The University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta is one of Canada's top seven research universities. Founded in 1966, the university has around 28,000 students today, including 900 international students from 87 countries, and offers over 100 programs in post-secondary education. Between 5,000 and 7,000 students graduate from the university every year.

The university is one of the 17 Networks of Centers of Excellence, designed to improve Canada's economy and the quality of life of its people.

The university campus spreads over 213 hectares and houses 17 faculties, 53 departments and over 30 research centers. The prominent faculties include the Haskayne School of business and the Schulich School of Engineering. The university is Calgary's fourth largest employer, with more than 2,500 full-time equivalent support staff.

The undergraduate students' newspaper is The Gauntlet. The university is home to the CJSW radio station, playing at 90.9 FM.

The motto of the university is Mo Shile Togam Suas, Gaelic for "I will lift up my eyes". The university's mascot is Rex, a dinosaur. In Canadian Interuniversity Sport, the university is represented by the Calgary Dinos. The campus houses the Olympic Oval, a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, during which it came to be known as "the fastest ice on earth."

Their distinguished alumni include James Gosling, the inventor of the popular Java programming language, who graduated in computer science in 1977, and Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. At last count, 37 CEOs in Calgary were alumni from the university.