Postsecondary Information Events
Update: We are now accepting PIE bookings for 2021.
Note: The COVID-19 pandemic will likely continue to impact the ability of university representatives to visit high schools and of high schools to host PIEs. To help students connect with the universities, high schools now have the option to book virtual events in addition to in-person events.
Quick Links
Overview
Postsecondary Information Events (PIEs) provide an opportunity for students and parents to learn about university programs and campus life from university representatives. The OUAC, in consultation with the Standing Committee on Student Recruitment, coordinates these events.
If you are an Ontario guidance counsellor, you may use the PIE registration form and calendar to coordinate PIEs in your region and plan joint events with other counsellors.
After you submit the event registration form, the OUAC will add your PIE to the calendar and notify the universities of your event. While all Ontario universities will be invited, and your school must be willing and able to accommodate them, not all universities may be able to attend.
Note: Some Ontario universities are bilingual, so attendees may have an opportunity to speak one-on-one with university representatives in French.
Plan Your Event
- PIEs are for students in grades 11 and 12 only. The universities would like to speak with younger students at another event tailored to their needs.
- Plan early and be as transparent as possible with the schedule. University representatives should know everything about your event (e.g., arrival and set-up time, duration, format, parking and unloading of materials and refreshments, if provided).
- For virtual events, representatives need to know how to access your event (e.g., webinar link(s) and any necessary passwords or meeting codes, if applicable) and the format/schedule for your event.
Review the Ontario Universities’ Fairs (OUFs) New Virtual Format
As you plan your PIEs, we wanted to let you know about the OUFs.
In light of the cancellation of the in-person 2021 Ontario Universities’ Fair and Regional Fairs, we have combined these fairs to form the 2021 Ontario Universities’ Fairs virtual events.
Note: We recommend that you encourage your students to attend these events and consider another day for your PIE.
- Tuesday, October 26, 5-8 pm (ET) – Now with 2 extra sessions!
All Ontario universities will participate in these events. The events are free and anyone may attend – no pre-registration required.
Each event will be divided up into six 30-minute sessions, where students can learn about the universities of their choice and ask questions.
Find more information about these events on the OUFs website.
Select a Date for Your Event
Review the PIE Calendar to see which dates have fewer PIEs booked to ensure your PIE will be attended by as many university representatives as possible.
Select a Format for Your Event
Virtual Event
There are no standard formats for virtual events. Since you are hosting this event, you must determine the format/schedule and provide this information so the universities can plan for your event.
Note: The PIE registration form is used to invite all Ontario universities to your event. The expectation is that your school will host the event and provide the appropriate virtual meeting link(s) to each university that is attending.
Things to consider:
- If you have participated in virtual events, we suggest you consider which formats were the most successful when determining the format for your PIE.
- If you have any concerns about hosting a virtual event, we encourage you to review the Ontario Universities’ Fairs (OUFs) information and invite your students to attend these events. The OUFs are the only events this fall that are being hosted collectively by Ontario’s universities.
In-person Event
Most PIEs fall into 3 event formats: Fairs, panels and presentations.
Fairs
Fairs provide each participating university with a table to set up materials and answer questions. A gymnasium, atrium and/or library is optimal for a fair.
Things to consider:
- If multiple schools are attending, stagger student attendance to ensure all students have an opportunity to speak with representatives.
- Fairs allow students to discover universities they are not familiar with and ask questions. However, students may not discover as much about a university as they would in a presentation format.
- The ideal length of a fair is 2-3 hours, depending on how many students are invited to attend.
Panels
Panels feature short 3- to 5-minute overviews of each university. They provide an “at-a-glance” summary of unique and exciting features. They also provide students with the opportunity to hear from all universities in attendance, even those they may not have originally considered.
Things to consider:
- The volume of information shared in this format can be overwhelming for the audience.
- An ideal panel format would be 3 minutes per university representative, followed by a 1-hour fair.
Presentations
Presentations provide each participating university their own separate room and sessions are scheduled in a back-to-back format. Students choose which university presentations they want to attend.
Things to consider:
- The ideal length of a session is 30 minutes.
- In a presentation, students receive an in-depth overview of the university.
- This format tends to favour the larger and more local universities.
Register Your Event
- Complete and submit the PIE registration form.
Important: Review the Plan Your Event instructions before completing the form. - We will process your event and post it to the PIE Calendar.
- We will send you a confirmation email within 2-3 business days and notify the universities.
Resources to Share With Your Students
Reminder: To help prospective students learn about and engage with Ontario’s universities, they are offering additional resources to share with your students.
These resources are available on the Ontario Universities’ Info (OUInfo) website:
- Virtual events and tours, webinars, chats, videos and more. To see upcoming university virtual offerings, view the Upcoming Events section on the OUInfo home page. Click “View All Events” to see all events hosted by Ontario universities in the updated Tours and Events section of OUInfo. We continue to update virtual offerings in the Tours and Events section of the website.
- Students can request to receive information directly from Ontario universities.
Contact Information
- Find Ontario universities’ contact information.
- Email the OUAC if you have questions.