With an enrollment of 59,389 full-time students and consistently rated # 1, University of Toronto is Canada’s largest tertiary institution sited in the country’s most culturally diverse city

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto (UT) is Canada’s largest varsity with an enrollment of 59,389 full-time students tutored by a faculty of 11,365 and an annual budget of C$1.1 billion (Rs.4,620 crore). Sited in downtown Toronto, UT has been consistently ranked as Canada’s # 1 research university by the Tornoto-based Macleans magazine. Likewise, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education in China recently ranked UT 24th among the best 500 universities worldwide the highest ranking obtained by any Canadian university, while the Times Higher Education Supplement rated it 29th in its annual list of the world’s top 200 varsities.  

Spread across three campuses in Toronto (St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough), University of Toronto offers the widest spectrum of academic programmes of any varsity in Canada. Its 17 academic divisions provide more than 300 study programmes and 2,000 courses in the arts, sciences and business (see box). The university also boasts an endowment fund of C$1.6 billion (Rs.6,720 crore), and the largest library system in Canada with 15 million volumes.

“The University of Toronto offers education on a global scale. As an institution, we have been recognised as Canada’s top university and one of North America’s best public research universities,” says David Naylor, president of the university.

Toronto. Rated by Fortune magazine as the world’s best city to live and work in, Toronto (pop. 4.6 million) is Canada’s largest and most culturally diverse city. Over 100 languages and dialects are spoken in Toronto and 49 percent of the city’s residents were born outside of Canada. The streets teem with cafes, restaurants, bookstores, art galleries, and museums and the vibrant city boasts four major sports teams, national ballet and opera companies, a renowned symphony orchestra, and is the world’s third largest English language theatre centre.

Toronto is well-served by an extensive, affordable, public transportation system the second-largest in North America after New York and is within driving distance of a number of American cities including Washington, Chicago, Boston and New York. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, Toronto’s climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Spring and summer temperatures range between 15ºC-25ºC while during winter months, the average daytime temperature, with the exception of January, the coldest month, hovers just slightly below freezing point.

Campus facilities. Toronto U is spread across three campuses with complete facilities, including residences, libraries and student centres. The largest of the three, the St. George campus is located in the heart of Toronto and houses the faculty of arts and science. The 43,000 students studying in this faculty are all members of one of the seven colleges sited on the St. George campus. Each college offers residential facilities, a library, cafe and student centre. “Choosing a college is a matter of personal preference and will not affect access to courses or programmes of study,” says a Toronto U spokesman.

The university’s Mississauga campus is sited 32 km west of downtown Toronto and offers undergrad and graduate programmes in arts, science, computer and business education. The University of Toronto at Scarborough, 32 km east of Toronto, offers over 200 programme options in more than 80 areas of study including the university’s only management BBA programme and formal co-op degrees. Nestled on 330 acres of lush parklands, this modern state-of-the-art campus is home to 9,000 full-time students.

All three campuses collectively boast the third largest library system in North America with more than 30 libraries holding over 15 million items. Moreover The UT libraries website provides access to a wealth of online sources including e-journals, indexes, e-books, and online newspapers.

State-of-the-art sports and recreational facilities are also offered on all campuses. For instance the athletic centre on the St. George campus boasts two swimming pools; a 200 m indoor track; ten squash courts; eight gymnasia; indoor tennis courts; a multi-purpose court for badminton, basketball, and volleyball; a dance studio; a cardio training area; fencing salle; golf cages; and a gym. Moreover, the university has over 300 student clubs and societies. Other on-campus facilities include bookstores, pharmacy, cafes, and an international student centre.

Admission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into UT’s undergrad programmes is successful completion of class XII (All India Senior School Certificate awarded by the CBSE/ Indian School Certificate awarded by CISCE or equivalent). Additionally foreign students are required to submit proof of proficiency in the English language. A TOEFL score of 5 is acceptable. The academic year begins in September every year and continues until May. The application deadline is March 1, 2007.

For further information contact Office of Student Recruitment, 25 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A1; Tel: 416 978 8342; e-mail: admissions.maillist@utoronto.ca; website: www.utoronto.ca. To apply online visit http://compass.ouac.on.ca.

Accommodation. All first-year foreign students accepted into Toronto U are guaranteed on-campus housing. Currently the university’s three campuses collectively offer housing to more than 7,000 students.

Degree programmes. The University of Toronto offers a broad range of undergrad and postgrad programmes across the faculties of arts and sciences, applied science and engineering, music, physical education and health (see box). The faculty of arts and science is rated among the most comprehensive in North America.

Scholastic options at Toronto

The University of Toronto offers a wide range of undergrad and postgrad programmes on its three campuses. They include:

Faculty of arts and science (St. George campus) comprises the departments of computer science, life sciences, physical and mathematical sciences, humanities and social sciences, commerce 

The University of Toronto at Mississauga hosts the schools of anthropology and the study of religion, biology, chemical and physical sciences, economics, English and drama, French, German and Italian, geography, historical studies, management, mathematical and computational sciences, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology 

The Scarborough campus houses the academic departments of computer science, humanities, life sciences, management, social sciences, physical and environmental sciences

Tuition fee (per year): C$ 16,768-22,105
Living expenses: C$ 8,528-13,306

NB C$=Rs.42

Summiya Yasmeen