More than 120,000 university hopefuls and parents to load up on info at the Ontario Universities' Fair this weekend

TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - It could be an intriguing program, a campus in a dream location, after-school sports and activities - or all of the above. Whatever high school students have on their minds as they pick a university, the Ontario Universities' Fair (OUF) has all the answers.

The OUF, the only fair featuring booths by all 21 Ontario universities, is the largest educational fair in Canada, attracting more than 120,000 students and parents each year.

"It really is the easiest way for young people to get a feel for what each university has to offer, and help them make the choice that's right for them," says Dave Wallace, Executive Director of the Ontario Universities' Application Centre, which runs the fair.

"There are 21 universities, thousands of programs and a whole host of extracurricular activities, residence options and internships to choose from. The fair brings all of those options under one roof, helping to make the choices for students a little less daunting."

The three-day fair begins Friday, Sept. 23 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and runs until Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Entry is free, and this year's new OUF Passport system will make collecting information from each university even easier.

Anyone who registers online at www.ouf.ca/passport will receive an OUF Passport barcode by email. When guests request information from a particular university, their barcode will be electronically scanned, and responses will be sent by email.

Even for students who know which university they want to attend, the OUF is a great place to ask a professor about what's taught in class, or to talk to current students about the campus culture in and outside the classroom.

OUF happens only once a year, but anyone unable to attend can get the information they are looking for as part of the University Information Program (UIP) at www.ouf.ca/uip that sees Ontario's universities travel to high schools across the province to speak with students directly.

Universities are also pleased to host prospective students on their campuses throughout the year.

Quick Facts:

• 377,500+ undergraduate students attended Ontario universities in 2014-15
• 88,500+ high school students applied to an Ontario university last year
• Almost 94 per cent of the last university graduates surveyed had a job two years after graduation
• University graduates in full-time jobs two years after graduation earn an average $42,300

COU is the voice of Ontario's universities, promoting the value of education, research and innovation that leads to social, cultural and economic success.

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SOURCE Council of Ontario Universities

Wendy McCann, Senior Director, Communications, The Council of Ontario Universities, 416-979-2165 ext. 233, 416-473-4829 (cell), Email Wendy McCann: [email protected]