New Undergraduate Students Get Prepared
Once you have accepted your offer, there are some important next steps and resources to help you prepare for your first year at U of T. If you have any questions, join one of our events or contact our Admissions & Recruitment team — we are here for you!
Updates coming soon!
Please note this information has not yet been updated for 2025-2026.
Get a head start
Your TCard is your official University of Toronto photo identification. It will be your library card, access pass to athletic facilities, and general ID card for when you write exams and pick up official documents.
The first step is to submit your identity and legal status documentation on the TCard website. After your identity and legal status documentation have been approved, you will receive an email with instructions about activating your UTORid (see below). You will then pick up your TCard on campus.
You will need to convert your JOINid to a UTORid by following the instructions provided in the email received once your documentation has been processed through the TCard Office. UTORid and password provide access to online services like email (UTmail+), some course content on Quercus, library resources, Microsoft365 (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint), WiFi on campus, and more.
You will also be required to enrol in UTORMFA (U of T’s multi-factor authentication system) within two weeks of converting to the UTORid, otherwise you will not be able to login to any services until this is resolved.
You will also be issued a university e-mail address but it is your responsibility to activate your account. Be sure to add your new UTMail address on ACORN. U of T uses e-mail to communicate with you. It is your responsibility to update your e-mail on ACORN and to check your UTmail account daily.
ACORN is the University of Toronto’s user-friendly and intuitive student web service. You will use it to enrol in courses, access your grades, order transcripts, determine how much you owe on your fees account, update your personal contact information, and much more. You can access ACORN before setting up your University accounts using your JOINid and password; once you have activated your UTORid, your UTORid and password become your new login credentials.
Quercus is U of T’s online learning management platform. It helps organize your courses in one place and allows you to connect with your classmates and instructors online.
Orientation activities will take place between August 26-30, 2024.
You will receive an invitation to register for Orientation Week organized by the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Association (FMUA) which is filled with fun social activities and city-adventures!
In addition to the FMUA’s events, the Registrar’s Office will be a hosting a number of helpful information sessions. These will be scheduled for the mornings of August 28-30; no registration is required. The goal of these sessions is to assist you with the transition to university and familiarize you with the expectations of the Faculty and the University at large.
Find support and make your plan
ACORN is the University of Toronto’s user-friendly and intuitive student web service. You will use it to enrol in courses, access your grades, order transcripts, determine how much you owe on your fees account, update your personal contact information, and much more. You can access ACORN before setting up your University accounts using your JOINid and password; once you have activated your UTORid, your UTORid and password become your new login credentials.
Make a plan to Choose your Courses and get ready with the Enrolment Cart.
Quercus is U of T’s online learning management platform. It helps organize your courses in one place and allows you to connect with your classmates and instructors online.
Orientation activities will take place between August 26-30, 2024.
You will receive an invitation to register for Orientation Week organized by the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Association (FMUA) which is filled with fun social activities and city-adventures!
In addition to the FMUA’s events, the Registrar’s Office will be a hosting a number of helpful information sessions. These will be scheduled for the mornings of August 28-30; no registration is required. The goal of these sessions is to assist you with the transition to university and familiarize you with the expectations of the Faculty and the University at large.
The mission of Student Life is to offer all students support in reaching your academic goals while finding community and belonging. This includes preparing you for university academics by introducing available resources, teaching time-management skills and effective learning and study habits. They’re here to support your mental and physical health with virtual and in-person appointments, workshops to teach you wellness skills, and peer support in a range of areas. They can also help you with accessibility and accommodation issues. Student Life provides all kinds of resources to help with your career, from work study positions and on-campus jobs, to resources to help you develop resume and interview skills. For international students, they provide a range of supports from information about immigration, health coverage and work permits, to advice on transitioning into Canadian life. They also have all the information you’ll need about study abroad programs.
Make sure you familiarize yourself with these services in order to take advantage of the opportunities!
Visit Student Life
Students who have a documented disability may be able to receive special accommodations to enhance their study at the University of Toronto by being registered with Accessibility Services. An accommodation is any change that enables students with disabilities to participate equally in the environment and activities of either a particular class or university life in general. This includes making changes to course delivery, assessment methods, the types of resources provided, and physical access to a class. It involves removing barriers of all kinds. Accommodations are determined based on available information regarding your functional limitations and their impact on your program of study.
You are urged to initiate the process immediately and submit your intake package no later than July 12 at 5p.m. in order to have the necessary accommodations (if appropriate) in place before classes begin.
You can still register at any point during the school year but your accommodations will begin after the start of the Fall 2024 semester.
Prepare for classes
All students are required to participate in a Major Ensemble for at least the first two years of study. Major Ensemble Placement Auditions will be done in-person during the first week of classes to determine in which ensemble you will placed.
Major Ensembles include: Soprano/Alto Chorus, MacMillan Singers, Tenor/Bass Chorus, Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble or Symphony, Guitar Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and Contemporary Music Ensemble. Jazz students will be placed in the Jazz Orchestra, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Hybrid Ensemble or Small Jazz Ensembles.
Note that classical pianists, organists and accordionists will be assigned a choir audition. Alternatively, any keyboard major who is proficient on another instrument is eligible to also audition for one of the instrumental major ensembles. If successful, the instrumental major ensemble would fulfil the ensemble requirements for the given academic year.
The Performance Office provides excerpts that you will prepare for the audition. These excerpts, along with individual placement audition dates/times and tips on how to prepare will be available from the Performance Office in early July. If you wish to audition on a secondary instrument, you will need to submit a request to performance.music@utoronto.ca.
Students will gain access to practice facilities during Orientation Week for both the Faculty of Music North (Edward Johnson Building) and Faculty of Music South (90 Wellesley St. W). Access to these buildings, including practice spaces, is managed through a fob system which is administered by the Registrar’s Office.
To obtain a fob you must place an order and pay the $29 deposit online with a credit card before you can pick it up. Information about fob ordering and pick-up times will be communicated later in August. You will need to bring your TCard with you when you come to pick up your fob and any other keys in September. You will keep your fob for the duration of your studies at music.
Specialized Practice Spaces: Some instrumentalists have access to the use of specialized storage and/or practice rooms; these instruments include: Harp, Bassoon, Double Bass, Percussion, Tuba, Jazz Double Bass, and Jazz Drums. These students will be required to pay a non-refundable fee of $20.00 for the key and use of these specialized rooms each academic year, if applicable.
Private Studio Access: Some applied teachers permit the use of their private studios by students for practice space. Students will be required to get authorization from the respective teacher and pay a non-refundable fee of $20.00 for special access during the academic year, at the discretion of their teacher.
Classical
Classical students who have not completed RCM Level 9 Harmony (Basic Harmony) but have studied harmony concepts may choose to take the Theory Placement Test. If you receive a passing grade, you will be placed in a one-hour tutorial (rather than a two-hour tutorial) for TMU130H1 (Music Theory I).
The Theory Placement Test will take place in-person on Friday August 30 from 9-10 (EJB); no pre-registration is required.
Jazz
All new students will be required to do a Placement Test to determine if they are required to attend the tutorial for JMU100Y1 Jazz & Trad Materials and/or JMU101Y1 Jazz Ear Training. The placement tests will be held during the first tutorial for these classes on September 4. Students who perform at an exceptional level may be offered the opportunity to exempt from the courses entirely, by taking a subsequent test at a later date. Students who are exempted from course(s) will be required to make up the weight of those courses with other music electives.
See all of the important dates for enrolment, registration, courses drop/add dates on the sessional dates.
Mark them in your calendar!