With a student population of over 47,000 people, Ryerson offers an enormous range of degrees and courses for students to study with eight faculties:

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Community Services
• Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Science
• Ted Rogers School of Management
• The Creative School
• Yeates School of Graduate Studies

Degrees can be offered in co-op courses, a way to combine in-classroom, theory-based learning with practical applications on placement and usually with paid work experience. Ryerson is also innovative in how it uses its ‘incubator zones’ as a way to encourage its students to use their studies in an entrepreneurial fashion in a way that is different from any other Canadian university.

In terms of subject ranking, Art & Design is places highly in QS’ Top University Ranking, placing between #101-#110 globally, and its Architecture programmes are among the top 150 in the world. (QS Top University Ranking, 2022.)

Ryerson’s campus is based in downtown Toronto, creating a bustling and exciting atmosphere. Campus buildings include the Nelson Mandela Library, containing over one million resources, ranging from books, journals, special collections items, and online resources too. Connected to the library is the Sheldon and Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre, a beautifully-constructed building dedicated to the students of Ryerson, with each floor having a different theme, complete with Student Services, study rooms, and the School of Performance’s studios.

Due to being in the centre of Toronto, rent prices are relatively high so most students commute in from further afield via buses, the city’s subway network, streetcars, and by bike. Toronto is also serviced by two airports that make travelling domestically and globally easy for international students.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of Ryerson’s achievements is its commitment to startup incubators and funnelling students through these successful programmes so as to foster an entrepreneurial spirit amongst its students.

This is what Ryerson call “Zone Learning”; 10 zones, each tailored to a different industry, where students can discuss their ideas, begin projects or startups, and receive the necessary advice and resources to help achieve these goals. Ryerson have the industry links and expertise to help their students succeed in being industry-ready and it is proven by the statistics behind “Zone Learning”:

• 450+ startups incubated in 2019.
• 4,000+ jobs created by startups in Ryerson’s Zones.
• C$1 Billion funding raised by zones and startups.

Ryerson is home to over 125 research institutes and labs, it has seen its externally-funded research doubled in the past four years showing that its research output is on the right trajectory.

The university has drawn up the 2020-2025 Strategic Research Plan which takes aim at key themes that the university wishes to target in their upcoming research, such as Urban Innovation, Health & Wellbeing, Technology & Intelligent Systems. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) funds undergrads who wish to strive forwards in their respective studies, and students can get help with funding, application-writing, and industry contacts by contacting the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (OVPRRI). 

Ryerson’s placement in the heart of Toronto opens the doors to incredible opportunities when it comes to employment after and during university. Through co-op, internships, and research partnerships, Ryerson have built great working relationships in various industries, working with companies and istitutes such as:

• Audible
• Coca-Cola
• IBM
• Universal Music Group
• Scotiabank
• St. Michael’s Hospital

And many more.

87% of Ryerson graduates find themselves in employment within 6 months of graduation and 95% are employed within two years of graduation. These stats are partially down to the work of the Ryerson Career & Co-op Centre, the office for aiding students with finding careers during and after their time in education. They have workshops, resumé templates, co-op opportunities and more to help their students in their career progression.

Athletics and sports are very popular at Ryerson, with facilities including the RAC Pool and RAC & Kerr Hall gym so students can stay active, join intramural activities and sign up to teams and classes for maximum physical and social interaction. The Ryerson Rams are the university’s sports team and they compete in a variety of competitions nationally across numerous sports.

Toronto is an exciting place for students to find themselves, complete with the Allan Gardens, a greenhouse in the middle of the city, Grenadier Pond, where people ice skate in the winter, and the Royal Ontario Museum, a cultural hub of Canadian history.

There are plenty of food options on campus, such as the DCC Market where students can enjoy coffee, groceries and more. Its situation in downtown Toronto also provides hundreds of off-campus food and drinking options for students to explore and navigate.

Ryerson University is low on the highest overall ranked universities globally at #801-#1000 (QS) but it does still have good qualities to offer students, namely the “Zone Learning” incubators and startups. For those who want to test themselves as creatives and entrepreneurs, Ryerson caters for them in abundance and the statistics underline the successes of these programmes in not only making successful startups, but also work-ready students. 

For a research university, it doesn’t boast the same output or emphasis as other top Canadian universities of similar sizes, but its location in Toronto opens doors to wider employment and industries that other universities would not be able to compete with. Toronto also offers students an exciting metropolitan university experience and its excellent infrastructure offers excellent links to surrounding cities and countries further afield.