The Greater Toronto Area is home to three universities, an art college and four community colleges — and a host of private educational institutions. University of Toronto York University Ryerson University Ontario College of Art and Design Total headcount enrolment -     Toronto universities Colleges of Applied Arts and     Technology Total headcount enrolment -     Toronto colleges

University of Toronto

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto (U of T) is Canada's largest university, granting both undergraduate and graduate degrees. It has an operating budget of $930 million, assets of over $2 billion, three principal campuses, 11,807 full and part-time employees and over 70,000 students. Additionally, just under ten per cent of the student population consists of international students. U of T offers a full range of courses in the humanities and the social and physical sciences, as well as professional programs in medicine, dentistry, engineering, architecture, nursing, social work and teaching.

There is a breadth of research at U of T with more than 16,500 researchers on campus and at its affiliated teaching hospitals. Its Faculty of Medicine and was recently recognized by the United Nations as one of our international centres of excellence for its multi-disciplinary approach to leading-edge research.

Key facts:

• The University of Toronto's Department of Computer Science is the largest and most highly rated in Canada and is one the top 10 on the continent.
• U of T has one of the largest medical complexes in North America.

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 7,000 faculty members and staff. Around 50,000 students pursue full or part-time degree studies on the York campus in the northwestern part of the Toronto Region or at Glendon College, Ontario's bilingual liberal arts institution located in downtown Toronto.

Ryerson University

Ryerson University, Canada's only polytechnic university, is home to more than 16,000 full-time students. Thirty-six programs are offered through the Faculties of Arts, Applied Arts, Business, Community Services, Engineering and Applied Science. Of particular note are its journalism, multi-media arts and business programs.

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.

Total headcount enrolment at Toronto universities and federated/affiliated institutions by level of study and registration status, Fall 2006

Source: Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

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. In particular computer-based programs and business and professional services are their focus.

Total headcount enrolment at Toronto colleges by level of study and registration status: Fall 2006

Source: Referred to school websites as well as Records & Registration offices