The University of Western Ontario is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on 455 hectares of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames River bisecting the campus's eastern portion. The university operates twelve academic faculties and schools. In choosing Western, students will become part of a vibrant learning community at one of Canada's top research-intensive universities. Along with a wide variety of intellectually challenging and engaging academic programs, the University is also alive with a diverse array of opportunities for student involvement, personal growth and leadership development, and numerous co-curricular and extracurricular activities.