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For the first time in more than sixty years, the Université de Sudbury will offer science courses and laboratories for French-language students. It’s an evolution made possible through an agreement with Collège Boréal to lease science lab space and equipment, states a release from the two post-secondary institutions in Sudbury.
Under this agreement, students enrolled in science programs at Université de Sudbury will have access to “modern, high-quality laboratory facilities,” states the release.
The partnership aims to expand access to university studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), “while generating significant economies of scale and strengthening long-standing ties between the region’s two francophone institutions.”
Located on the campus of Laurentian University and formerly federated with LU, the University of Sudbury announced its plans to create a French-language university back in 2021, when Laurentian severed ties with its federated universities.
With the backing of the Francophone community, the Université de Sudbury fought to make the project a reality, despite setbacks including the province’s 2023 rejection of a standalone proposal by the U of S.
But in 2024, the school announced it was partnering with the University of Ottawa to offer French-language classes in Sudbury as of the fall of 2025, although provincial funding had not been announced until this summer. The Université also invested $18 million of its own funds in the project since 2021.
The release states this announcement is part of the ongoing revitalization of Université de Sudbury, “which has reached several significant milestones in recent years.”
The release notes that in 2022, the institution received accreditation from the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB), enabling it to offer publicly funded university programming. It also established a partnership with the University of Ottawa in 2023–2024, secured funding from the Government of Ontario in 2025, and welcomed its first student cohort in more than sixty years in September 2025.
“With this new milestone, Université de Sudbury reaffirms its mission to provide high-quality French-language university education delivered by highly qualified faculty and staff, and to contribute actively to the development of a bilingual workforce in Northern Ontario,” states the release.
“This partnership with Université de Sudbury reflects Boréal’s strong spirit of collaboration over the past 30 years, supporting the growth of Francophone communities across Ontario,” Said Collège Boréal president, Daniel Giroux, in the release. “By leveraging our infrastructure and expertise, we are increasing access to French-language studies in the sciences and contributing to the development of a highly skilled workforce that benefits the entire region.”
Serge Miville, president and vice-chancellor of Université de Sudbury stated that the “Université de Sudbury is strengthening and expanding its French-language university programming through strategic partnerships that improve access to state-of-the-art infrastructure.”
“We are proud to partner with Collège Boréal to provide our students with high-quality science laboratories, while maximizing the effective-use of public funds.”
