Lake First Nation. Meaning spotted eagle in English, the name Gidigaa Migizi College was recommended by the university's Elders & Traditional Knowledge Keepers Council and approved by Trent's Board of Governors.
The college crest, designed by First Nations artist Jared Tait, features a spotted eagle, pike, and human profile in a woodland art style. The crest and college colours of dark blue, green, and turquoise were unveiled in February 2024 at the 48th annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering. The building will include as many as 700 new residence beds, two large, flexible lecture halls that can be combined into one large space, and outdoor spaces including a rooftop balcony event space, a pavilion, and a quad. Gidigaa Migizi College will house faculty offices, classrooms, and student spaces, including a Student Services Hub. The building will be fully accessible and incorporate Indigenous design elements. It is aiming for LEED Gold certification and will incorporate geothermal heating and cooling systems.
The college is slated to open in fall 2028.
Trent University Durham GTA Campus Trent's Durham GTA campus in Oshawa has been offering courses for over 50 years, initially in classrooms rented from the Eastwood Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Later, Trent took space at Durham College and steadily expanded the range of courses available before acquiring a former elementary school on Thornton Road. The building was renovated and expanded, and was officially inaugurated on 18 October 2010 for the 2010–2011 academic year. Over 3,000 full- and part-time students attend Trent University Durham in various undergraduate- and graduate-level programs, though not all programs from the main campus are offered at the satellite campus. In addition, there are several courses offered at Trent's Durham campus that students can take and later major in (and possibly minor in) at the Peterborough campus, including biology, computer information systems, cultural studies, economics, environmental & resource studies, geography, modern languages, philosophy, political studies, and women's studies.
Former colleges
Peter Robinson College Peter Robinson College was the university's first college and was dedicated to Peter Robinson, the member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada who oversaw the migration of Irish settlers to the local area in the 1820s and the namesake of the city of Peterborough. The college once had an apartment-style residence but it ceased operations when it was sold to a private landlord in 2004. The university administration closed down the college, against the protests of many students and faculty at the time.
Julian Blackburn College