Main Content

Location matters: Toronto and the University of Toronto

Located in the heart of Toronto and part of the University of Toronto, the Rotman School is a catalyst for breakthrough thinking, a hub for stimulating points of view, and an incubator of the innovation-focused economy.

Con Hall skyline

University of Toronto 

"There is no better place to develop the skills and global mindset required to make a profound impact on business and society."

— Tiff Macklem, Dean of the Rotman School

The University of Toronto, Canada's top research university, is renowned for its excellence in teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, which drives economic growth and promotes social well-being around the globe. 

U of T was ranked 18th globally in the prestigious Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings, placing it firmly among the world’s top 20 institutions. The quality and range of the University’s programs – undergraduate, graduate, and professional – span all disciplines and professions and attract top faculty and students from across Canada and around the world.

With over $1 billion spent annually in biotech/medical research alone, the University of Toronto has the largest research budget in Canada. U of T is second only to Harvard University for the number of research publications cited worldwide, and has the third largest academic library in the world, after Harvard and Yale. The University of Toronto contributes $15.7 billion to the Canadian economy every year.

U of T is home to 91,000 students and 22,000 faculty and staff members. There are 592,000 U of T alumni around the world. U of T has produced six Nobel Prize-winning graduate, Canadian prime ministers, and the most Rhodes Scholars of any Canadian university. U of T alumni are major economic drivers, having founded 190,000 ventures across all major industries, generating hundreds of billions in annual revenues and employing millions of people globally. 

As a Rotman student, you are welcome everywhere on the beautiful and historic U of T campus (view a campus map here). Explore the first-class athletic facilities, the fourth-largest research library in North America, and a range of dining choices. Once you graduate, you benefit from the global reputation of Canada's top business school and one of the world's most highly ranked universities.

Toronto skyline

Toronto: centre of the action

Rotman is situated in downtown Toronto, and the School takes full advantage of its strategic location by drawing on a rich pool of business and political leaders as teachers, mentors and speakers.

The pace of residential building projects reflects the city’s rapid rate of growth; Toronto leads all North American municipalities in new large-scale development projects with 185 high-rise buildings currently under construction. 

Toronto is a city of festivals, including Nuit Blanche, Winterlicious, Pride Week, and the Cavalcade of Lights Festival and Exhibit, which collectively attract more than 2.5 million residents and tourists each year. The city also boasts a wealth of creative talent, and is home to more than 70 film festivals, including the annual Toronto International Film Festival. Toronto boasts more than 200 professional performing arts organizations, including the famous Mirvish Productions, and countless commercial and not-for-profit galleries and museums

Innovation and entrepreneurship hub

Toronto’s economy is one of the most diverse in North America, and it is fast becoming one of the world’s best startup ecosystems—it is the third largest technology sector on the continent, which includes more than 15,000 companies and over 400,000 employees. A recent study by McKinsey concluded that the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor, known as ‘Tech North’, is fast growing into the largest concentration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, fintech, and quantum computing start-ups in the world.

Steps away from the university, the MaRS Discovery District hosts and supports entrepreneurial development. U of T invests $1.3 billion per year in research, including a $100-million commitment to build a new complex dedicated to AI and biomedicine, and $25 million in funding from the Government of Canada to support Rotman's Creative Destruction Lab.

Toronto: Get Inspired

Asha and Christine share why they love Toronto