Toronto Metropolitan University

Founded 1948 | Toronto, ON

Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) has always offered degrees that lead to jobs, but the university’s innovative incubator zones now help students create them. The school boasts 10 zones, covering industries from biomedical engineering to social innovation and clean tech, and there are more than 350 active start-ups on campus at any one time. Since 2010, the incubators have helped develop more than 4,700 start-ups, created over 4,400 jobs and raised nearly $2 billion in funding. Meanwhile, the original business incubator, the DMZ, has supported both regional and international programs from Japan to South Africa and India.

TMU’s downtown location draws many commuter students, but the Student Learning Centre, the Mattamy Athletic Centre and countless cafés entice students to stay after class. Respite from the city bustle can be found at Lake Devo, a man-made pond that serves as an ice rink in winter, or on Gould Street, which has been closed to cars since 2010. The Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex features a green roof, simulated hospital settings for nursing students and a new student residence. In 2020, TMU launched a three-year law program that includes a semester-long professional placement.

“We are redefining the learning experience by exploring bold ideas and transforming them into opportunities,” says president Mohamed Lachemi. “TMU students get real-world experience and create the impact they want to see in the world.”

Standout Programs

• Environment and Urban Sustainability: This program features fieldwork, research and consulting. Students learn innovative and sustainable ways to deal with the effects of development in urban areas.

• Innovation and Zone Learning: Students take a variety of courses while developing projects using Zone Learning resources, such as co-working spaces, research labs and industry mentorship.

• Hospitality and Tourism Management: Students develop skills and business expertise through case study analysis and 1,000 hours of work experience.

Tuition (includes compulsory ancillary fees)

$7,019 ($7,517 out-of-province students)

Minimum Entering Grades

Arts: 72-88% | Science: 72-90% | Commerce: 72-86% | Engineering: 80-90%

Student Body

Undergraduates: Full-time: 30,613 | Part-time: 9,572

Graduates: Full-time: 2,738 | Part-time: 304

International Students: First-year: 10.5% | Graduate: 14.8%

Male-Female Ratio: 43 to 57

Housing Facts

Residence Spaces: 1,153 (1,099 reserved for first-year students)

Residence Costs: Double room with meals: $14,157 to $14,974

Single room with meals: $15,813 to $17,881

Apartment-style: $10,444 to $12,745

Cool Courses

• Great Lakes Indigenous/Colonial History: Covers the period from the 1500s to the mid-1800s; topics include trade, conflict, dislocation, resistance and diplomacy.

• Astronomy vs Astrology: Examines the history and complex interrelationship between the two studies, going back to the third millennium BCE.

Student Life on Campus

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