FAQ

Before starting your application, it’s important to determine if UCC is a good fit for your family. We encourage all families to learn more about our programs and stay connected to the school. To find out more about UCC and what makes us truly stand apart, start your exploration at the Explore UCC page.

While tuition covers most curricular costs there are some incidental charges which are not covered. Please visit the Tuition and Financial Assistance page to get a better idea of what the total cost may be per year. PLEASE NOTE: these charges will vary from student to student.

For detailed information please visit the Academics section.

We do not recommend any one school or program for UCC prep. We admit a wide variety of boys from different educational backgrounds who meet UCC’s academic, co-curricular and social skills criteria. Parents should always choose a school based on “fit” — the school that will best meet the needs of their family.

Many studies have shown that the traditional co-ed classroom setting does not favour boys nor does it support their learning styles. Our faculty have become experts in boys’ education, through professional development opportunities and research conducted by our own Centre for Learning. For more information and research on the benefits of boys' schools, visit the International Boys' School Coalition website.

UCC is a one-to-one school, with a school-supplied iPad used in the SK-4 classrooms and Macbook used in Year 5 to Year 12. Students receive UCC technology loaded with all the programs and applications required to support their curriculum, plus our IT HelpDesk is available to support and troubleshoot as needed. Our investment in technology includes interactive whiteboard technology, wireless projection, streaming cameras, and multi-direction microphones in all classrooms.

When applying, we ask that you provide a current Psychological Educational Assessment so that we can assess your student’s needs and what support we can offer.

UCC's delivery of the IB programmes is academically rigorous and challenges students.

We do not offer a French Immersion program at UCC, although French is taught as a second language in all grades. Students arriving into Year 6 and 7 are placed in one of three streams: Core Basic, Core Advanced and Extended. Most students will follow our Core French program at either the Basic or the Advanced level. Some students will be recommended for the Extended French program on the basis of a demonstrated strong background, fluency and skills in the language. At the Upper School, students need to study French for at least one year in Year 8. In Year 9 they can continue with French or choose Latin, Spanish or Mandarin and continue with this language until Year 12.

At UCC, the language of instruction is English and therefore students need to demonstrate proficiency in English. UCC does not have a formal ESL program; however, the Wernham West Centre for Learning provides a great deal of support for English language learners, including some boarding students.

• • In a Year 5 unit of inquiry, the central idea is that “people have different perspectives that influence interactions,” and students explore the features of Indigenous societies.
  • In Year 7 history and geography, the relationship between European explorers and Indigenous societies is a main topic of discussion. A specific unit and assessment is dedicated to the students' understanding and impact of the Residential Schools.
  • In Year 8 and Year 9 English, students participate in an exchange with Manitoba high school students where written pieces focusing on personal experiences are shared and used to start a dialogue about First Nations history, identity, and culture.
  • In Year 11 Language and Literature, students learn about residential schools through documentaries, editorials, poems, political cartoons, testimonials, and newspaper articles.
  • UCC’s Amnesty International club raises awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
  • At both the Prep and Upper Schools, an Acknowledgment of Traditional Land is read aloud at the beginning of special assemblies and events.

Students work with our University Counselling Office to learn about schools and programs that best fit their educational goals. University counsellors assist students to put together applications, prepare for entrance requirements and decide, ultimately, which school will be their ideal match. UCC graduates are well prepared to study in Canada, the United States and abroad. Every year, we have a number of students who choose to attend prominent schools in the United States and around the world.

We currently have 151 teaching staff at Upper Canada College, including residential assistants, Norval outdoor educators, and After School Program staff; 140 have the Ontario teaching certificate.

UCC has a rigorous hiring process and a dedicated HR department to oversee it. Job applicants who are selected for an interview are questioned by current staff members in the related department as well as a senior administrator. Once the successful candidate is chosen, reference checks are done with previous employers. If those meet our requirements, we require a previous satisfactory criminal reference and “vulnerable sector screening,” and request a new one from the police. New checks take up to two months to process, so we ask for a previous one as insurance. UCC strives to provide a positive, humane and safe environment for students, faculty and staff — a community that supports the dignity, wellbeing and safety of all its members. Employees are trained in standards and boundaries for working with children, and they are guided by the comprehensive UCC Policy and Procedures for Preventing, Identifying and Investigating Harassment, Abuse and Violence.

