| Toronto is one of North America's greatest cities. It | | | | private schools tend to be smaller and more oriented |
| offers architectural beauty, highly developed culture | | | | toward specific types of career training. |
| and a cosmopolitan quality of life. It is also the home to | | | | In the last few years, some of Toronto's smaller |
| numerous institutions of higher education, both public | | | | private schools have come under fire for misleading |
| and private. Toronto's public and private colleges offer | | | | international students into attending what students |
| a tremendous variety of experiences and opportunities. | | | | thought were high quality programs with attractive |
| Here is a quick run-down of some basic differences | | | | campuses, only to find shabby buildings and sub-par |
| between Toronto's private and public colleges. | | | | course offerings. Though some of Toronto's small |
| When you're talking about public colleges in Toronto, | | | | private schools fall into this low class, many don't. |
| you're talking about the University of Toronto, York | | | | Tuition at Toronto's private college varies greatly |
| University, Ryerson University and the Ontario College | | | | depending on which college. Toronto's institutions of |
| of Art and Design. With the exception of the Ontario | | | | religious education such as Master's College and |
| College of Art and Design, which has only 3,000 | | | | Seminary or Tyndale College and Seminary tend to |
| students, Toronto's public schools are very large, with | | | | cost the least, about 8,000 Canadian dollars per year |
| enrollments ranging from 30,000 to 70,000 students. | | | | for residents. Other schools, such as George Brown |
| The University of Toronto is Canada's largest | | | | University, which focuses on career training and offers |
| university and offers a very broad range of courses in | | | | only a few bachelors' programs cost upwards of |
| the humanities and social and physical sciences, as well | | | | 5,000 Canadian dollars per semester. |
| as professional programs in medicine, engineering, | | | | Many of Toronto's private colleges, such as |
| architecture, dentistry, social work and teaching. The U | | | | Metropolitan College or the Canadian College of |
| of T conducts many research programs and boasts a | | | | Business, Science and Technology offer affordable |
| world-class medical facility. | | | | continuing education and career training that costs a lot |
| York University is a smaller liberal arts institution with a | | | | less and takes less time to earn than a Bachelor's |
| long history dating back to 1859. Ryerson is Canada's | | | | degree. |
| only polytechnic institution, offering notable journalism, | | | | The ultimate difference between Toronto's public and |
| multimedia and business programs as well as | | | | private schools has to do with the type of experience |
| programs in fields like the Applied Arts or Engineering. | | | | offered to students. If you want to attend a large |
| Public schools in Toronto are relatively affordable, | | | | school, with lots of young students living on-campus, |
| costing around $12,000 to $17,000 Canadian dollars per | | | | experiencing an academic community and choosing |
| year for a non-international student living away from | | | | from a vast array of educational opportunities, sports |
| home. Toronto's public schools all offer financial aid and | | | | teams, concerts, clubs and social events, then you |
| scholarships to high achieving and/or financially needy | | | | would probably appreciate a public college. If you are |
| students. | | | | interested in vocational or career training, continuing |
| Toronto is home to dozens of private schools offering | | | | education or a religious certification, then you would be |
| an immense variety of experiences, knowledge and | | | | best served by a private school. |
| training. Unlike their public counterparts, Toronto's | | | | |