University of Toronto supports Indian students amid immigration and other challenges
The University of Toronto has taken steps to help international students, especially Indians, amid the recent diplomatic row, Canada’s evolving immigration policies, the rising cost of living and a shrinking job market, to ensure a better college experience.
To understand the opportunities Toronto University provides to Indian students, The Free Press Journal (FPJ) spoke to Lisa Pires, the media relations officer of the university.
FPJ: Could you tell us what scholarship opportunities are offered to the students?
Pires: The majority of the University of Toronto’s admission scholarships for international undergraduate applicants are automatically awarded as a part of the admissions review process. The two major admission awards are the University of Toronto Scholars Program and the President’s Scholars of Excellence Program. The University offers graduate and postgraduate awards as well.
Other international secondary applicants may also be considered for the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program if nominated by their high school.
FPJ: Can you elaborate on the areas of collaboration between the University of Toronto and Indian institutes?
Pires: Many of these collaborations are focused on urban and rural issues, in alignment with one of the foci of U of T India Foundation in Mumbai. For instance, the Canadian India Initiative on Sustainable Rural Development (CIISRD) is a joint research effort between the Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) at U of T and the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas at IIT-Bombay. This initiative supports collaborative research between faculty at the two institutions to tackle pressing issues of sustainable development in India, such as sanitation, nutrition and water supply.
The University of Toronto is also working with Indian partners on International Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Projects. U of T students working in multidisciplinary teams are matched with local partners who have identified an existing urban challenge.
FPJ: Does the university provide accommodation to students?
Pires: The University of Toronto offers a first-year residence guarantee to incoming undergraduate students, including international students. The university’s housing offices also help students navigate the rental market if they opt to live off-campus. Supports include an off-campus rental listing website and Roommate Finder service.
FPJ: Does the University have a career centre and does it help navigate the job market?
Pires: The University’s Career Exploration & Education office helps students explore what they can do with their degrees, discover job opportunities and further their education. Students also have access to the Career & Co-curricular Learning Network, which is an online service that includes helpful tools for students interested in working abroad.
In addition, the University of Toronto ranks 12th in the latest Global Employability University Ranking, which reveals which universities produce the most employable graduates.
FPJ: Have the recent tensions between Canada and India affected Indian students at the University?
Pires: Toronto is a diverse and welcoming city for newcomers from across the globe, which is reflected in our community at the University of Toronto. Recent diplomatic tensions have not played out on university campuses.
FPJ: Will admissions be affected by the new policy implemented by the government to protect international students from falling prey to admission scams?
Pires: The University of Toronto does not engage with third-party agents to recruit students. Domestic and international students apply directly through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC). The university’s internal admission and recruitment teams support applicants throughout the process, and all communications with applicants come directly from the university and are available in the admission portal. To support our international students through the immigration process, we have taken additional measures to protect admission documents, including embedding security features to help Canadian immigration officials verify their authenticity. These steps protect the integrity of our admission processes.
