Student Life

Boarding school is where students live on campus during the academic year, in addition to attending classes. Unlike day schools where students return home each afternoon, boarding students sleep, eat, study, and socialize within the school community. This residential model gives students a full-immersion educational experience, structured around academics, personal development, and community life.

At UNISUS, boarding students in Grades 7 to 12 live in a purpose-built, state-of-the-art residence located just 20 steps from the main academic building in Summerland, British Columbia. Summerland is in the Okanagan Valley, which is a 45 minute flight from Vancouver. The boarding program is designed to foster independence, confidence, and genuine cross-cultural friendships, all while students receive 24/7 support from dedicated on-site staff.

We offer our students Academics+, where the “plus” represents the pathways and opportunities we layer on top of academic excellence. The program tailored to each student’s interests, strengths, and ambitions:

1. Dual Diploma Graduation Pathways - Students can graduate with both the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and/or the British Columbia High School Diploma (The Dogwood Diploma).
2. Enrichment Programs - Students explore innovation, creativity and leadership though fine arts, music, entrepreneurship, outdoor education, drama, leadership, multi-sport and more.
3. Academy Programs - Students combine world-class academics with high performance athletic training in Hockey, Snowsports, Motorsports and Soccer.

UNISUS is located at 7808 Pierre Drive in Summerland, British Columbia — in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, one of Canada's most desirable places to live and learn.

Summerland is a safe, vibrant community with one of the most desirable climates in Canada: warm, sunny summers, mild springs and autumns, and accessible winter sports within a short drive. The community sits on the shores of Okanagan Lake, offering stunning natural scenery and a wide range of four-season outdoor activities right at students' doorsteps.

The campus is also ideally positioned between two larger cities: Penticton is 15 minutes away and Kelowna is approximately 45 minutes by car. Students benefit from immersive community access while enjoying the safety, focus, and natural beauty of a smaller town environment. Vancouver is accessible via a 45-minute flight or a scenic 3.5-hour drive.

Nestled amid farms and orchards, UNISUS students enjoy fresh, locally sourced meals and an environment that makes outdoor education a natural extension of every school day.

The primary difference between a boarding student and a day student is where students spend their time outside of class. Day school students attend school during the day and return home each evening; boarding school students live on campus, meaning their entire day, meals, study time, evening activities, and weekends is shaped by the school community.

Research by the Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) found that 78% of boarding school graduates developed non-academic skills such as independence, time management, and social confidence, compared to just 23% of students from day schools. Boarding students also show higher rates of earning advanced degrees and faster career advancement.

At UNISUS, boarding and day students share the same classes and campus facilities, creating a rich, diverse community. The boarding program simply adds the residential dimension: chef-prepared meals, supervised study halls, after-school activities such as swimming, dance, gymnastics, a variety of sports and Weekend Adventure Programme.

Boarding schools deliver a holistic educational experience that extends well beyond the classroom. Key benefits include:

1. Personal development: Living independently from home builds self-reliance, time management, and resilience. Students at UNISUS learn to be independent and navigate shared community living - skills that most students encounter after they leave home.
2. Academic focus: With structured study time, IB-trained teachers and small classes (under 15 students at UNISUS), boarding students have both the environment and the support to perform at their best.
3. Global community: Boarding schools bring together students from diverse countries and backgrounds. At UNISUS, students from across Canada and the world share living spaces, meals and weekend adventures, building international friendships and cultural fluency.
4. University preparation: Boarding students more likely to earn an advanced degree and achieve faster career advancement. UNISUS also provides university counselling from Grade 8, giving boarders a multi-year head start on their post-secondary planning.

Parents choose boarding school for a wide range of reasons, and the decision is usually motivated by a combination of factors specific to their child and family circumstances. Some of the most common reasons include:

Academic excellence: Many top boarding schools, including UNISUS, offer rigorous programmes like the IB Diploma that may not be available locally. Parents seeking the strongest possible university preparation for their child often look to boarding.

Personal development: Parents who want their child to develop independence, resilience, and life skills in a structured, supportive environment often find that boarding provides exactly the right conditions.

Global exposure: For families who want their child to develop cross-cultural fluency, language skills and a globally minded outlook, boarding schools that attract international students offer a uniquely rich social environment.

Distance and geography: Families who live in rural areas, or whose work takes them to regions without suitable schooling, often choose boarding as a practical solution that gives their child access to the best possible education.

Sport or arts pathways: Boarding schools with specialist academies, like UNISUS's Snowsports, Hockey, Motorsports, and Soccer Academies allow student athletes to pursue elite training without sacrificing academic quality.

