nondenominational, coeducational university at Kingston, Ont., Can. Originally called Queen's College, it was founded in 1841 as a Presbyterian denominational school to train young men for the ministry. The Presbyterian church's control over the school was gradually cut back and was eliminated by law in 1912, at which time the university adopted its present name.

Present-day Queen's University has faculties of arts and science, applied science, education, law, and medicine. It is a major research university in medicine, the basic sciences, engineering, and the humanities and social sciences. The school has a notable library and one of the most important nongovernmental historical archives in Canada. In the late 20th century the university had more than 12,000 students.