Redeemer University is a private Christian liberal arts and science university located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the community of Ancaster. Founded in 1982, Redeemer stands in the Reformed Tradition and offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Kinesiology, and Bachelor of Science degrees.
History
The college opened in 1982 as "Redeemer College", with 97 full-time and 63 part-time students. This number grew to about 250 for the 1985–1986 academic year, the final year classes met in facilities rented from the Board of Education of the City of Hamilton. In 1985 the college purchased of land in Ancaster, Ontario for the construction of a new campus. The college occupied the new facilities in August 1986 and welcomed 279 full-time students in September. In November 1986, the college held its first graduation, with 40 students graduating.
On June 25, 1998, the Ontario Government passed Bill Pr17, which granted Redeemer College the authority to offer Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Prior to that time, the college conferred a Bachelor of Christian Studies degree which was recognized by the AUCC (Association of Universities & Colleges of Canada) as comparable to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
On June 26, 2003, the Ontario Government passed Bill Pr14, granting Redeemer the authority to offer a Bachelor of Education degree to replace its B.C.Ed. degree. On December 10, 2003, the new teacher education (B.Ed.) program was granted initial accreditation by the Ontario College of Teachers, giving Redeemer the only provincially recognized Christian teacher education program (K-10) in Ontario.
In 2005, a considerable expansion to the academic facilities including the addition of the Peter Turkstra Library was completed.
Redeemer University's Arms and Badge were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on September 15, 2005.
In 1989 Redeemer University College established the Forgivable Loan Program. Under this program, parents could donate money to the Redeemer Foundation that the foundation would then loan to their children to cover all or part of their tuition and related costs. If certain minor conditions were met the loan was forgiven at the end of the year. Donors received a charitable donation tax receipt. However, the Canada Revenue Agency ruled that the donations were ineligible for tax deduction since the donors had benefited, and ordered payment of back taxes and interest from donors.
In 2011, 450 parents filed a class action suit against Redeemer to recover the cost of the disallowed donations. A settlement was reached under which the institution gave back 10% of the donations and paid the legal costs of the families.
In February 2019, a $11 million donation allowed Redeemer University to lower tuition to $9800. In early 2020, Redeemer University updated its name, formerly known as Redeemer University College after a review by Ontario's Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board. Redeemer currently has legislation before Parliament to receive expanded degree-granting capabilities (25 total degrees), including a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Master of Education, and a Master of Science.
In 2021, the Federal Court ruled that the government had unfairly denied Redeemer University participation in the Canada Summer Jobs Program based solely on its religious opposition to same-sex marriage. In a rare move, the court also ordered the government to pay Redeemer University's full legal costs.
Programs
Redeemer University offers over 40 majors and minors.
Bachelor of Arts: Applied Social Sciences (Applied Social Sciences, Social Work), Art, Business (Business, Accounting, Management, Marketing), English (Literature, Writing), Environmental Studies, History, Kinesiology and Physical Education (Kinesiology, Physical Education), Media and Communication Studies (Digital Media and Production, Media and Culture), Music, Philosophy, Politics and International Studies (Politics and International Studies, International Development, International Relations), Psychology (Clinical, Experimental), Religion and Theology (Religion and Theology, Urban and Intercultural Ministry, Youth Ministry)
Bachelor of Science: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, Health Sciences (Health Sciences, Pre-Medicine, Professional), Kinesiology, Mathematics.
Bachelor of Business Administration: Business - Accounting, Business - Not-for-profit Management, Business - Management, Business - Marketing
Bachelor of Kinesiology: Kinesiology