Commemorating our Directory of Canadian Universities

Those of you who have followed Universities Canada’s work will be familiar with our annual publication called the Directory of Canadian Universities (DCU). This print guide covered everything from scholarship information and fees to programs and facilities and has been in circulation for over 60 years.

Normally at this time of year, we would be releasing the publication for ordering. But with information going digital, we decided to stop producing it for good in 2021. Today, one year after discontinuing the publication, we’ve decided to look back at its history and contributions to Canadian postsecondary.

History of the directory

The directory has its roots in the 1950s and was even co-published with Statistics Canada for a while. It was a staple piece in guidance counsellor offices, libraries and Canadian missions abroad for many years, with the national study programs index as its most popular feature.

In the 1990s, the DCU broke new ground by becoming the first association publication produced fully in-house. In 1998, an online version was launched with financial support from the federal government. Check it out on our Internet Archive.

Information is now online

If you were a regular reader of the directory, don’t fret! Information on Canadian universities is now available on the universitystudy.ca and etudesuniversitaires.ca websites, which reach 70,000 visitors monthly and will continue the mission started by the DCU.

A big thank you to all the staff, current and past, who worked on the print edition and helped lay the foundation of our online success.