With more than 15,000 faculty, over 700 undergraduate programs and 95,000 students on three campuses, the University of Toronto is in a class of its own. St. George, the leafy downtown campus, has historic stone buildings alongside sleek modern architecture. A new multi-purpose meeting space, the Student Commons, is slated to fully open by the fall. The Scarborough and Mississauga campuses are located in the east and west ends of the city, respectively. The Mississauga campus borders on protected greenbelt land; the Scarborough campus offers co-op in all of its program areas.

U of T’s halls have echoed with the debates of future premiers and prime ministers. It is famous for pioneering research on insulin, regenerative medicine and artificial intelligence. U of T’s School of Cities brings together researchers from across disciplines to address the challenges facing urban areas. The university supports student start-up companies; aspiring entrepreneurs can grow their ideas through 11 accelerators and more than 250 courses. Given U of T’s size, one might think professors would be too busy for undergraduates, but the university fosters small-group learning opportunities, such as first-year seminars.

Incoming engineering students can join the U of T Engineering Academy for a free refresher program on high school math, chemistry and physics. In 2021, U of T was named the top-placed Canadian university in Times Higher Education’s global ranking on employability of graduates for the ninth year in a row. “The university has worked hard to make sure graduates are equipped with both the academic credentials and the core competencies they need to succeed,” says president Meric Gertler.