Collection and Use of Personal Information

In accordance with Section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”) personal information about prospective students, applicants and current students is collected under the authority of the Ryerson University Act,
1977.

Prospective Students and Applicants

Ryerson University's (“Ryerson”) Graduate Admissions Office, Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment Office, and G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, collect information 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 documentation 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 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, providing applicants with mentoring and other student services prior to applicants' enrollment, and providing information about educational pathways at Ryerson, and other purposes consistent with Ryerson’s educational mission.

If you are admitted and then enrol in a Ryerson program, the information you submit will form part of your permanent student record at Ryerson. Then the notice of collection for current students, which follows, 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 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, academic program department administrators including program directors and potential graduate supervisors, University Planning, Student Services, 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);
• 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;
• 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 in support of Ryerson enrollment management objectives (e.g., specialized systems and support, research, support for business processes).
   

Documentation

The Graduate and Undergraduate Admissions Offices work closely with Ryerson 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 the opinions of assessing program departments, faculty, and staff may not be released to the applicant. Reference letters from teachers, counselors, 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 and will not be returned. Material submitted by students who are admitted and then enrol in a Ryerson 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 policies as well as 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 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 you submit is used for the purpose of creating or maintaining your 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 Ryerson’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.

Ryerson may exercise its discretion to share students’ contact and other identifying 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.

Ryerson will confirm whether a student has graduated, the date of graduation and the name of certificate, diploma or degree obtained. Convocation programs, containing students names, program, degree earned and year of graduation, and webcasts of the ceremonies, including individuals’ images, are considered public information. Students are provided with additional information about the publication of their personal information at the time of graduation. Upon graduation, students’ personal information is shared with Ryerson’s University Advancement and Alumni Relations departments. Following graduation, new alumni are provided with a separate notice of collection describing the expected uses of their personal information by Ryerson.

Ryerson may use students’ contact information (mailing and email addresses) to communicate about educational opportunities and university advancement initiatives.

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 Act (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 Ontario’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (“MAESD”)

Ryerson University is required to disclose personal information such as Ontario Education Numbers, student characteristics and educational outcomes to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities under s.15 of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter M.19, as amended. The ministry collects this data for purposes such as planning, allocating and administering public funding to colleges, universities and other post-secondary educational and training institutions and to conduct research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities conducted by or on behalf of the ministry for purposes that relate to post-secondary education and training. Further information on how the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development uses this personal information is available on the ministry's website:  (PDF file) http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/pepg/publications/NoticeOfCollection.pdf (external link) 

Or by writing to:
Director, Post-secondary Finance and Information Management Branch
Post-secondary Education Division
7th Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M7A 1L2

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

Statistics Canada is the national statistical agency. As such, Statistics Canada 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 asks 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, Social Insurance Number), student contact information (address and telephone number), student demographic characteristics, enrollment information, previous education, and labor force activity.

The federal 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. On request by a student, Statistics Canada will delete an individual’s contact information (name, address, or other personal identifiers) from the PSIS database. To make such a request, please contact Statistics Canada:

Via telephone: Via mail:
Monday to Friday Institutional Surveys Section
8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Centre for Education Statistics
EST/EDST Statistics Canada, Main Building, SC 2100-K
1-800-307-3382 or Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0T6
1-613-951-7608

Via email:
PSIS-SIEP_contact@statcan.gc.ca

Further information on the use of this information can be obtained from Statistics Canada's website http://www.statcan.gc.ca/ Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) (external link, opens in new window)  .

Questions about the collection, use and disclosure of student information by Ryerson, 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.

Ryerson has a policy on protection of personal information and an access to personal information procedure and a privacy complaint process. Refer to https://www.torontomu.ca/privacy (opens in new window)  for complete details.