University of Toronto - any experiences from US students attending?
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Anonymous
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Anyone have a DC attending U of T in Toronto? All I know is that it's huge (biggest undergrad in North America I think spread over 3 campuses), gorgeous downtown campus, and is the #1 university in Canada and in the Top#25 universities in the world.
It's very good for my DC's field of interest. Anyone have a US student attending that can share anecdotal info on their experience? Also jobs or internships coming out? Did they stay in Canada or return back to the US? |
Anonymous
| They weed out a lot of kids annually. Not a good place. |
Anonymous
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It is a good school. As with most UK or Canadian schools, student must be good at self-advocating and at figuring out the administrative processes. There is not the high level of hand-holding that many US schools would have.
UT is not really distributed. The main campus is the downtown campus, also called "St George". This has several "residential colleges", which are similar to "houses" at Yale or Harvard, but it also will have commuter students. Apply specifically to the "St George" campus. UT at Mississauga is really a separate entity - and very strongly a commuter school. Do not apply there. It is academically rigorous in many STEM disciplines and is usually considered a top-4 university within Canada, along with UBC and McGill and U Waterloo. Major US tech firms have recruited from UT for many decades for jobs both in US and in Canada. Easy for a UT graduate in STEM who is a US person to get a job in the US afterwards. (I have no information about non-STEM recruiting.) |
Anonymous
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Downtown Toronto near UT has very good public transport. There are streetcar lines, mostly above ground. There also is an underground (subway to Americans). Between Pearson Airport (YYZ) and downtown there now also is an express train service, which is reliable and good. So typically students will not have any need for a car.
It is both cold and wet in winter. Insulated LL Bean boots or similar are very useful. It helps that one can just wash off the outside. I suppose Uggs for women also appear, but UGgs will become fairly dirty fairly quickly in the slush on sidewalks. Trainers are fine in early fall or late spring, when snow and slush aren't issues. Because it is farther north, daylight will be much shorter in winter and longer in summer. |
Anonymous
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I went there for a master’s degree. The St. George campus is big & bustling, but not overwhelming. It’s well organized, & has ample large green spaces.
There are tons of bars & restaurants within a block of campus. Also multiple subway stops just off campus. Drinking age is 19. Sports don’t get much interest, but there is no lack of opportunities for college-style socializing. You meet people from allover the world on- and off-campus, especially Asian countries & British Commonwealth countries. Weather is cold but you get used to it. There is a prevailing attitude that you are at the best & most interesting university in the country, which seems to breed confidence & contentment, not cockiness. The Canadian high schools seem to do a very good job of educating their students, so pretty much everyone you meet is sharp. Students who don’t have a lot on the ball seem to know they won’t do well there, so they either don’t apply or don’t get in. All in all it’s a great place to get exposed to a foreign university & lifestyle without subjecting yourself to long travel or harsh culture shock. |
Anonymous
| They purposely accept way to many people and fail a ton of them in first year. They don't care about the students. |
Anonymous
Some programs have very rigorous eligibility and a very low acceptance rate, those one want to keep their stellar top students. More general type programs will have a lower bar for admission (which is part of an inclusive approach to level the playing field) and then those that make it, make it. For example the Arts and Science Faculty has a general first year - where you aren't yet in your major. You take whatever arts and science classes (or are required by the major you want) you want and then you apply to get into your major for second year. This way, they know they are keeping students who can be successful in university, and the students have a better sense of what major they want after one year of school. In Canada 15-23% of university students drop out or fall out during their first year - and don't return for second year. |
Anonymous
| OP: Does your DC speak Canadian ? |
Anonymous
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For Sept 2025, U of T had 60,020 applicants from in province, and 52,888 applicants from outside Ontario or international.
They accepted / confirmed 11039 from in province and 6666 from outside Ontario / international. |
Anonymous
Mine learnt to spell Canadian, because some faculty consider other kinds of spelling to be mistakes (and that impacted grading). |
Anonymous
Do you know what the yield percentage was / is ? |
Anonymous
That is the yield rate. Confirmed acceptances is pretty much the yield rate. A few many not attend if something changes before confirmation and September. The admissions report for Fall 2025 isn't out yet. I can look at the exact numbers of applications, confirmed acceptance, and enrolled in September for 2024 but it will be very similar. Total enrolled in Sept 2024 in first year undergrad was just over 17,700 |
Anonymous
| In Canada you basically enrol when you confirm your acceptance. |
Anonymous
Thank you. |
Anonymous
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In 2024, they sent admission offers to just over 59,000 students.
IN Canada we do Application Admission Offer Accepted (Accepted but may be waiting for another offer from a better school) Confirmed Accepted (Enrolled) |