Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World War II veterans. Carleton was chartered as a university by the provincial government in 1952 through The Carleton University Act, which was then amended in 1957, giving the institution its current name. The university is named for the now-dissolved Carleton County, which included the city of Ottawa at the time the university was founded. Carleton County, in turn, was named in honour of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, who was Governor General of The Canadas from 1786 to 1796. The university moved to its current campus in 1959,growing rapidly in size during the 1960s as the Ontario government increased support for post-secondary institutions and expanded access to higher education.

Carleton offers a diverse range of academic programs, and is organized into six faculties and more than 65 degree programs. It has several specialized institutions well-regarded in their fields, including the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, the Carleton School of Journalism, the School of Public Policy and Administration, and the Sprott School of Business.