It's a Canadian university with low tuition costs -- only about 25,000 CAD per year! Also, its admission rate is not as low as University of British Columbia and University of Toronto, but it has a strong CS department, particularly in Reinforcement Learning Theory.
Course Curriculum :
The course workload is basically light, so aim high and try to challenge yourself! Also, the CS department is derived from the MATH department, so take more theory courses instead of systems/engineering courses. Overall, the department is shiny for its achievement in theory RL, not for computer systems or computer engineering.
Exams :
My score: IELTS 6.5; GRE not taken; Class minimum score: IELTS 6.5; GRE not required for BSc.
Placement :
Edmonton is not an extremely good place for IT industry... But you can always apply outside the province or apply jobs in the US. However, if you consider the tuition cost, it's relatively affordable, and you get a North American BSc degree! After BSc, students might be able to continue to its MSc program if their GPA is high enough (likely 3.7 / 4.0), and the MSc thesis program is fully funded.
Events :
Campus is not big, so you can walk anywhere on campus. And the weather is very cold in winters, be prepared! During my study I didn't join any club or participated in any event, try studying hard. Research facilities differ by departments, I could say at UACS, the resources are sufficient, you will get what you want. The university is offering on campus WiFi, under which you could get access to almost all papers you want. You won't have much problem studying here if you are living on campus -- living on campus could get extremely convenient public transportation -- there's a metro station and a bus transit center nearby.
Scholarship :
No
Faculty :
Faculties are all extremely nice and clever, especially for those researching on AI / theory. And they are all very reachable from University of Alberta's institutional emails. But for email addresses from other institutions, it might be a hit or miss. Professor Rich Sutton in UACS is named as the Father of RL, but he's currently not taking new students AFAIK.
Hostel :
Yes, free WiFi/heat/water/electricity are included. My rental is about 500CAD per month (again, differs year by year). But laundry is not free, it's 2.00CAD for washing and 1.75 for drying. There are lots of restaurants nearby, so you can easily find your favorite food if you don't want to cook.
