These arms were downloaded from the U of A's trademark pages. It is obviously derived from the Alberta provincial coat of arms, with the terrain stylized enough to be heraldrically acceptable, and the colours changed to green and gold.

The Cross of Saint George has been replaced with a book (very popular among universities, for obvious reasons). The supporters are a pronghorn (taken from the provincial coat) and a golden bear (official mascot). The crest is an owl, since it is both the provincial bird and a symbol for wisdom.

The motto means "Whatsoever things are true" (these days, motto seems have been changed to "It Makes Sense", and, if the Tories are re-elected, it will probably be changed further, to "Please stop slashing our budget!").

These arms are actually quite new, since, up until recently, the U of A simply used a stylized version of the provincial shield with a book in the crest.