Feedback from the school community highlights Upper Canada College's dedication to creating a diverse and inclusive environment by offering substantial financial support to students from various socioeconomic backgrounds and nationalities.
What might surprise some people is that not every boy that goes to Upper Canada College is a boy of means, whose family is wealthy, who are from the surrounding area. Upper Canada College draws boys from all kinds of socioeconomic backgrounds through the various scholarship programs, but also from around the world via the boarding program.
Without receiving a significant scholarship, I know I wouldn't have been able to go to Upper Canada College. Upper Canada College’s academic rigour allowed me, no matter what school I was applying to, whether it was in the US, Canada, or the UK, because Upper Canada College has the IB program. We’re well known to be considered for some of those scholarships. Thankfully, because I was at Upper Canada College, I was able to apply to five US schools, and five Canadian schools, and then was able to take my time and make a decision that I felt was best for me as it related to specifically PPE for my major
We have an offering of more than $5.4 million annually in financial assistance to support any individual into the College. The financial assistance program supports more than 220 students annually into the school. That socioeconomic diversity is one that is incredibly healthy for the College and is making it a wonderful environment to work within. I would suggest that while we sit in a very fortunate position at the top of a Hill in Toronto, and while there might be a fence surrounding the school, this is an open environment and one that is welcoming of individuals from across the full breadth of the community of Toronto and nationally. And internationally.
The wonderful inclusion that we feel in this city and country is something that also is experienced here at the College, with more than 40 different nationalities by birth represented in our student population, with a great range of individuals across socioeconomic statuses of our society supported by a financial assistance program in the school. Diversity is something that has been wonderfully pleasing, maybe not surprising, but incredibly pleasing about my experience at UCC.
Supporting others was one of the most important values of Upper Canada College that I saw in practice. The financial aid program grew extensively throughout my time there Seeing how much Upper Canada College cared about ensuring that people had that opportunity to attend, and not to be prevented by a financial burden The Lang Scholar program, the scholarship opportunity that I had, emphasized that ability Upper Canada College had to help me grow as an individual.
The first thing you'd want to do when considering sending your child to Upper Canada College is understand if there is any financial burden. If there is, make sure that you reach out to the financial department, and see what scholarships or financial aid is available at that point, because Upper Canada College wants to bring the best students to the school. So if there's any financial burden, make sure that you do some research, but understand that Upper Canada College is willing to work with you, and that shouldn't be the reason you don't apply. Another thing is, as a parent, talking to your child, and making sure that they understand that if they do get in, no matter what their status is, that they deserve to be there, and that they're able to gain as many opportunities as possible. I grew up with a single mother, and as I got into that program, she told me, ‘you deserve this. You worked extremely hard,’ but to make sure that I continue working hard throughout the program You have to make sure you're fostering a relationship with your child, and talking to them about their different experiences so that you're able to help them in that same mind of being a soundboard, so that they can then go and apply the skills that they're learning either from you or in the college to get the best experience.
I don't know if any other private school besides Upper Canada College provides complete and full financial aid to their students. I know having looked at other schools, too, there was always, ‘we provide financial aid, but you're still expected to contribute a little bit to it.’ Given my background, my parents, we couldn't really do that at all. Upper Canada College took my parents' financial situation into consideration, and not only funded my first three years of my education, but when we would go on tournaments to Montreal or to Bermuda for soccer, that would be covered as well.
It's phenomenal that I was able to have Upper Canada College experiences funded at such a young age, because that contributed to my development so much. In my final year, I was allowed to become a boarding student. Obviously that's a significant gap in the cost, but Upper Canada College covered that as well. I don't think any other school goes to that extent in terms of supporting their students financially.
I got the acceptance, and the financial aid offer at Upper Canada College was amazing. It made a lot of sense for me to take that opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. I was a founder of the Mock Trial Club at Upper Canada College where I was co-president with others. It was created in Grade 11, and in Grade 12, we placed second in Toronto in the mock trial competition.
Financial aid at Upper Canada College now goes all the way back to Grade 5. So you might say it's best for your child to start in Grade 5, or maybe wait until Grade 9 or 10, as some people do. Understanding what's best for your child is an important thing to consider. I think it was best for me to matriculate it into Upper Canada College in Grade 7, and that helped my growth the most.
