24 best universities in Toronto, Ontario 2025

Toronto, celebrated for its CN Tower and the expansive PATH, is a melting pot of culture and education. This vibrant city, famed for its film industry and international film festival, hosts a variety of esteemed higher education institutions. These schools, known for diverse programs and research contributions, make Toronto a magnet for students globally.

Sam Jones

Recruitment Director for Partnership with INTO Universities (Europe and Central Asia)

What firstly should be considered when choosing a university?

It depends on the student - everyone determines the most important criteria for himself. I would advise you to take several rankings and compare them with each other, plus take into account the cost of the course, the location of the university and its scale, the percentage of graduates' employment. See where graduates continue their studies or where they go to work.

• University of Toronto: This 200-year-old institution, with over 60,000 students, offers a wide range of disciplines. Known for its extensive campus and rich research culture, it ranks highly in multiple global disciplines.
• York University: As Canada's third-largest university, York is known for its diverse programs and emphasis on creativity. It houses the country's oldest film school and excels in environmental studies.
• Ryerson University: A progressive urban institution, Ryerson stands out in business, engineering, and communications. The Ted Rogers School of Management and its innovative law school are particularly notable.
• Centennial College: Catering to students from over 100 countries, Centennial offers programs in numerous fields. Its practical training approach and support for post-graduation employment in Canada are key benefits.
• Humber College: Specializing in engineering and business, Humber focuses on technical innovation and applied research. The Barrett Center for Technical Innovation is a testament to its commitment to hands-on learning.

Toronto's educational institutions have unique admission guidelines for candidates over 25, appreciating a range of educational backgrounds and life experiences. Mature applicants with academic potential are encouraged to apply, regardless of conventional academic qualifications.

Toronto's Educational Landscape

Toronto's variety of educational institutions, each with distinct strengths, offers enriching opportunities for every student. The city's cultural diversity and the high caliber of its schools make it an attractive destination for quality higher education.

• Bachelor's Programs: Fees range from $7,500 to $50,000 CAD annually.

• Master's Programs: Tuition varies from $13,200 to $56,000 CAD per year.

Students from different educational systems may need foundation or transfer year programs for smooth integration into Canada's academic environment.

Toronto is the largest city in Canada. It is tacitly called the capital of the country. Studying in Toronto is very popular among students from all over the world. And there are many reasons for this:

• A wide range of educational institutions - from large universities to small private institutions.
• High quality of education and modern university facilities.
• Low tuition fees (compared to the US and UK).
• Cultural and national diversity: about half of the residents are foreign students. The city is home to various national neighborhoods (Italian, Indian, Chinese and many others) with unique cultures and cuisines. The same cultural diversity is found in Toronto's higher education institutions.
• Toronto is called “North Hollywood”, as 30% of all American movies and TV series are filmed there. For example, such movies as “X-Men,” “Mean Girls,” “Chicago,” “Pacific Rim,” “Suicide Squad,” “Force Majeure” and “The Handmaid's Tale” were filmed here. The University of Toronto often “plays the role” of prestigious Ivy League American universities in the movies.
• A busy student life. Toronto is considered to be a youth and student city, where everyone can find entertainment to their liking. The city has a huge number of museums, theaters and cinemas, shopping and entertainment centers, there are several sports stadiums and all opportunities for active leisure.
• The convenient location of the city allows you to travel productively around the country. There are rail, bus and air routes from Toronto to all parts of the country.

The Canadian system of higher education is considered one of the best and ranks fifth in the world ranking. Its structure is quite traditional and includes the following stages of education:

• Bachelor's degree,
• Master's degree,
• Doctoral studies.

In accordance with Western standards, students of Toronto universities, who have successfully completed 3-4 courses at a Canadian university, receive a bachelor's degree. This is where most students stop their education: it is quite enough to work in middle positions. Most universities in Canada oblige students to undergo an internship (1-2 months) in a Canadian company, which becomes a significant advantage for further employment.

Co-op (cooperative education program) can be considered as a separate type of bachelor's degree. During 4.5 years students combine their studies with work, for which they can get up to 50% of educational credits.

Master's degree, which lasts from 1 to 3 years depending on the specialization, is mainly attended by those who aspire to become top managers or want to connect their life with science. It is impossible not to mention the uniqueness of the Canadian master's degree: it consists in the fact that a student can study in it only on the specialty already acquired for the past years. Some Canadian universities also offer co-op programs for Master's students, in which students go on internships in their specialty for a period of 2 to 4 months, and employers get acquainted with potential employees.
The hierarchy of the educational system is completed by the doctoral program with the PhD degree, which lasts about 4 years. In addition to the traditional academic PhD, professional doctoral programs are also available: DBA and EdD. Usually the study takes 3 years, but can take up to 6 years. Some universities offer the possibility of simultaneous study in another foreign university within the framework of co-current programs: the partner university is selected according to the specifics of each student's project.

Also higher education institutions of Toronto offer MBA - programs for obtaining quality business education in the best business schools. Education in business administration is essential for people in any managerial position.

Toronto's higher education system includes about 30 major colleges and universities. The main difference is that colleges provide applied education in technical and semi-professional specialties, while universities provide more academic education. However, everything depends on the particular educational institution.  A number of colleges are not much inferior to universities and are even eligible to award bachelor's degrees.

Universities in Toronto offer a wide range of specialties. The most popular are information technology, microelectronics, engineering, business and natural sciences.

Attendance and academic performance in Canadian universities are carefully monitored. There are no retakes, so the number of students by the second year is significantly reduced - the number of failing students is almost 50%.

The academic year traditionally begins on the first Tuesday of September and lasts until May-June if the institution has adopted a semester system. In case of the trimester system, education continues during the summer. Since the country has two official languages, teaching can be in English or French. Some universities offer instruction in both languages (bilingual).

The province of Ontario (and, consequently, Toronto) is home to the most prestigious universities in the country, which are most often chosen by international students.

According to the QS World University Rankings for 2022-2023, 17 Canadian universities are among the top 500 universities in the world. Three of them are in the top 100, including the University of Toronto.

A big advantage of higher education in Toronto is the ability to reduce your educational expenses:

• getting a scholarship or grant, which requires excellent academic or research performance,
• on-campus or off-campus jobs.

Right now, international students do not need a work permit and can start working as soon as they enroll in the program. However, the format of the work week should not exceed 20 hours during the academic year and full-time during vacations. Undergraduate students are most often hired in the service industry, where the salary is CAD$9-15 per hour.

Canada's migration policy is aimed at attracting highly qualified personnel to the country, and therefore students educated here can easily find a job. After graduating from university, a graduate can stay in the country: if the study took a year - the visa will be valid for another year; if the study lasted 2 years or more - the period of stay in the country is 3 years. After this time it is possible to obtain a permanent residence permit for professional migration.

- Visit Niagara Falls,  
- See the blooming of real sakura in High Park,  
- Attend the annual beer festival "ShakesBeer" and try maple beer,  
- Walk across the bridge from Canada to the USA,  
- Attend a hockey game at Canada's main stadium, the home arena of the NHL team Toronto Maple Leafs,  
- Participate in street pillow fights,  
- Visit the "naked" bike ride,  
- Run the Niagara Marathon,  
- Relax by one of the four lakes surrounding the city: Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan.

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