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The Access Strategy & Partnerships Office (ASPO) has a tri-campus mandate committed to supporting partners both internal and external to the University who support existing and prospective students to access and thrive in post-secondary education.

Access Programs University Fund (APUF)

ASPO administers APUF to build, sustain and increase the capacity of partners to offer access and outreach programs at the University, often in collaboration with school board, community and other partners.

Access Partnerships

Through convening, facilitating, and supporting the development of key partnerships, ASPO aims to enhance access goals and objectives across the University of Toronto (U of T).

Access Principles

ASPO works to infuse access principles in existing University policies and programs and clarify access pathways through supporting research and evaluation focusing on access to post-secondary education.

Access at U of T

U of T is dedicated to supporting students from underrepresented communities, ensuring they can engage with and access the University. This commitment is reflected in over 100 diverse access and outreach programs, developed in collaboration with communities, school boards, and other stakeholders.

Click on a campus to see the access programs offered there!
You will be redirected to the Access Database which allows for additional searches and filtering.

Message from the Director

The ASPO Strategic Vision 2022-2025 document consolidates key access priorities and initiatives at U of T over the past five years leading to the establishment of the Access Strategy & Partnerships Office (ASPO).  ASPO’s first annual report (forthcoming, June 2025) outlines the work we have done in the past year 2024 – 25 toward these goals.  

Over the past three years, it has been a privilege to oversee the administration of the Access Programs University Fund (APUF) and to work alongside faculty, administrators, and students who have dedicated themselves to supporting underrepresented learners to overcome barriers to access higher education. Supporting and engaging prospective students is the first step toward inclusive excellence. 

Both ASPO and APUF build on decades of investment in access programs across U of T. As we continue to grapple with an ever-changing higher education landscape, and the various dimensions of what access truly means in these complex times, fundamentally, access work across the tri-campus remains a symbol of hope and possibility for both prospective and current students to learn and thrive at U of T. 

Helen Tewolde, Director, ASPO
Helen Tewolde, Director, Access Strategy & Partnerships Office

Our Team

Helen Tewolde

Director, Access Strategy & Partnerships Office
helen.tewolde@utoronto.ca

Anda Petro

Programs & Pathways Officer
anda.petro@utoronto.ca

Chinelle Mcdonald

Partnerships & Development Officer
chinelle.mcdonald@utoronto.ca

Nancy Bakker

Executive Assistant & Office Coordinator
nancy.bakker@utoronto.ca

Access Strategy & Partnerships Office

Office of the Vice-Provost, Students, University of Toronto
Simcoe Hall, 27 King’s College Circle, Suite 221
Toronto, ON M5S 1A1

Phone: 416-864-8438
Email: access@utoronto.ca

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.