Admissions and Scholarship Scams

Quick Escape

Warning about Fraudulent Offers of Admission & Scholarships

The University of Toronto is aware that third parties around the world are misrepresenting themselves as agents, staff, or officers of the University and extending fraudulent offers of admission and scholarships to students. Protect yourself and the university applicants in your life by reviewing our best practices for understanding how the University of Toronto does and does not communicate with students.

In particular, please be aware that:

  • The University of Toronto will never make unsolicited scholarship offers or admission offers. Be skeptical of any unsolicited offers of admission or scholarship guarantees that you receive.
  • The University does not offer scholarships or financial aid before issuing offers of admission — applicants are assessed for scholarships during the official application evaluation process. If the University has not offered you admission, be skeptical of any scholarship offer that arrives in your inbox. We will never offer scholarships or financial aid to anyone who has not applied to the University.
  • The University will never send official documents, including offers of admission or scholarships, through WhatsApp or any other social media platform.
  • Official communications from the University of Toronto are always sent from @utoronto.ca email addresses. Always verify the senders of emails that you receive. Some common traits of malicious emails include (but are not limited to) unexpected prompts to: click a link, enter credentials, download an attachment, or send money, and are often accompanied by an undertone of urgency (e.g., “do this or your account will be terminated”).
  • The University of Toronto only accepts applications to undergraduate programs through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) or the U of T International Application, which is also hosted on OUAC. Application fees must be paid directly to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC). You will never be asked to pay an application fee to a University of Toronto representative. Our official application process is set out here.
  • If you receive an official offer of admission to one of our first-entry undergraduate programs, the complete details of the offer will always be in your JOIN U of T Applicant Portal (join.utoronto.ca)(external link). Any required deposits or payments will be clearly specified in your offer of admission, which will be available in your JOIN U of T Applicant Portal (join.utoronto.ca)(external link).
  • It is neither possible nor legal for a University of Toronto representative to offer you a study permit. Admitted students must apply for a study permit through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which is a department of Canada’s federal government. Learn more about the study permit process here.(external link)
  • The University of Toronto also does not offer guaranteed admission or university-level courses through high schools of any type.

Source: U of T Enrolment Services Website: https://future.utoronto.ca/apply/fraud/