Assistance is available to Canadian citizens starting in Year 5, and we encourage all eligible families to apply.

The application for financial assistance is separate from the application for admission. Both must be submitted in order to be considered for financial assistance. Candidates wishing to apply for financial assistance must complete and submit the Financial Aid for Canadian Students (FACS) application form available via the Apple Financial Services website. The fee for applying is $137.50 and regretfully we do not offer waiver codes for the financial assistance application. All new student financial assistance applications must be completed no later than December 31 to be considered for the following entry year.

Financial assistance is offered on the basis of family need. The Financial Assistance Review Committee (FACS) makes recommendations to UCC based on the information provided by you in the Parents’ Financial Statement. This includes, but is not limited to, the parents/guardians’ gross family income; net income (after taxes and other deductions); assets and liabilities; and information about dependents and other expenditures. The computation is based on a process of analysis developed by a standing committee of experienced financial aid officers. It measures what is possible, though not necessarily comfortable, for a family to contribute toward educational expenses. Schools assume that parents, to the extent that they are able, will bear the primary responsibility for financing their children’s education, sometimes at the expense of other discretionary expenditures.

There are no predetermined levels or ranges used to determine financial assistance eligibility. We’ve created tools using our current data to help applicant Day families determine whether or not they may qualify for financial assistance. This table offers an at-a-glance look at all current families receiving financial assistance based only on gross family income. The calculator also factors in the number of dependent children in the household. Many other factors impact financial assistance eligibility beyond family income and dependent children. These tools should only be used as a rough guide.

Boarding families are also eligible for financial assistance; 34.5 per cent of boarding families receive some amount of financial assistance, the vast majority of whom are Canadian. (There is one U.S. financial assistance award and one for a student from Hungary, provided by a donor.) For information on financial assistance eligibility for boarding, please contact UCC Admission (admission@ucc.on.ca).

While there are a limited number of merit-based entrance scholarships offered to our top applicants, 98.5 per cent of financial assistance offered is determined by family need. You do not need to apply for merit-based entrance scholarships; they are awarded automatically to the top applicants (who demonstrate high academic achievement, interesting co-curricular experience or potential, and strong character).

Financial assistance is offered on the basis of family need. Apple Financial Services makes a recommendation to the Financial Assistance Review Committee (FACS); they are a trusted partner in the financial assistance assessment for UCC and most other Canadian independent schools. Normally the FACS decision will be very close to the third-party recommendation made by Apple Financial Services. The College’s FACS makes all decisions about the actual amounts of assistance offered. All applications for financial assistance are reviewed and evaluated independently from admission applications.

Upper Canada College’s boarding program has been in place since the College’s founding in 1829.

The boarding program is home to 86 students most academic years. Students hail from different parts of Ontario, other provinces in Canada, and more than 18 other countries, including those in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

Boarding begins in Year 8, and the main entry years are Years 9, 10 and 11. No students are admitted to Year 12.

Tuition and fees vary depending on the entry year and whether the student is a Domestic (Canadian passport holder) or International applicant. Please visit Tuition and Financial Assistance for more information about the application fee, registration fee and ongoing tuition and fees for boarding. There may be other additional costs, such as Legal Guardianship, related to boarding. Please refer to the Financial Handbook in that section for more information.

Please see the 2023–24 Upper School Dress Code here.

All uniforms items can be purchased online.

Boarders have breakfast, lunch and dinner during the school week. On weekends there is a full brunch and dinner served at designated times. During hours when the dining room is closed, the “milk and toast room” is stocked with a microwave, toaster, toaster oven, cereal and milk, bread, granola bars and fruits for a light meal at any time. During the school week, the cafeteria is open throughout the school day.

Each student has the below amenities in their dormitory. Students normally provide their own bedding and bring their own additional small items to personalize their rooms and make them more homey and comfortable:

• Single bed and bedding (twin sheets, blankets, pillows and pillow cases)
• Whiteboard
• Shelving unit
• Desk with two large clothing drawers
• Desk lamp
• Desk chair
• Small three-drawer cabinet
• Closet

New boarders are asked to complete a survey to communicate their likes, dislikes and routines. With that information we match up students to their roommates to ensure the best fit. With the importance of the international experience, typically boarders of different cultures and backgrounds share rooms during their first year. After their first year, boarders may request a roommate. Rooms are shared with one student with the exception of our graduating seniors, who have their own room.

