Toronto is home to three universities, a degree-granting college of art and design, and four colleges of applied arts and technology - as well as many private educational institutions. University of Toronto York University Ryerson University Ontario College of Art and Design Total enrolment in Toronto universities Colleges of Applied Arts andTechnology Total enrolment in Toronto colleges International students studying in Toronto

University of Toronto

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto (U of T) is Canada's largest university, with more than 20,000 staff and faculty members and almost 70,000 students on three campuses – the main campus located in downtown Toronto.

The university has an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and its economic impact on the Toronto area is estimated to be $5.4 billion.

The University of Toronto grants both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and offers a full range of courses in the humanities and social and physical sciences, as well as professional programs in medicine, dentistry, engineering, architecture, nursing, social work and teaching.

The University of Toronto has more than 16,500 researchers on campus and at its affiliated teaching hospitals. U of T’s Department of Computer Science is the largest in Canada and is ranked 8th in the world. 

University of Toronto Nobel Prize Winners:

• Faculty members Sir Frederick Banting and J.R. Macleod were the first in Canada to win the Nobel Prize in 1923 for their work with Charles Best in the isolation of insulin, a discovery that revolutionized the treatment of diabetes.
• Lester B. Pearson, a U of T graduate, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.
• In 1981, Arthur Schawlow, who co-discovered the laser beam, won a Nobel Prize. He graduated from U of T's Victoria College in 1941.
• In 1986, Prof. John Polanyi won the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on the atomic and molecular activity underlying chemical reactions.
• Bertram N. Brockhouse won the Nobel Prize in 1994 for the development of neutron spectroscopy. Brockhouse developed the neutron spectrometer and was one of the first to measure the photon dispersion curve of a solid.
• In 1998, Walter Kohn won the Nobel Prize for the development of density-functional theory, simplifying the mathematical description of the bonding between atoms that make up molecules.

York University

Founded in 1959, York University is Canada's third-largest university. It has approximately 5,000 staff and faculty members. More than 50,000 students pursue full- or part-time degree studies on the main campus in the north-western part of Toronto or at Glendon College, a bilingual liberal arts institution in central Toronto.

Ryerson University

Ryerson University, located in downtown Toronto, is home to more than 17,000 full-time students. Thirty-four programs are offered through the Faculties of Arts, Applied Arts, Business, Community Services, Engineering and Applied Science.

Ontario College of Art and Design

The Ontario College of Art and Design is devoted to the education of professional artists and designers. Its specialized programs include illustration, advertising design, interior design, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, print making and industrial design.

Enrolment at Toronto universities by level of study and registration status (Fall 2008)

Enrolment Source: Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Toronto Region Research Alliance.

Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology

Community colleges, known more formally as "Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology," provide training in a wide range of practical and technical skills. Programs are planned in co-operation with industry to provide maximum employment opportunities. The four community colleges in the Toronto Region are Centennial College, George Brown College, Humber College and Seneca College. Computer-based programs and business and professional services programs in particular are their focus.

Enrolment at Toronto colleges by level of study and registration status (Fall 2008)

Enrolment Source: Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Toronto Region Research Alliance.