How Post-Secondary Education Works in Yukon: Institutions, Degrees and Credentials
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published May 20, 2024 • Canadian Universities & Colleges
Yukon has one public post-secondary institution, Yukon University in Whitehorse, offering certificates through bachelor's degrees across a network of 13 campuses. It became a university in 2020, the first north of the 60th parallel in Canada.
🎓 Credentials range from certificates and diplomas to bachelor's degrees and apprenticeships
🏠 13 campuses and learning centres serve students across the territory, based in Whitehorse
📩 Open Studies lets you take up to 6 credits a term without applying to a full program
🎓 High School Dual Credit gives Yukon high schoolers up to 2 free university courses a year
⏱️ Many Yukon students transfer credits into a bachelor's program outside the territory to finish a specialization
Yukon's one public post-secondary institution
Yukon has a single public post-secondary institution: Yukon University , based in Whitehorse at 500 University Drive and operating across a network of 13 campuses, institutes and centres throughout the territory. It became Yukon University in 2020, converting from Yukon College and gaining the authority to grant its own degrees. That made it the first university north of the 60th parallel in Canada.
Every student who studies inside Yukon studies here, whether the goal is a trades certificate, a diploma or a bachelor's degree. The Office of the Registrar handles admissions, enrollment and student records across all programs and campuses.
What you can study
Yukon University groups programs into schools: Health, Education and Human Services, Science, Business and Leadership, Trades and Apprenticeships, Social Sciences and Humanities, and Indigenous Governance. It also runs a Culinary Arts program and the Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining, which delivers training for the territory's resource sector.
Continuing Studies adds standalone certificates and short courses for people upgrading a specific skill without enrolling in a full program.
Why the network of campuses matters
Yukon is geographically large and thinly populated outside Whitehorse. Delivering programs through a network of 13 campuses, institutes and centres rather than one central location means students in smaller communities can start or complete courses closer to home, instead of having to relocate to Whitehorse for every program. Course delivery and availability still varies by campus, so confirm which of your program's courses run at your local campus versus online or in Whitehorse only.
The credential ladder
Programs sit at different levels, and the level determines how long you study and what doors the credential opens.
| Credential | What it means |
|---|---|
| Certificate | Shortest credential, often one year or less, built around one skill set |
| Diploma | Typically two years, broader curriculum than a certificate |
| Bachelor's degree | Four year credential in select fields, the highest credential Yukon University grants on its own |
| Apprenticeship | Paid on the job training combined with technical training blocks, leading to Red Seal certification in most trades |
Indigenous governance and a northern focus
Yukon University runs a dedicated Indigenous Governance program and describes reconciliation as part of its institutional mission, reflecting the territory's Yukon First Nations population and self government agreements. If your interest is Indigenous governance, self government or northern policy, this program cluster is the starting point.
Student support services
Yukon University runs Accessibility Services for students who need academic accommodations, and offers Campus Housing for students who relocate to attend, both administered through the same institution rather than a separate agency. If you plan to move to Whitehorse or another campus community from elsewhere in the territory, or from outside Yukon, contact these offices early since housing and accommodation arrangements take time to set up before term starts.
Two ways to start before committing to a full program
Open Studies: take up to 6 credits a term without applying to or being accepted into a specific program. Useful if you want to test a subject, raise your average or build a transcript before applying formally.
High School Dual Credit: Yukon high school students take up to 2 tuition free university courses a year. The credit counts toward high school graduation and toward a future Yukon University program at the same time.
Who oversees quality and degree granting
Because Yukon University is the territory's only public post-secondary institution, oversight runs directly through the Yukon Department of Education rather than through a separate multi-institution board that reviews and compares degree proposals from several universities, the kind of body larger provinces run. Yukon University's own governing legislation sets out what it can and cannot grant on its own.
If you need to confirm how a Yukon credential is recognized outside the territory, the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials keeps a national directory of recognized institutions and can point you to the right contact.
Moving between institutions
Many Yukon students start with a certificate or the first year or two of a diploma at Yukon University, then transfer into a bachelor's program at a university outside the territory to finish a specialization Yukon University does not offer on its own. Transfer credit is not automatic anywhere in Canada. The receiving university's admissions or registrar's office evaluates your Yukon University transcript course by course, and decides what counts.
Start that conversation early. Contact the receiving institution's registrar before your final term in Yukon, find out exactly which courses will transfer and which will not, and plan your remaining Yukon University courses around that answer rather than after the fact.
Academic calendar
Yukon University runs Fall, Winter and Spring intakes across most schools, with individual programs setting their own start terms. Some trades and health programs run on a cohort schedule with a single yearly start rather than continuous intake, so check the specific program page for its pattern before you build an application timeline.