Ontario - Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU)

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities provides policy and program direction and financial support to postsecondary education institutions, delivers the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and gives universities the authority to grant degrees. The ministry oversees a diverse postsecondary sector which includes publicly assisted universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and Indigenous Institutes. The ministry regulates and performs an enforcement role over private career colleges. In addition, the ministry encourages research and the commercialization of discovery in Ontario through funding research at Ontario’s universities, colleges and academic hospitals and by supporting research institutes. MCU also oversees a number of agencies, including the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.