Prospective Students and Applicants

Ryerson's  Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment Office collect information under the authority of the Ryerson University Act from application forms, request cards, web forms, portals, in-person during advising or information sessions, online event enrollment, by telephone, voluntary surveys, secondary and post-secondary transcripts, as well as other including, but not limited to, essays, letters of reference, report cards, transcripts, portfolios and collections of work for the purposes of recruitment, admissions, enrollment and other fundamental activities related to being a member of the Ryerson University community and to attending a post-secondary institution in the Province of Ontario, including but not limited to determining scholarships, entrance award decisions, facilitating housing accommodations, university advancement purposes and providing applicants with mentoring and other student services prior to applicants' enrollment at Ryerson University, and other purposes consistent with Ryerson's educational mission.

Once approved and enrolled in a Ryerson University program, information submitted will form part of the student permanent record at Ryerson and the following notice of collection for current students, will apply:

When Information will be Disclosed

Information collected from prospective students and applicants may be shared with the following entities to facilitate recruitment, admissions, resolution of appeals, enrollment, entrance scholarships and awards, and other fundamental activities as outlined above:

• Ryerson University personnel in the performance of their duties or services including, but not limited to, personnel/departments such as: Residence/Housing, University Ombudsperson's Office, Access Centre, Faculty Deans, academic program department administrators including program chairs/directors and potential graduate supervisors, University Planning, Services for Students, Athletics/Coaches, Enrollment Services and Student Records, Curriculum Advising, Scholarship committees, the Library and University Advancement;
• Secondary school officials (e.g., Secondary School Principals, Guidance Counsellors, Teachers);
• Universities, colleges and other institutions or government offices to verify any information provided as part of an application for admission (including declaration of citizenship and status in Canada, referees);
• Universities and colleges to share incidences of falsified documents or credentials or to share incidences of incomplete/fraudulent applications for admission;
• Collaborative program partners (e.g., George Brown College and Centennial College for the Nursing Collaborative program, York University for the Communication and Culture program);
• Service providers contracted by Ryerson University in support of Ryerson University enrollment management objectives (e.g., specialized systems and support, research, support for business processes).
• Other kinds of disclosures, including, but not limited to, law enforcement agencies, in compassionate circumstances, in compelling circumstances affecting the health or safety of an individual are in compliance with Section 42 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

Documentation

The Undergraduate Admissions Office works closely with Ryerson University program department administrators in the determination of admissions decisions and many programs will require and assess non-academic criteria of prospective students as part of the competitive selection process. Subject to applicable laws, applicants are advised that documentation pertaining to the scoring, competitive ranking, or in the opinions of assessing program departments, faculty, and staff, may not be released to the applicant. Reference letters from teachers, counsellors, principals, employers and other referees, will not be shared with an applicant without the written permission of the referee. 

Documents and other submissions that are provided by applicants become the property of Ryerson University and will not be returned. Material submitted by students who are admitted and then enroll in a Ryerson University program will either be retained for a minimum period of one year, or will form part of their permanent student record. Material submitted by students who are not admitted, will be retained for a minimum period of one year following the application, and then such material will be destroyed.

Student Confidentiality

Ryerson University policies as well as the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) permit communication pertaining to an applicant's record/application, only with the individual student, unless Ryerson has received written permission from the student to discuss their application with an identified third party (not previously identified under "When Information will be Disclosed", above).

Please note that in the course of applying to Ryerson University through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC), students will receive additional information about how their personal information will be collected, used, disclosed and otherwise treated.

Current Students

The information submitted is used for the purpose of creating or maintaining a student's academic record. The information will be used to support decisions relating to course and/or certificate enrollment, transfer credit (including Letters of Permission and Challenge Credits), tuition fees assessment, determining eligibility for and access to financial aid programs, scholarships, bursaries, awards, including but not limited to, monetary and non-monetary student recognition awards and other forms of student support.

In choosing to pursue a post-secondary education, students accept the University's right to collect and evaluate records of their academic performance. At the same time, the student's right to privacy requires that such information be used and stored in a manner consistent with the confidential nature of the information involved.

The University may exercise its discretion to share students' contact information with collection agencies in the event of overdue financial accounts; all such collection agencies are under contract with the University and are aware of their legal obligations to protect students' personal information.

Students' contact information is shared with their respective student union to enable them to, for example, obtain health and dental insurance on students' behalf, to create voters' lists for student elections, and to provide other services as they see fit.

The University will confirm whether a student has graduated, the date of graduation and the name of certificate, diploma or degree obtained.

Students should be aware that aggregated student academic data (grades and Academic Standings, for example) are occasionally used for statistical, audit and research purposes, and for development purposes intended to improve university education. Other kinds of disclosures, including, but not limited to, law enforcement agencies, in compassionate circumstances, in compelling circumstances affecting the health or safety of an individual, and upon graduation to University Advancement, are in compliance with Section 42 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Acts (FIPPA). In other circumstances not covered by this notice, no personally identifiable data, except that which is provided for by law, is released without the express written consent of the student.

Notification to Current Students of Disclosure of Personal Information to Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is the national statistical agency, which carries out hundreds of surveys each year on a wide range of matters, including education. It is essential to be able to follow students across time and institutions to understand, for example, the factors affecting enrollment demand at post-secondary institutions. The increased emphasis on accountability for public investment means that it is also important to understand outcomes.

In order to carry out such studies, Statistics Canada required all colleges and universities to provide data on students and graduates. Institutions collect and provide to Statistics Canada, student identification information (student's name, student ID number), student contact information (address and telephone number), student demographic characteristics, enrollment information, previous education, and labour activity. 

Canada's Statistics Act provides the legal authority for Statistics Canada to obtain access to personal information held by educational institutions. The information may be used only for statistical purposes and the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act prevent the information from being released in any way that would identify a student.

Students who do not wish to have their information used may ask Statistics Canada to remove their identification and contact information from the national database.

Further information on the use of this information can be obtained from Statistics Canada's website www.statcan.gc.ca, or by writing to the Post-secondary Section, Centre for Education Statistics, 17th floor, R. H. Coats Building, Holland Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1A OT6.

Questions about the collection, use and disclosure of student information by the University, should be directed to the Secretary to the University Registrar, Office of the Registrar, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, or by phone at 416-979-5100.