Yorkville University
speciality: Art & Design

YU is a business, not a university. Their policies and practices are written solely for the purpose of generating profits, with no consideration for the needs of students. My experience with them has left me stressed, broke, and feeling dehumanized.
Once you have paid YU, all support and help disappears. For example, I graduated in December 2024. No one in my cohort has received their degree yet (writing this in Juy 2025). Students who graduated in August 2024 have not received their degree either. All grads were required to pay $180 in February for the school to process their degree. However, that is the last payment any grad has to make. Since we no longer owe, YU has no incentive to provide a parchment, and they have no interest in doing so. I have emailed multiple times about this issue. I receive the same cut and paste response, which only tells me they have not read the email, but pasted the reply based on the subject line of my email. They say we will probably receive our degrees in September, but if we don’t we still have no recourse other than to possibly sue them privately. I note that many employers want to see the physical degree, so many grads will be waiting up to 10 months until they can even apply for jobs in their discipline. YU simply does not care. There are many other instances of YU extorting students. I encourage others to read other reviews, including visiting the Better Business Bureau. The BBB clearly states they do not endorse this business.
The quality of instruction and profs is highly variable. Some profs are great, while others are straight up abusive. YU does not respond to these issues in any helpful or meaningful way. They may allow you to defer or withdraw if a prof is abusive, but this costs the customer huge amounts of time and money. Of course, they always act “in accordance with policy” but the policy inevitably favors creating income for the business, as opposed to providing a quality education or supporting students with problematice profs.
I strongly urge anyone considering an online degree to only consider YU as a last resort. They do not follow through on their requirements to provide services and are entirely unmotivated to help students with their issues, unless they can charge a fee or fine. While I was able to complete my degree, I believe I would have had an entirely more pleasant experience at pretty much any other university on the face of the planet.

My experience at Yorkville University’s Bachelor of Creative Arts program has been overall a very positive one. The professors are passionate about their fields, bringing real-world experience and enthusiasm into the classroom. One of the best aspects of the program is the networking opportunities – I’ve been able to connect with like-minded creatives and professionals in the industry, which has been invaluable for my growth.

The quality of education is excellent, particularly in understanding the creative industries. The curriculum is well-rounded and informative, offering a mix of theory and practical knowledge that equips students for a variety of careers.

However, as the university is relatively new, student finance can be a bit challenging to navigate. The transition to new technology also means that communication with certain departments, like student services, can be tough at times. Despite this, the overall education has been solid, and I feel prepared for the next steps in my creative career.

If you’re looking for a university that truly values creativity and professional connections, Yorkville University is a great choice.

Toronto Film School is one of Canada’s best known schools for film. As I move further in the program I can see a lot of talented teachers working in the industry. They have several locations around downtown, and they have everything you might need, from classrooms to student lounges and equipment for your projects. I have had an overall good experience.

Toronto Film School, at Yorkville University, is a great program, I understand that in the past, they had bad reviews but my experience with the recent program staff, teachers, and even alumni is just amazing. They are very creative, intelligent, and inspiring. I feel that I’ve learned more in 3 months than in 2 years of a traditional “film school”, their equipment and projects push you to understand how the industry works and motivate you to keep going.