UWinnipeg hosted hundreds of high school students as part of the High School Enrichment Program, which ran from April 27 to May 1, 2026. The program gives students in Grades 9 through 12 a glimpse into their post-secondary future, and what the university experience can be like. Students from Winnipeg and beyond take part each year.
The UWinnipeg High School Enrichment program is offered in cooperation with Manitoba school divisions and was created to provide promising high school students with a taste of the intellectual university experience. Students are immersed in a one-week classroom experience with a particular university professor on a topic of the student’s choice.
The 2026 Enrichment Program included 10 short courses where young people were immersed in professional scholarship. Topics this year included learning to make video games with Python, crime scene investigation using molecular forensics, caring for injuries with athletic therapy, fashion marketing, and philosophies of criminal justice.
“It’s a unique program that fuels students’ academic interests and often leads to post-secondary studies,” said Rebecca Stephenson, Program Officer with the Faculty of Science and Gupta Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health.
“The feedback we’ve received from students highlights the importance of the program and what they’ve gained by participating in one week of study,” said Stephenson. Some of the feedback includes: “I learned things I would’ve never thought of pursuing. It’s a valuable and special experience I wish I could relive again!” And: “I’ve finally found a place I’ve belonged and felt truly accepted. I’m going back home a different person than when I came here.”
By attending the High School Enrichment Program, students can see for themselves that the pursuit of university studies is within their reach. An estimated 15,000 high school students have participated in the program since it began in 1984.