The UNISUS boarding residence is a modern, purpose-built facility constructed in 2018, located just 20 steps from the main academic building on our secure 17-acre campus in Summerland, British Columbia. The building accommodates up to 70 students and is organized across three floors:

Floor 1 — The Agora: Home to Grade 12 students, the main cafeteria (where meals are prepared by our dedicated chefs), a games room and shared social spaces. This is the central hub of boarding life, where students gather to play games, watch sports and spend time together.

Floor 2 — Boys Floor: Designated rooms for male boarding students, supported by male Residence Life staff who live on the floor and are actively involved in daily boarding life.

Floor 3 — Girls Floor and Fab Lab: Designated rooms for female boarding students with full-time female Residence Life staff on the floor. The Fab Lab, a monitored multi-purpose space open to all boarders at set times, is also on this floor and serves as a study, gaming, movie, and social area.

Boarding rooms at UNISUS are bright, modern and thoughtfully designed for both comfort and privacy.

Each boarding room includes:

- A private ensuite bathroom with a separate toilet/sink area and a separate shower room, fully private within the dormitory room itself.

- Two large sinks with a mirror and individual dressers, providing ample personal storage.

- Bunk beds accommodating up to three students.

- A dedicated air conditioning and heating unit that students can set to their own preferred temperature.

- A clothing rack and study desks.

- Large windows filled with natural light, overlooking either the soccer field and surrounding mountains or the bonfire area with views of Okanagan Lake.

Students also have access to on-floor laundry facilities and cleaning supplies, where they are taught how to care for their own clothes and living space, a practical life-skills component built into everyday boarding.

Safety is a central design feature of the UNISUS residence. On top of airport welcome and departure support by UNISUS staff, our building uses digital key fob access and only authorized students and staff can enter. The campus itself is a gated 17-acre property equipped with a state-of-the-art security system.

Dedicated Residence Life staff live on each floor, with male staff on the boys' floor and female staff on the girls' floor, and are actively involved in daily boarding life. The building is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. UNISUS is also one of the few boarding schools in Canada with a UVC-LED air cleaning and quality monitoring system installed in its facilities.

All boarding students have access to UNISUS dedicated transportation for all school and leisure activities. Students and families can have full confidence that the residential environment is both physically safe and emotionally supported.

Boarding students at UNISUS receive three full meals per day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, prepared by the school's dedicated in-house chefs. Snacks are also available throughout the day.

The dining hall is located on the first floor of the residence, making it easy for boarders to access meals at any time during the day. Day students are also welcome in the dining hall for lunch and snack periods, creating a shared community mealtime experience.

UNISUS sources ingredients to provide fresh, wholesome meals for students that reflect a variety of different choices, plus salad bars and rice makers.

Yes. UNISUS serves a multicultural student community from across Canada and the world, and our nutrition program reflects that diversity. Our chefs prepare a rotating multi-cultural menu that changes throughout the year, with a menu cycle that introduces students to a variety of cuisines and flavours.

There is always a salad bar and rice option available at both lunch and dinner every day, providing consistent and familiar options alongside the rotating menu.

Our Scholar-Athlete students also take part in a nutrition sessions with local Holistic Nutritionists, exploring how nutrition needs to change through different seasons of sport and life. From competition “push” seasons to off-season “patience” seasons, students learned about recovery, hydration, performance fueling, and building healthy habits that support long-term wellness. This is reflective of our nutrition program, but is also a part of our Future Ready Program.

Families with specific dietary requirements such as allergies, vegetarian or vegan preferences or religious dietary needs — are encouraged to discuss these with the Admissions team during the application process so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Weekends at UNISUS are full of variety, energy and opportunities to explore. The Weekend Adventure Programme takes boarding students off campus, accompanied by boarding staff and on school transportation, to enjoy shopping, restaurants, local events and seasonal outdoor activities in the surrounding Okanagan communities.

Penticton, just 15 minutes from campus, and Kelowna, about 45 minutes away, are the two closest communities that students visit regularly. Both offer diverse dining, cultural experiences and access to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Canada.

Evening programming is also available on campus, with activities in the residence's Fab Lab, games room and common areas. Weekends in boarding are never dull at UNISUS.

UNISUS is in the southern Okanagan Valley, one of the most naturally beautiful regions in Canada and home to four distinct seasons of outdoor activity. Boarding students have access to a wide range of seasonal experiences:

Autumn: Keelboat sailing, paddle boarding, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking.

