Each year, Options Solutions team members visit many, many post-secondary institutions. These visits allow us to learn beyond what is readily available on the internet and in print materials. While on campus, we often meet with admission staff and Options alumni who attend the institution. We love learning about the nuance and vibe of each place and about all the hidden opportunities that exist there.
Our Options on Tour series highlights some of our recent adventures and shares them with you. We’ll feature what we saw, who we met, and what neat things/hidden nuggets we learned.
The University of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario
Last fall, Melinda took a trip to Ontario. While she was there, she popped into several universities. Read on for the highlights from her visit to the University of Toronto.
The Basics
- U of T has three campuses: St. George (located in downtown Toronto), Scarborough, and Mississauga. The St. George campus is their largest.
- As of Fall 2025, the University of Toronto offers over 700 undergraduate programs in Humanities & Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Commerce & Management, Computer Science, Engineering, Kinesiology & Physical Education, Music, and Architecture, Landscape & Design.
- U of T is the #1 university in Canada for research-based startups.
- U of T has a first-year residence guarantee for students entering their first year of university in an undergraduate program for the first time.
- The University of Toronto has over 1,540 student clubs, organizations and activities across all three campuses.
Featured Academic Programs
- Bachelor of Science in Data Science
- Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies
- Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies
- TrackOne Engineering
Interesting Facts
- The university was the birthplace of insulin, stem cell research, the first artificial cardiac pacemaker, and the site of the first successful lung transplant and nerve transplant.
- U of T has the only Canadian-held copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio. Published in 1623, this book contains 36 of the Bard’s famous plays. Only 228 copies survive, and U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library holds the only one in Canada.
- Numerous ghost stories persist on campus, including that of Diabolos and Reznikoff, who were masons at University College in the 1850s. They were in love with the same woman, and a confrontation resulted in Reznikoff’s death. There’s a door at the college that still bears an axe mark from the fight.
Check out our Admissions category for all our Options on Tour posts!
