The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is split into two primary campuses: the main campus, UNB Fredericton (UNBF), in
Fredericton, as well as the smaller campus, UNB Saint John (UNBSJ), which is in the
Millidgeville area of
New Brunswick, next to the
Saint John Regional Hospital. As of the 2024–2025 academic year, UNB had an enrolment of 10,777, or 8,536 in Fredericton (UNBF) and 2,241 in Saint John (UNBSJ). Both campuses have undergone significant expansion over the years, and many university buildings have received funding from Lord Beaverbrook and other prominent industrialists and philanthropists. UNB's largest expansion coincided with the
baby boom, when its Fredericton campus tripled in size.
Fredericton The UNB Fredericton campus is on a hill overlooking the
Saint John River. The campus is well known for its colourful fall foliage, Georgian style red-brick buildings, and a very steep hill. UNB Fredericton has shared the "College Hill" with
St. Thomas University (STU) since 1964, when the former St. Thomas College moved from Chatham, NB (now
Miramichi). While the universities share some infrastructure, they remain separate institutions.
Relocation of the Faculty of Law In 1959, the Faculty of Law moved from Saint John to Fredericton following a report on the status of legal education in Canada by Professor Maxwell Cohen from McGill University, claiming that the Saint John Law School was only "nominally a faculty of UNB". This prompted Chancellor
Lord Beaverbrook and UNB President
Colin B. Mackay to permanently move the Law School despite the Dean's objections.
National Historic Sites in Canada, established in 1851 by
William Brydone Jack Hall, St. Thomas University Two buildings in Fredericton have been designated
National Historic Sites of Canada: the 1827
Sir Howard Douglas Hall (Old Arts), and the 1851
William Brydone Jack Observatory.
Architecture Architect
G. Ernest Fairweather designed several of the campus buildings, including the Old Civil Engineering Building (1900) and the Gymnasium (1906). In addition, several of the stained glass windows in the Convocation Hall were created by Robert McCausland Limited. UNBF's War Memorial Hall (usually referred to as Memorial Hall), originally built as a science building in 1924, honours the 35 UNB Alumni who died in
World War I. UNBF's Brigadier Milton F. Gregg, V.C., Centre for the Study of War and Society (usually referred to as The Gregg Centre) was created in 2006. The Richard J. Currie Center, a five-storey 139,000-square-foot building, was constructed in 2013.
Saint John The UNB Saint John campus (UNBSJ) is in Tucker Park in the
Millidgeville neighbourhood, several kilometres north of the city's central business district, and has views of the
Kennebecasis River and
Grand Bay-Westfield. New Brunswick's largest health care facility,
Saint John Regional Hospital, is adjacent to the UNBSJ campus. Aside from UNB's own facilities, the Saint John campus houses Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick for
Dalhousie University, as well as the Gerald S Merrithew Allied Health Education Centre for the
New Brunswick Community College. Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, which opened in the fall of 2010, is a
medical school built with provincial funding that operates as a partnership between the
Government of New Brunswick, the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine. It is the first anglophone medical school programme in New Brunswick, annually serving 40 students. is near the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick building.
History (Engineering Building), Saint John campus UNB's presence in Saint John dates back to 1923 when the Saint John Law School, established in 1892, became part of UNB. In 1953, the law school moved to the Starr Residence, known today as Beaverbrook House, which is still operated by UNBSJ. Eventually, after nearly forty years of remaining in Saint John, it relocated to the main campus in Fredericton. Starting in 1951, UNB offered summer extension courses in
Saint John High School and St. Vincent's Convent, which proved to be successful. This highlighted the existing demand for higher education in Saint John, which had been recognized by the city's
Board of Trade as early as 1947. In 1959, there was a growing interest in establishing a college in Saint John, and a group called "Saint John College Development Incorporated" began advocating for a postsecondary institution in the city. However, the proposal faced skepticism due to UNB's financial challenges and the perceived surplus of degree-granting institutions in New Brunswick. During this discussion, the City of Saint John provided the site of a former 229-acre farm on Sandy Point Road. The location was deemed advantageous due to its views, services, and its position in a rapidly developing area of the city. In September 1964, Beaverbrook House reopened as a satellite campus of UNB, enrolling 100 students. Over time, UNB Saint John expanded its operations to various locations, including the Old Provincial Building, the New Brunswick Technology Institute, the Presbyterian Church Hall, the YMCA building, as well as various high schools. Faculty recruitment posed a challenge, with many commuting from Fredericton or hired from high schools. Simultaneously, plans for a new campus on the Tucker Park site progressed, with UNB's consulting architects, Larson and Larson, tasked with preparing a concept plan. The initial construction cost was $1,350,000, which was part of a $10 million fundraising campaign led by UNB. In the same year, G. Forbes Elliot took the role as UNB Saint John's first principal. In 1965, the City of Saint John transferred ownership of 87 acres of land for the new campus. Construction on the Tucker Park campus began in 1966, and the site officially opened in 1969, featuring Hazen Hall, Ganong Hall, and the Ward Chipman Library. The campus expanded over the next two decades, constructing the G. Forbes Elliot Athletics Centre in 1975, the
Canada Games Stadium in 1985, and the Thomas J. Condon Student Centre in 1986. Despite these developments, UNBSJ was considered a
commuter campus until 1993, following the construction of the Sir James Dunn Residence. Additional buildings were constructed over subsequent years, such as the
K.C. Irving Hall, the Dr. Colin B. Mackay Residence, and the
Hans W. Klohn Commons.
Architecture Construction on the Hans W. Klohn Commons began on April 1, 2010, and the building officially opened on September 7, 2011. This building is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in
Atlantic Canada. The building features an electric elevator that produces power for the commons. The building is part of the Tucker Park enhancement project, which includes the refurbishment of the Canada Games Stadium, the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick facility, and the New Brunswick Community College's Allied Health building. The Commons houses the library, Writing Centre, Math and Science Help Centre, an IT help desk, and the Commons Cafe. UNBSJ's third residence building, named the Barry and Flora Beckett Residence, opened in Winter 2021 and is a geothermally-heated building, offering 104 beds. The naming of the residence building honors the Becketts; two prominent figures in the campus' history. Dr. Barry Beckett was once a chemistry professor during UNB Saint John's earlier days as a campus in Uptown Saint John, while Flora Beckett taught mathematics and served as the director at the Math Help Centre. In light of the announcement regarding the Integrated Health Initiative (IHI), plans were made to reconstruct the Ward Chipman Library, which had been unused ever since being replaced by the Hans W. Klohn Commons, into the
Health and Social Innovation Centre (HSIC). Although it was initially planned to be renovated, the former library was demolished in 2023 to be replaced by the HSIC. ==Research and academics==