Red Deer College is a public comprehensive community college of approximately 7,000 students in credit programs and 10,000 in non-credit programming located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1964, RDC was built for a smaller semi-rural community but, in the four and a half decades since its founding, the city has grown into the third largest in the province. The college has made an effort to maintain the sense of community that fosters learning with small class sizes, hands-on learning, and instructors who are accessible and interested in their students' success. Red Deer College's Arms, Supporters and Flag were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on February 20, 2004. The college is a member of the Alberta Rural Development Network. In 2018, Red Deer College applied to begin transitioning to a university. On March 5, 2019, the college announced a three-year transition process, and that it would adopt the name Red Deer University.
Programs
The college offers certificates, diplomas, advanced certificates, applied degrees, academic upgrading and apprenticeship in over 75 different career and academic programs. The college has a variety of programs spanning the creative and liberal arts to engineering and trades with a focus on student success in the job market.
Scholarships and bursaries
The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Red Deer College scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: Atoskewan Aboriginal Career Centre Scholarship
The Agora Student Conference is held annually at Red Deer College in support of undergraduates in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Having started in 2004, the conference has continued to grow and gain recognition from neighbouring institutions such as the University of Calgary. Those who present their original papers, presentations, or creative works at the conference also have the opportunity to have their work published in the Agora Journal which is distributed by Red Deer College.
Main Campus
Red Deer College's Main Campus is situated in the central Alberta corridor between Edmonton and Calgary. The campus is located near the Queen Elizabeth II highway, an hour and a half drive from each of the province's major city centres, making it convenient for commuters. The main campus features a library, a bar, a restaurant, a Tim Hortons, a Starbucks, and other food-related businesses.
Donald School of Business/Downtown Campus
Donald School of Business aka Downtown Campus or DSB for short is situated in downtown Red Deer in the Millennium Centre building. It occupies floors 3, 4, and 5. Most business programs are situated here as a reflection of the downtown business community feedback.
Welikoklad Event Centre
Red Deer College has a third Campus/building directly across from the DSB. It features a stage, a movie theatre, and an art gallery space. It is used for some shows, and for when RDC hosts the Backpacks to Briefcases for students.
Completed in 2019 for the Canada Winter Games, the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre features an ice arena, a performance gymnasium, a fitness centre, running/sprinting tracks, squash courts, and a massive court surface capable of holding 4 volleyball or 2 basketball games simultaneously.
Funding opportunities
Red Deer College awards approximately $390,000 annually in scholarships and bursaries. With an increased bursary, scholarship and awards program, the college makes an effort to ensure students are not turned away merely for financial reasons.
Athletics
Red Deer College has one of the top athletics programs in Canada, as the Kings and Queens continue to produce best overall records at national competition of any college in the country. The 17 Red Deer College Kings and Queens teams compete in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. Other team and mixed sports Red Deer College participate in include: basketball, soccer, volleyball, hockey, badminton, cross country running, curling and golf. They are particularly known for their excellence in the sport of Volleyball.