Linens are washed weekly by our laundry staff. Building toward university independence, students in Year 11 and Year 12 do their own laundry. The laundry facilities are in the boarding houses and all students have access to them at any time by using a swipe card. For younger students, laundry is done once per week on an assigned day.

The Blues Shop is normally open Monday to Friday and sells items such as shampoo and laundry detergent. There you can also buy athletic gear and UCC-branded items. During the new student orientation program, students will visit a transit stop where “Presto Cards” can be purchased and then used on public buses, subways and streetcars.

The Forest Hill Village is within 10 minutes of campus and features coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, dry cleaners, pharmacies, a barber shop and banks.

Branches of major banks are in the Forest Hill neighbourhood and at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue, within walking distance of UCC. We would recommend you open an account for your child, as that’s the easiest way to send pocket money, etc. Banks include CIBC, BMO, Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust, HSBC and RBC.

All boarders have the use of the playing fields, swimming pool, outdoor tennis courts, fitness centre, training room, music practice rooms, art and film room, computer labs and more. Boarders also have ice time and indoor tennis scheduled for recreational use two to three times a week.

Being in the centre of the city as interesting and diverse as Toronto, our students are fortunate to have world-class opportunities available to them throughout the year. During the school week, students have a full routine from breakfast through to bedtime. A typical evening includes a meal, study time and house meetings. After-school activities might include a workout in our fully equipped training studio or playing video games with housemates. Weekends are a time to have fun, and the school organizes many outings, some of them with nearby girls’ schools. They include:
• orientation program for new students at UCC’s Norval Outdoor School, our private nature sanctuary outside Toronto
• getting to know Toronto using its convenient transit system
• visits to Canada’s Wonderland amusement park
• bike tours
• rock climbing
• live theatre
• winter ski program
• professional baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer games

Outside of school hours and on weekends, residential students may wear casual attire. Students should bring a full range of comfortable casual clothing, sufficient for about eight days (to allow time for laundering). Other suggested items include:
• Dress shirts (white, light blue, plain light colour, quiet stripe or pattern (uniform items can be purchased online this year)
• Sports coat
• Running shoes
• Sandals
• Polished leather dress and casual shoes
• Pajamas
• Bathrobe
• Washcloths
• Bath towels
• Rainwear
• Bathing suit
• Gym shorts (blue or white; also available at UCC Sports Shop)
• Underwear or boxers
• Belts
• Dark socks
• White socks
• Toiletries
• Warm winter clothing (winter coat, hat, gloves, ski jacket)
• Laundry bag
• Athletic gear for personal use such as golf clubs, skates, cleats, snowboard and ski wear
• Bedding is provided, but many students like to bring their own to personalize their rooms (standard twin comforter is recommended; standard twin sheets, blankets, pillows and pillow cases are optional)
The uniform items below can be purchased online through dgn-kilters and a wide selection of casual UCC “spiritwear,” school supplies, house ties and UCC memorabilia can be purchased through the Blues Shop’s online catalogue.
• UCC crested blazer
• 2–3 pairs of grey flannel pants
• 2–3 pairs of khaki, beige or tan cotton pants
• Gym T-shirts (UCC-specific)
• UCC navy crested golf shirts
• House and school ties
• UCC-crested sweater or fleece
These are the school supplies we also recommend you purchase at the beginning of the year:
• 3-4 binders and dividers (if you want a binder for each subject you will need 7). Typically students use one binder for a few subjects
• lined paper (loose leaf)
• pens, pencils, highlighters, pencil case, ruler, pencil crayons (Geography)
• TI83 or TI84 (not CAS) model calculator
• Post-it notes

Yes, students are encouraged to bring their bicycle; they can be stored in the boarding houses. There are many wonderful bike trails that can be easily accessed from the College campus.

All boarders must carry a cell phone. This is an integral communication piece between the students and boarding staff. There are a number of providers in the neighbourhood, including Bell and Rogers. Laptops and cell phones are turned into the Residential Adviser on duty before 11 p.m. every night and are returned before breakfast.