Birthplace of Groundbreaking Discoveries: researchers Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and J.J.R. Macleod discovered insulin here in 1921–1922. The university is also where stem cells were first identified (by James Till and Ernest McCulloch in 1961) and where astronomer Tom Bolton discovered the first observational evidence of a black hole (Cygnus X-1) in 1972.

The "Oxbridge-Style" Collegiate System: Unlike most North American public universities, undergraduate Arts & Science students on the downtown St. George campus belong to one of seven distinct colleges (such as Trinity, Victoria, University College, or Innis). Each college functions like an intimate academic neighborhood with its own residences, dining halls, libraries, traditions, and registrar.

Third-Largest Library System in North America: The library system holds tens of millions of physical and electronic holdings, trailing only Harvard and Yale among university libraries across North America. Its centerpiece, the brutalist Robarts Library, was intentionally designed to resemble a peacock (though students often compare it to a turkey or fortress).

Computer Science: Considered one of the best computer science programs in the world, largely driven by the university's role as the global birthplace of modern deep learning and neural networks (led by Turing Award winner Geoffrey Hinton).

Rotman Commerce (BCom): Offered jointly by the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Rotman School of Management, this program draws intense competition for its finance, accounting, and management streams with immediate pipelines into the city's financial district.

Life Sciences (Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Cell Biology): The primary launchpad for pre-med and biomedical research careers, closely connected to the city's Discovery District and a cluster of world-class teaching hospitals.

Engineering Science ("EngSci"): One of the most rigorous undergraduate engineering degrees in the world. Students complete two years of foundational math, physics, and computing before branching into cutting-edge majors such as Machine Intelligence, Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Systems, or Quantum Engineering.

Ethics, Society, and Law: Housed within Trinity College, this interdisciplinary major challenges students to debate real-world moral and systemic dilemmas—examining how justice, legal frameworks, and societal structures intersect.

Material Culture and Semiotics: Hosted by Victoria College, this humanities program investigates how physical objects, fashion, spaces, and symbolic signs communicate cultural meaning and shape human behavior.

Home to the World’s First Hexagonal Wind Tunnel: This uni houses the WindEEE Dome (Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment), an engineering facility capable of simulating full-scale real-world atmospheric patterns—including tornadoes, downbursts, and gust fronts—over two-story test structures.

Insulin Discovery Ties via Banting House: While Sir Frederick Banting did his lab work in Toronto, he conceived the core idea that led to the discovery of insulin in 1920 while living and teaching clinical medicine and anthropology right down the street from this Uni. 

The Legendary "Orientation Week" (O-Week): This uni is famous across Canada for hosting one of the country's most organized student orientations, led by hundreds of upper-year "Sophs" in faculty and residence colors.

Business Administration (Ivey HBA / AEO): The Ivey Business School uses the Harvard-style case-method study model and is arguably Canada's most prestigious undergraduate business path, drawing thousands of applicants targeting competitive finance, tech, and consulting roles.

Medical Sciences (BMSc): Delivered jointly with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, this flagship science program is one of Ontario’s primary feeder streams for medical school, clinical epidemiology, and bioscience research.

Engineering (BESc): This uni's Engineering is highly sought after for its common first-year design curriculum, allowing students to explore disciplines before choosing civil, mechanical, mechatronic, biochemical, software, or dual-degree tracks.

Commercial Aviation Management (BMOS): Offered within Management and Organizational Studies, this degree combines commercial flight training with airline logistics, finance, aviation safety regulations, and airport operations.

Green Process Engineering (BEng): A rare specialized engineering discipline that reimagines chemical engineering principles through the lens of carbon capture, renewable fuel production, industrial waste stream diversion, and sustainable materials synthesis.

Integrated Science (WISc): A cohort-based degree that eliminates the traditional boundary walls between physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, and math, focusing on collaborative group problem-solving for massive global dilemmas (like water scarcity and renewable battery storage).