Vanier is located just north of CEGEP Saint-Laurent, a French-language public college.

The pre-university programs span two years and cover subject matters that align with the additional year of high school education typically provided in other parts of Canada to prepare students for their chosen university fields.

The land that the campus is located on today was first used for the Village de Saint-Laurent chapel, opened in 1817.

Thirty years later, a convent, known as the Couvent Notre-Dame-des-Anges, was built nearby by the Sisters of Holy Cross (fr: Sœurs de Sainte-Croix[4]).

[1] In 1897, the sisters opened the first college on the campus land, on the location of today's "E building".

[4] In 1911, the original Village de Saint-Laurent chapel was demolished, to be replaced by a new school for young girls, Académie Saint-Alfred.

[5] In 1933, the Sisters opened the yet another college, Collège Basile-Moreau, within the existing convent buildings.