Simon Fraser University, commonly referred to as
SFU, is a
public research university in
Burnaby, British Columbia,
Canada, with its main campus on
Burnaby Mountain and satellite campuses in
Downtown Vancouver and
Surrey. The main campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and comprises more than 30,000 students and approximately 950 faculty members. The university is adjacent to an urban village,
UniverCity. The university was named after
Simon Fraser, a
North West Company fur trader and explorer. Undergraduate and graduate programs operate on a year-round tri-semester schedule. It is the only Canadian university competing in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).