The University of Toronto (U of T), an outstanding centre of undergraduate, professional, and graduate education, has been rated the number one university in Canada for six consecutive years by Maclean’s, Canada’s national weekly newsmagazine. At U of T, professors of international calibre bring leading research and scholarship to bear on their teaching and provide opportunities for study and discovery at the forefront of the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

U of T’s 40 libraries, among them Canada’s largest research library and dozens of specialized facilities in the colleges, faculties, and schools, contain more than ten million volumes and a plethora of other materials. The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, one of North America’s great collections, attracts scholars from around the world.

With more than 2,000 undergraduate courses in the faculty of arts and science alone, as well as 81 fully accredited doctoral programs and hundreds of courses in 14 professional faculties, U of T affords its students an unrivalled education leading to rewarding careers in a vast array of exciting fields. Students, among the most talented in Canada, benefit from programs of study abroad, national and international exchanges, co-operative education, and inter-instructional experiences with dozens of affiliated institutions, including a renowned network of teaching hospitals and community-based health units, museums, and art galleries.

There are 3,811 residence spaces for single undergraduate students on St. George campus. 592 spaces are available at the University of Toronto at Mississauga and 536 are available at the University of Toronto at Scarborough. The cost of a room for an eight-month session at St. George campus is $4,000.00 to $4,039.00. Room and board is $5,115.00 to $7,615.00. Most of the residences have a compulsory meal plan.
There is an equal split between male and female undergraduate students housed in residence on the St. George campus. Almost all first-year undergraduate students who enter a program directly from high school and request housing can be accommodated. University family housing consists of 710 apartments and is available to undergraduate student couples/families, but houses mainly graduate students.

The housing service register at the St. George campus maintains a registry of off-campus housing. Rents may vary depending on quality and location, but most rents are within the following ranges: shared accommodation: $400.00 to $600.00 per month; private accommodation: $600.00 to $700.00 per month (bachelor apartment); $700.00 to $950.00 per month (1 to 2 bedroom apartment); and $1,200.00 to $2,000.00 per month (3-bedroom house).

Colleges, professional faculties, and many departments hold orientation, which is a week of activities at the beginning of the academic year that familiarizes new students with their faculty or college and with the university as a whole. Academic advice, including program and degree counselling, course selection, financial aid, as well as tours and courses on library facilities is also available. The Counselling and Learning Skills Service offers workshops and consultation on time management, note taking, exam preparation, textbook reading, stress, and study, as well as personal counselling. Students can access writing labs, and math and computer centres for assistance.
The Faculties of Arts and Science and Applied Science and Engineering offer special first-year curricula that help students develop important academic skills. The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering also offers a transition program aimed at helping students who fall behind in the first term to catch up. The University also offers a transitional year program, which is a one-year full-time course of studies for people who want to attend university, but do not qualify for admission because they have not completed secondary school studies.

Many faculties, colleges, and departments provide students with access to local departmental systems and computer-based technology labs. Most residences are wired for computers. Students have access to many services, including the library’s information commons, a computerized online catalogue and circulation service (UTLINK), and the Science and Medicine library’s more than 250 databases.
All students can have full Internet access and e-mail. New students get 20 hours free, plus an additional 20 free hours for each term they are registered in. Additional hours can be purchased in blocks of 20 hours for $7.00. Internet and e-mail access is free from library public sites. Most students can use the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system to add or delete courses and sections, get course ballot information, and will soon be able to get final course grades using a touch-tone phone.

Hart House features an art gallery, concert halls, library, lounges, music room, debates room, dining rooms, snack bar, pub, massage clinic, retail shop, hair salon, meeting rooms, and a theatre. Also offered are fitness classes, musical performance groups, and a variety of clubs. Musical, dramatic, and arts events are held on each campus. There are also campus and college-based newspapers, bulletin services, and radio stations. Each campus has art galleries and exhibitions. Community concerts are commonly held in U of T facilities.

Native Students Association: cultural events, gatherings, and ceremonies. First Nations House: cultural services, academic counselling, and admissions advocacy. Office of Special Services: to persons with a physical or learning disability. International Student Centre. Personal safety awareness office, Walksafer and Ridesafer services, university ombudsperson, status of women office, counselling and learning skills office, health services, legal services, women’s centre, family care adviser, and resource centre. There is also an on-campus daycare, and race relations and anti-racism initiative office.

U of T has three campuses:
St. George Campus, University of Toronto at Mississauga, and University of Toronto at Scarborough.
The St. George Campus has seven arts and science colleges: Innis College, New College, St. Michael’s College, Trinity College, Victoria College, University College, and Woodsworth College.
Other affiliated institutions:
Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies
The Toronto School of Theology
(Consists of seven federated colleges: Emmanuel (United Church of Canada), Knox (Presbyterian), Regis (Roman Catholic, Jesuit), St. Augustine’s Seminary (Roman Catholic, Diocesan), St. Michael’s (Roman Catholic, Basilian), Trinity (Anglican), Wycliffe College (Anglican), and the associated McMaster Divinity College (Baptist).)

The University is a member of Canadian student exchange programs. International undergraduate exchange programs and study elsewhere opportunities are available with universities in Austria, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Scotland, Singapore, Russia, Spain, United States of America, Wales, and the West Indies. “Self-Directed” study elsewhere programs are also available for students who wish to make their own arrangements to study in foreign universities. There are two internship programs, the Professional Experience Year for outstanding students and the Japan Co-op program for outstanding science students. The Co-op program in International Development Studies at U of T Scarborough involves work placements overseas. U of T Scarborough offers co-op programs in Arts Management, Computer Science and Physical Sciences, Environmental Science, International Development Studies Management, and Management and Economics. The Environmental Earth Science program at U of T Scarborough offers a four-credit field camp held alternately in Costa Rica and the Canadian Rockies.