University of Canterbury began in 1873 as a part of the University of New Zealand. The institution started off as Canterbury College before becoming Canterbury University College in 1933 and later University of Canterbury in 1957. Located in Christchurch, New Zealand, the university is situated in a suburb in Ilam.

Based on QS World University Rankings 2016, the university placed 214th worldwide. Times Higher Education ranked the university in the 301-350 band. As for the subjects, Canterbury is leading when it comes to Civil and Structural Engineering as it was ranked 49th. Besides, subjects ranked in the 51st to 100th band are Education and Training, Law and Legal Studies, and Geography.

The university offers degrees specialized or general. Specialized degrees revolve around the following areas: Engineering, Health Sciences, Speech and Language Pathology, Teaching and Learning, and Law. General degrees, on the other hand, are in the fields of Science, Arts, and Science.

Besides the main campus located in Ilam, there is the University College of Education nearby. Facilities which are worth-highlighting are the hall of residences, acting as a home to and place to live for around 1800 students. Meanwhile, there are four libraries which also cater to the needs of students in exploring more about what they are currently learning. As of December 2015, the total number of students in University of Canterbury was 14,840 in which 1,164 of them are international students.