Campus life, Indian student community, food options, and day-to-day living at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
Practical information about day-to-day life while pursuing B.E./B.Tech Biomedical at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada. This covers the campus environment, accommodation, daily living and available safety and student-support services.
SFU's 170-hectare main campus sits atop Burnaby Mountain, designed by architects Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey around a central Academic Quadrangle and Convocation Mall; it opened to 2,500 charter students in September 1965 and today anchors a university of more than 37,000 students, including over 8,000 international students from 133 countries, across 10 faculties offering 368 undergraduate and 149 graduate programmes. The Faculty of Applied Sciences' School of Engineering Science is based at Burnaby, while the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and School of Sustainable Energy Engineering are based at the Surrey campus (opened 2002 on the former Technical University of British Columbia site). Beedie School of Business's MBA programmes are taught at the Segal Graduate School in downtown Vancouver, a purpose-built facility in the city's financial and technology district. Campus facilities include the W.A.C. Bennett Library, SFU Recreation athletic facilities, and specialist labs such as Engineering Science's undergraduate-accessible microfabrication facility.
SFU's on-campus residences are concentrated at the Burnaby campus. Official Fall 2026 undergraduate rates range from about CAD 3,780/term for a single room in North Towers to about CAD 4,600/term for a single in East/West Towers or Courtyard Residence, plus a mandatory meal plan of CAD 3,727/term in most buildings where required; a non-refundable CAD 50 application fee and a CAD 700 confirmation payment apply. Graduate students can access Hamilton Hall or McTaggart-Cowan Hall singles (CAD 4,320-4,720/term) or UniverCity's Graduate & Family Housing, unfurnished studio to two-bedroom apartments at CAD 1,425-2,250 per month. Off campus, homestays run roughly CAD 1,450/month for full board, and an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment in central Burnaby averages CAD 1,800-2,500/month depending on distance from a SkyTrain station -- all figures should be reconfirmed directly with SFU Residence and Housing given annual rate changes.
On-campus dining halls operate under the mandatory first-year meal plan at Burnaby residence buildings. Surrey, home to SFU's Mechatronic Systems Engineering school, has one of the largest South Asian and Sikh communities in Canada, with extensive Indian and Punjabi grocers and restaurants including those at Little India Plaza; selection directly around the Burnaby and downtown Vancouver campuses is more limited but reachable by SkyTrain into Vancouver or Surrey. Students with specific dietary, religious or medical needs can request meal-plan and residence accommodations directly through SFU Residence and Housing.
SFU's Campus Public Safety (CPS) department provides public-safety and resource-protection services across all three campuses; students should dial 911 first for a fire, police or medical emergency and then notify CPS via its urgent line (778-782-4500). The SFU Safe mobile app gives quick access to safety resources, and International Student Advising and Programs (ISAP) provides intercultural transition support and referrals alongside immigration and insurance advising. Metro Vancouver is a large Canadian metropolitan region rather than a high-crime area, but no campus can guarantee individual safety; students should verify current safety guidance directly with SFU on arrival. International Student Advising and Programs (ISAP) supports students with Canadian immigration documents and regulations, medical insurance and healthcare system navigation, and intercultural transition support. Applicants who do not meet SFU's direct-entry bar can apply through Fraser International College (FIC), SFU's on-campus pathway partner, for Engineering Science, Computing Science and Business Administration foundation routes. Engineering Science and Mechatronic Systems Engineering students get discipline-specific advising and co-op support through their schools' own undergraduate offices, and Beedie Full-Time MBA students have a dedicated admissions, career-coaching and mentorship team reachable at mba@sfu.ca.
Applying to Simon Fraser University?
Students Traffic verifies seat availability, checks current recognition status, and prepares your complete application for Simon Fraser University. The consultation is free.
Campus life, Indian student community, food options, and day-to-day living at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
Practical information about day-to-day life while pursuing B.E./B.Tech Biomedical at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada. This covers the campus environment, accommodation, daily living and available safety and student-support services.
SFU's 170-hectare main campus sits atop Burnaby Mountain, designed by architects Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey around a central Academic Quadrangle and Convocation Mall; it opened to 2,500 charter students in September 1965 and today anchors a university of more than 37,000 students, including over 8,000 international students from 133 countries, across 10 faculties offering 368 undergraduate and 149 graduate programmes. The Faculty of Applied Sciences' School of Engineering Science is based at Burnaby, while the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and School of Sustainable Energy Engineering are based at the Surrey campus (opened 2002 on the former Technical University of British Columbia site). Beedie School of Business's MBA programmes are taught at the Segal Graduate School in downtown Vancouver, a purpose-built facility in the city's financial and technology district. Campus facilities include the W.A.C. Bennett Library, SFU Recreation athletic facilities, and specialist labs such as Engineering Science's undergraduate-accessible microfabrication facility.
SFU's on-campus residences are concentrated at the Burnaby campus. Official Fall 2026 undergraduate rates range from about CAD 3,780/term for a single room in North Towers to about CAD 4,600/term for a single in East/West Towers or Courtyard Residence, plus a mandatory meal plan of CAD 3,727/term in most buildings where required; a non-refundable CAD 50 application fee and a CAD 700 confirmation payment apply. Graduate students can access Hamilton Hall or McTaggart-Cowan Hall singles (CAD 4,320-4,720/term) or UniverCity's Graduate & Family Housing, unfurnished studio to two-bedroom apartments at CAD 1,425-2,250 per month. Off campus, homestays run roughly CAD 1,450/month for full board, and an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment in central Burnaby averages CAD 1,800-2,500/month depending on distance from a SkyTrain station -- all figures should be reconfirmed directly with SFU Residence and Housing given annual rate changes.
On-campus dining halls operate under the mandatory first-year meal plan at Burnaby residence buildings. Surrey, home to SFU's Mechatronic Systems Engineering school, has one of the largest South Asian and Sikh communities in Canada, with extensive Indian and Punjabi grocers and restaurants including those at Little India Plaza; selection directly around the Burnaby and downtown Vancouver campuses is more limited but reachable by SkyTrain into Vancouver or Surrey. Students with specific dietary, religious or medical needs can request meal-plan and residence accommodations directly through SFU Residence and Housing.
SFU's Campus Public Safety (CPS) department provides public-safety and resource-protection services across all three campuses; students should dial 911 first for a fire, police or medical emergency and then notify CPS via its urgent line (778-782-4500). The SFU Safe mobile app gives quick access to safety resources, and International Student Advising and Programs (ISAP) provides intercultural transition support and referrals alongside immigration and insurance advising. Metro Vancouver is a large Canadian metropolitan region rather than a high-crime area, but no campus can guarantee individual safety; students should verify current safety guidance directly with SFU on arrival. International Student Advising and Programs (ISAP) supports students with Canadian immigration documents and regulations, medical insurance and healthcare system navigation, and intercultural transition support. Applicants who do not meet SFU's direct-entry bar can apply through Fraser International College (FIC), SFU's on-campus pathway partner, for Engineering Science, Computing Science and Business Administration foundation routes. Engineering Science and Mechatronic Systems Engineering students get discipline-specific advising and co-op support through their schools' own undergraduate offices, and Beedie Full-Time MBA students have a dedicated admissions, career-coaching and mentorship team reachable at mba@sfu.ca.
Applying to Simon Fraser University?
Students Traffic verifies seat availability, checks current recognition status, and prepares your complete application for Simon Fraser University. The consultation is free.
