COUNCIL OF ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES
More than 130,000 students and parents to descend on the Ontario Universities' Fair this weekend

High school students looking to take the next step to university can get all the answers at the Ontario Universities' Fair (OUF) this weekend, when the province's 21 institutions will put on display a dazzling array of programs, extracurricular activities, residence options and experiential learning opportunities.

The largest educational fair in North America, the fair features booths and presentations from every university in the province, where admissions officers, current students, deans and presidents will be on hand to help students get all the information they need to pick the right university.

"University is a hugely important step for young people - it will enrich their lives and set them up for a brighter future, equipped with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to adapt in this fast-changing economy," said David Lindsay, President and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU).

"With 21 universities in Ontario, there are so many options and so it's key to make an informed decision about which university and which program is right for you. The Ontario Universities' Fair is where students and their families can go to gather all the information they need. Come, be curious, look around and ask the universities lots of questions."

The three-day fair begins Friday, Sept. 22 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, and runs until Sunday Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free. More information can be found at www.ouf.ca

Visitors can register for an OUF Passport at www.ouf.ca/passport and at the event to receive a barcode by e-mail. At the fair, students can simply have the barcode scanned at university booths and presentation rooms to receive more information electronically from the universities that interest them, including updates on open houses, scholarships, athletics, and so on.

Information on programs, scholarships, residences and more can be found online at eINFO (www.electronicinfo.ca), a guide to Ontario's universities especially designed for high school students and their parents.

Those unable to attend the fair will have another opportunity to research universities in person through the University Information Program (UIP), which will be travelling to high schools across the province over the coming weeks. Check out its itinerary at www.ouf.ca/uip.

Facts about Ontario universities:

• 515,000 students attended Ontario universities in 2015-16
• More than 90,000 high school students applied to an Ontario university this year
• Almost 94 per cent of the Ontario university graduates surveyed had a job two years after graduation, and had an average salary of more than $49,000
• Ontario universities offer more than $900 million in scholarships and bursaries, and this year new OSAP measures mean more than one-third of full-time postsecondary students in Ontario are receiving free tuition grants.