Winter: Tobogganing, skiing and snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating, curling, and ice fishing.

Spring: Golfing, biking, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, and beach exploring.

Summer: Students go back home for the summer.

This four-season outdoor lifestyle is one of the defining features of life at UNISUS. Students who join the Snowsports Academy, for instance, combine their on-slope training with broader winter adventure programming - living and breathing the mountains through the winter months.

Yes. International students are welcome to attend boarding school in Canada, and UNISUS welcomes students from across the globe. International students from different countries can apply to UNISUS, and they currently make up a significant portion of the boarding community.

To attend a Canadian boarding school as an international student, you will typically need a Canadian Student Visa (Study Permit) issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). 

UNISUS offers a dedicated International Students page with information on the admissions process, fees, language support, and an optional Immersion Program for students who wish to experience UNISUS for a shorter period (2 weeks to 5 months) before committing to a full academic year. 

Yes. American students are warmly welcomed at UNISUS, and the school is experienced in supporting families from the United States through the admissions process.

US citizen children attending school in Canada as a student (i.e. living in Canada for the school year) will typically need a Canadian Study Permit. The process involves UNISUS issuing a Letter of Acceptance, which the student then uses to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the permit. 

UNISUS is an excellent choice for American families seeking a rigorous, internationally recognized academic programme in a safe environment, with a culture very similar to that of the United States. The IB Diploma earned at UNISUS is widely recognized at universities all over the world, including back in the United States.

The Kelowna Airport, which is a 1 hour drive from UNISUS School, flies to several major US cities. Vancouver International Airport, which is approximately 3.5 hours from Summerland, also offers direct connections to most major US cities, making travel logistics very easy and straightforward for American families.

Emotional wellbeing is at the heart of the UNISUS boarding experience. The school uses several overlapping support systems to ensure every boarding student feels safe, known, and cared for.

Residence Life Staff: Trained, full-time Residence Life staff live on each floor of the boarding residence. They are also active community members who know each student personally and provide consistent day-to-day guidance and care.

University and Career Counselling: UNISUS students have access to dedicated university and career counselling, which is a structured, multi-year program that supports students' long-term academic and career goals, reducing anxiety about the future.

Community and Connection: Our boarding community built through shared meals, weekend adventures, evening activities and the close-quarters of residential life is a powerful source of peer support and belonging. Our boarding students often make friends with the local day students attending the school and often invite them over to visit in boarding on weekends, or they are invited out by their friends (with permission by staff and families involved). Many UNISUS boarding graduates identify the friendships built in residence as among the most important of their lives.

UNISUS makes it a priority to keep families informed and connected throughout the school year. Regular updates from Residence Life staff, teachers, and advisors ensure families are kept up to date on their child's progress and wellbeing.

Boarding students and parents will also download the Orah App, which is an app dedicated to (formerly Boardingware) is a comprehensive student life and safety platform designed specifically for boarding and independent schools. It replaces traditional paper-based tracking with a digital system to help school staff, students, and parents manage attendance, student movement, and pastoral care in real-time.

Families are also welcome to visit campus during designated visit periods and school events throughout the year. Our team is always happy to discuss family communication expectations in detail.

UNISUS accepts rolling admissions throughout the school year, with main intake dates in September and January. The application process is designed to be straightforward, and the Admissions team is available to guide families through every step.

The key steps to apply include:

1. Submit an online application
2. Provide academic records and copy of passport or birth certificate
3. Complete an Assessment Interview
4. Receive an Offer of Admission

Once accepted, a New Student Enrollment Deposit and a New Student Boarding Deposit will be required to confirm your child's place.

International families requiring a study permit for their child should begin the application process as early as possible, as study permit processing times can vary. UNISUS issues a Letter of Acceptance upon admission which students use to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

To start the conversation or book a campus tour/virtual meeting, contact the Admissions team directly by visiting the Application Process page.

Absolutely. UNISUS strongly encourages prospective families to visit campus if they are able to. A campus tour gives students and parents the opportunity to see the residence, classrooms, sports facilities and surrounding grounds in person, and to speak directly with Admissions staff and Residence Life team members.

Campus tours can be booked through the UNISUS website. Virtual tours and online information sessions are also available for families who cannot travel to Summerland before making their enrolment decision.

Many families find that visiting campus and seeing the boarding residence, the views of Okanagan Lake, the proximity of the academic building and IB programmes is the moment that turns an interest in UNISUS into a commitment. We welcome you to come and experience what makes UNISUS different.