Access to Post-secondary Education for Indigenous Learners

ASPO Thematic Focus 2025-2027

ASPO’s thematic focus identifies an area of university-wide relevance that is aligned with an access imperative, is responsive, aspirational and has wide-reaching mission and scope. ASPO’s 2025-2027 thematic focus on access to post-secondary education for Indigenous learners recognizes the work that is already underway at the University of Toronto in response to ‘Answering the Call Wecheehetowin’: Final Report of the Steering Committee for the University of Toronto Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2017).

ASPO has identified three priorities for this thematic focus, in alignment with the with the calls to action:

Develop common tri-campus principles for developing, implementing, and evaluating access and outreach programs focused on Indigenous learners
Deliberate and pilot, where possible, collaborative approaches to Indigenous outreach for access programs
Enhance community partnerships (i.e. partnership toolkit) and develop resources on promising practices

ASPO’s work will be guided by these active and continuously evolving principles:

Resourcing and priority setting
We seek to ensure that we support Indigenous access work in our office, and this can be through APUF, priority setting, developing tools and resources 

Relational accountability
We seek to do this work in a good way and seek to prioritize relationship above impact or outcome.

Supporting and strengthening innovation
We seek to support and enhance existing efforts to increase opportunities for innovation while minimizing unintentional replication or duplication.

Transparency and learning
We seek to remain open and transparent for the purpose of learning.

Collective strategy
We see our efforts as one small step contributing to a broader U of T tri-campus strategy toward equitable access to education for Indigenous learners.

Integration and consistent inclusion
We seek to continuously consider and integrate the needs of Indigenous learners across all our work related to access; not just in relation to Indigenous-specific interventions.

Referencing U of T’s Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

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 Mississauga 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.

ASPO has developed the following commitments as a way of grounding the land acknowledgement in our work:

Center Indigenous voices
We commit to seeking guidance from Indigenous communities and learners in shaping our programs, priorities, and practices.

Build relationships with care
We commit to cultivating respectful, reciprocal, and long-term relationships with Indigenous partners rather than transactional ones.

Create accessible pathways
We commit to reducing barriers for Indigenous learners by ensuring our resources, policies, and programs reflect their needs and contexts as informed by Indigenous colleagues and practitioners with relevant experience and expertise.

Keep learning and unlearning
We commit to ongoing reflection, education, and accountability as we unlearn colonial practices and learn new ways of doing our work in good relation.

Hold ourselves accountable
Measure, reflect, and adjust our practices transparently.

Progress

In alignment with ASPO’s thematic focus, a new Access Programs University Fund (APUF) stream was launched in 2026. This stream invites proposals for initiatives that thoughtfully consider and address the unique context of Indigenous learners’ access to postsecondary education. More information can be found here.

ASPO is consulting with staff and faculty members who are leads of Indigenous access initiatives, and/or affiliated with other Indigenous portfolios.

The consultations to date have resulted in rich discussions around successes, challenges and opportunities in supporting Indigenous access. These are some of the emerging themes and consideration for supporting Indigenous access.

Strengthened and Diverse Access Pathways: ensure programing is informed by Indigenous participant realities; include incentives and outcomes that promote skill-building and pathways beyond PSE, like employment

Place-making and Belonging: highlighting Indigenous presence (e.g., faculty, staff, research) and funding initiatives like art-based activities, Indigenous-language signage, and campus tours

Culturally Grounded Student Experience and Supports: strengthening culturally informed wrap-around supports like advising and mentorship, for both access program participants and current students

Community Engagement and Relationship Building: investing in building meaningful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations, and promote community presence on campus

Resourcing and Funding Indigenous Priorities: allocating dedicated, long-term resources for Indigenous access initiatives, student recruitment, and hiring of Indigenous staff and faculty

APUF Alignment with Indigenous Priorities: exploring the possibility of a dedicated APUF funding stream for Indigenous access initiatives, accompanied by implementation resources and support

ASPO is reflecting this thematic focus in our event series for the U of T access community and is participating in related community events.

Advancing Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

Indigenous Access Initiatives at the University of Toronto

Existing Initiatives

Since 2019, the office has identified 22 access initiatives—spread across 11 different faculties or divisions—focused on Indigenous learners. Some of these initiatives can be found on ASPO’s Access Programs Database which is a non-exhaustive listing of Access initiatives at U of T.

Initiatives focusing specifically on
Indigenous learners

Initiatives focusing specifically on
Indigenous learners and Black learners

APUF Funded Initiatives

ASPO’s Access Programs University Fund (APUF) is a Provostial fund, launched in 2019, that supports access initiatives at the University of Toronto. APUF funds new and enhanced programs, including transition to university, bridging programs for adults with diverse educational backgrounds, and exposure to career paths for underrepresented learners.

58 initiatives funded since 2019

Initiatives focus on underrepresented learners, including Indigenous learners

13 initiatives focused on Indigenous learners

* 11 focused specifically on Indigenous learners
* 2 focused specifically on Indigenous learners and Black learners

ASPO Thematic Focus 2025-2027

Resourcing and priority settingWe seek to ensure that we support Indigenous access work in our office, and this can be through APUF, priority setting, developing tools and resources

Relational accountabilityWe seek to do this work in a good way and seek to prioritize relationship above impact or outcome.

Supporting and strengthening innovationWe seek to support and enhance existing efforts to increase opportunities for innovation while minimizing unintentional replication or duplication.

Transparency and learningWe seek to remain open and transparent for the purpose of learning.

Collective strategyWe see our efforts as one small step contributing to a broader U of T tri-campus strategy toward equitable access to education for Indigenous learners.

Integration and consistent inclusionWe seek to continuously consider and integrate the needs of Indigenous learners across all our work related to access; not just in relation to Indigenous-specific interventions.