Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Christian liberal arts college and research university with campuses in Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. TWU is a research institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the humanities and sciences as well as in several professional schools. The school is a member of Universities Canada and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western enrols over 6,000 students annually. As Canada's largest Christian university, TWU offers 48 undergraduate degree programs and 20 graduate degree programs. TWU has an average first-year class size of 25 students. There are over 30,000 TWU alumni around the world.
Trinity Western is a member of the Royal Society of Canada. Its varsity teams, known as the Trinity Western Spartans, are members of U Sports. The Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS National Championships and 34 Canada West Championships.
Dr. Todd F. Martin is TWU’s sixth president, inaugurated on April 24, 2025.
In April 2025, it was announced that Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in Deerfield, Illinois, would join with Trinity Western University and cease operations at its Chicago-area campus.
History Trinity Western University traces its history back to 1957, when a committee was established by the Evangelical Free Church of America to study and consider the feasibility of a liberal arts college on North America's Pacific Coast. The committee decided on a location between Vancouver and Seattle, in rural British Columbia, in what is now the Township of Langley. Trinity Junior College began as a two-year college in 1962, and its name was changed to Trinity Western College 10 years later, following a significant period of growth in enrolment and program options. After 20 years as a transfer college, Trinity Western began awarding baccalaureate degrees in 1980. In 1985 the British Columbia provincial government, through the Trinity Western University Act, legislated the institution to its current position as a privately-funded Christian university and it became known as Trinity Western University. It is the fourth-oldest university in the province of British Columbia after the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Insignia and symbols Trinity Western's motto is Turris Fortis Deus Noster. The Latin motto is translated as "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". The inspiration for the motto came from a famous hymn of the same name written by Martin Luther.
The university's coat of arms was granted by the Royal College of Arms, and was presented to University pPresident R. Neil Snider in 1986 by the Lieutenant Governor of B.C. on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A torch symbol is also used prevalently at the university, as the coat of arms is reserved to authenticate the highest official University academic and legal documents.
Spartans is the nickname of the varsity teams that compete for Trinity Western University. The name, which comes from the Ancient Greek civilization of Sparta, originated when the university's first intercollegiate team the men's basketball team, began competing in 1964.
Academic programs Trinity Western University is an independent privately-supported institution and offers a liberal arts education. Since its founding in 1962, it has identified as a Christian institution although it has always been governed independently from any church or religious organization. It is currently administered by a 17-member Board of Governors to which the President reports.
Undergraduates fulfill general education requirements, choose among a wide variety of elective courses, and pursue departmental concentrations and interdisciplinary certificate programs. Students usually take classes through the university's semester system, with three semesters taking place each year. The fall semester lasts from September to December, and the spring semester from January to April. For students wishing to take classes over summer, the university offers several courses on campus as well as travel studies through its summer semester programming, which runs from May to August.
Graduate students take courses through the School of Graduate Studies. Master's degree programs are available in the humanities, education, linguistics, psychology, business, nursing, and theology.
Undergraduate tuition for the 2025–26 academic year is $779 CDN per credit hour. International students pay roughly the same fees as Canadian domestic students. 97% of students received scholarships and financial aid from TWU in 2019.
In 2021, TWU launched a new Executive MBA (EMBA) program with students from diverse industries and professions, and in 2022, TWU welcomed the first cohort into its first-ever PhD program, a Doctorate in Philosophy of Nursing.[
Undergraduate Undergraduate degrees awarded by Trinity Western University include the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Education, and Bachelor of Human Kinetics. There is also a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering transfer program in collaboration with the University of British Columbia's engineering department. Honours programs are available in a number of majors.
Undergraduate courses in the humanities are traditionally either seminars or lectures held one- or two-times a week with an additional conversation-based seminar called a "discussion group". To graduate, all students must complete a liberal arts core curriculum known as the "University Core", comprising 18 classes of various subjects. Students have a high degree of latitude in creating a self-structured Core, which allows students to study subjects of interest outside their chosen major. Most of the Core classes at Trinity Western are led by a full-time professor (as opposed to a teaching assistant).
Within the 18 classes, students complete a two-semester English language requirement, along with courses from the fine arts, natural sciences, philosophy, history, sociology, and religious studies departments, two courses of interdisciplinary studies, and up to three physical education courses.
