Application and Admissions

All students who have an interest and passion for a particular area may apply to Central Student Interest Programs.

Eligibility: Applicants are eligible to apply for Central Student Interest Programs if, at the time of application, they:

• meet the age, residency, and citizenship or eligible immigration status requirements to attend a TDSB school as set out in the Admission Eligibility Requirements (PR518); or
• are currently registered at a TDSB school.

Fee-paying students who are registered at a TDSB school at the time of application are eligible to apply for Central Student Interest Programs. Please contact CSIP@tdsb.on.ca if you have questions about eligibility.

Students are encouraged to attend Open House events and research the programs and schools before submitting their application. Applications are not considered on a first come-first served basis. Please take your time and carefully consider your choices before submitting. Please note that transportation is the responsibility of the applicant.

Application Dates and Offers of Placement 

• All applicants must submit an “Expression of Interest”. Student applicants may choose the format of their submission and the submission should briefly outline or explain their interest in their selected program.
• Accepted file formats include: DOC, DOCX, PDF, TXT, RTF, XLS, XLSX, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG or a link to an accessible, shared document/video/file.
• Click here to learn more about the Expression of Interest for Secondary Central Student Interest Programs

Application Choices

Students can apply to one primary Central Student Interest Program.

Applicants may also include an alternate choice.

Alternate choices will only be considered after all primary applications from the city of Toronto have been considered.

If an applicant is accepted to their primary application, they will not be considered for their alternate choice.

If an applicant is offered a spot in their alternate choice, they will remain on the waitlist for their primary choice until the waitlists close.

Selection Process for Central Student Interest Programs

When the number of applicants for a program exceeds the number of spaces available in the program, students will be selected through a process that supports the TDSB’s commitment to improving representation among students in central student interest programs that reflect the diversity of the Board and the City.

Admission priorities for central student interest programs include the following:

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit applicants will be placed in their primary choice application when applying for an entry grade (i.e. most commonly Grade 9). Applicants will be given first priority for primary and alternate choice applications in other grades and will be placed if/when space is available;
• 20% of seats, reflecting the TDSB demographic in the 2023 Student Census will be allocated to primary choice applications from historically and currently underserved communities (students identifying as Black, Latin American and Middle Eastern). In circumstances where alternate choice applications are being considered, self-identifying applicants will be prioritized in programs that have not filled their 20% of seats;
• 50% of spaces for students identifying as female in Math, Science and Technology programs
• Admission priority to students who reside in the City of Toronto before those who reside outside of the City of Toronto.

As further demographic and registration data is gathered through the Student Census and the School Information System, additional groups of underserved students may be identified and data will allow for future prioritization through this process.

Random Selection Process Results

FAQ

What happens if I accept the offer for my alternate application program? Will I remain on the waitlist for my primary application program?

Yes, you will remain on the waitlist for your primary choice program. If a space becomes available for you in your primary choice program, you will be automatically offered a seat in that program and removed from the alternate program. You will be notified of the change by email and you will be required to accept the new offer of placement.

If you wish to remain in your alternate program, you must contact your current school by email and request to be removed from your primary choice waitlist. This ensures that if a seat becomes available in your primary choice you will not be automatically removed from your alternate program and seated in your primary choice program. Being removed from the primary choice waitlist is final and you cannot be returned to the waitlist.

If you are a non-TDSB student, please email CSIP@tdsb.on.ca to be removed from the waitlist. Please include the applicant’s first and last name in the email.

I am on the waitlist for one (or both) of my programs. What happens now?

As spaces become available in programs, applicants will be moved from the waitlist to the vacant seats. If you are offered a seat, you will receive an email notification, along with an acceptance deadline.

You can use your results link to see your position on the waitlist change over time.

What do I do if I accept an offer now and change my mind?

Applicants may decide to attend their local school, or attend a school through Out-of-Area Admissions. If you accept a Central Student Interest Program offer and change your mind, please notify your current school in writing before February 26, 2025, if at all possible, so that another student has the opportunity to take your spot. If you are a non-TDSB student, please email  CSIP@tdsb.on.ca to inform us of your decision.

My child is not a TDSB student but has accepted an offer for a Central Student Interest Program. How do I get them registered?

A unique link to a registration package for the Central Student Interest Program will be sent to your email address starting in mid-February. Please complete and submit the registration package and contact the school to arrange an appointment where you will need to provide the necessary documentation. Registrations should be completed before noon on March 7, 2025.