In addition to the Core, students are required to complete an academic major. Trinity Western University grants bachelor's degrees in 45 academic majors, and 56 minors, concentrations, or certificates, with over 1,200 courses from which to choose. Students may choose courses from any of the university's faculties or schools: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences School of the Arts, Media + Culture School of Business School of Human Kinetics School of Education School of Nursing Catholic Pacific College, Trinity Western's constituent Catholic college
Whereas most courses are offered on Trinity Western's main campus in Langley, students may study in Richmond, British Columbia; or online. Furthermore, many take part in travel studies and exchange programs at partner institutions or universities across the globe. Students are also free to design their own courses with the support of a faculty member or member of the administration.
Graduate Trinity Western offers graduate programs through its School of Graduate Studies, either at the Langley or Richmond campus, including: Master of Arts in Biblical Studies Master of Business Administration Master of Science in Nursing Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology Master of Arts in Educational Leadership Master of Arts Linguistics Master of Arts Educational Studies - Special Education Master of Arts Interdisciplinary Humanities Master of Arts in Leadership Master of Arts in Leadership - Business Stream in Mandarin
While the MBA program offers specializations in International Business and Managing a Growing Enterprises, it is also one of only two MBA programs in Canada to offer a non-profit specialization.
The MA Counselling Psychology Program is currently one of only six programs in Canada that is fully accredited by CACEP, a division of the CCPA.
Trinity Western also hosts ACTS Seminaries, a group of seminaries founded when several Christian denominations partnered to establish an institution that would train men and women in the study of theology and for positions as ministers. The following Masters programs are offered through ACTS Seminaries: Master of Theological Studies Master of Divinity Master of Theology Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy Master of Arts in Christian Studies Master of Arts in Linguistics and Translation Doctor of Ministry
Cancelled Faculty of Law
In July 2012, the university submitted a proposal to offer a Juris Doctor program.Proposed School of Law at TWU | Trinity Western University . Twu.ca (January 20, 2014). Retrieved April 12, 2014. The proposal was put forth to the provincial Ministry of Advanced Education and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, and was approved in December 2013.Federation of Law Societies of Canada Grants Preliminary Approval of Trinity Western University's Proposed Law Program - Yahoo Finance. Yahoo! Finance.com (December 16, 2013). Retrieved April 12, 2014.Statement on Trinity Western University's proposed law degree . .news.gov.bc.ca (December 18, 2013). Retrieved April 12, 2014.
On December 12, 2014, due to the ongoing lawsuits surrounding law societies voting to not automatically accredit TWU law students upon graduation, B.C. Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk revoked the province's approval of the proposed law school at Trinity Western University.Trinity Western law school: B.C. advanced education minister revokes approval | CBC (December 11, 2014) Retrieved on December 12, 2014. In his letter to the school's administration, he expressed the importance of the legal process and encouraged TWU to re-apply once the court cases have been settled.
Student life In 2011, Trinity Western received an A level rating in The Globe and Mails "Overall Student Satisfaction" category and an A+ rating for its "Sense of Community on Campus". Campus housing is provided to students in all years of study, and all students in their first and second year are required to live on campus in residential halls unless living with family. Third and fourth year students have the option of living off-campus. Trinity Western offers its students nearly 100 organizations, teams, and sports.
The university was founded by a committee commissioned by the Evangelical Free Church of America, a denomination in the Radical Pietistic tradition, to establish a Christian liberal arts college. Accordingly, the committee's mission has shaped the campus and the university. Trinity Western University has maintained extremely close ties with the broader Christian church, and historically has had close relationships with the Evangelical and Mainline Protestant denominations, as well as with the Mennonite tradition recently. This has also resulted in the university having a significant American influence when compared with other Canadian universities. More than one out of every six students is American.
The university previously mandated that all students abide by a code of conduct called the Community Covenant, which was described as "a solemn pledge in which members place themselves under obligations on the part of the institution to its members, the members to the institution, and the members to one another." As of August 2018, students are no longer required to sign the covenant.
The covenant bans sexual relationships outside of a marriage between a woman and a man, as well as behaviour such as hazing, verbal and physical harassment, dishonesty including plagiarism, theft or destruction of another's property, the use of illegal drugs, consuming alcohol on campus, or consuming pornography.