When you look up a program, almost everything you find was written to recruit you: the program page, the viewbook, the open house slides, the ads. None of it is false, but all of it shows the best version.
Honest reviews exist. They are just spread out, and some of them are more useful than others. This guide shows where to look, what each source is good for, and how to put it together.
Why program reviews are hard to find
Schools get reviewed as a whole, but you are choosing a program. A university can be great overall and have a program that is a poor fit for you, or the other way around.
Most review sites also mix up three different things: the school, the program, and individual professors. Keep those separate as you read. The question you are trying to answer is specific: what is this program like for a student like me, right now?
Where to find honest program reviews
1. Current students in the program
This is the best source by far. A student in second or third year of the exact program can tell you about the workload, the people, the first year courses, and whether they would choose it again.
Find them through friends and family, program social media, open houses, or Cohorts, where you can join the community for a specific program and message students already in it. For what to ask, use our 40 questions to ask current students.
2. Reddit and student forums
Most Canadian schools have an active subreddit, and r/OntarioUniversities is busy every application season. Search the program name plus the school, and sort by new.
Good for: blunt opinions, common complaints, and questions other applicants are already asking.
Watch for: old posts (programs change), one loud bad experience, and anonymous posters you cannot check.
3. Professor review sites
Sites like Rate My Professors show what students think of individual instructors.
Good for: a sense of the first year courses and teaching style.
Watch for: reviews written right after a bad grade, and professors who no longer teach the course. One professor does not make a program.
4. Official survey results
These are not reviews, but they are real data from real students and graduates, and few applicants look at them.
- Ontario universities publish Common University Data Ontario (CUDO), which includes graduate employment rates by program area and results from a national survey of student experience.
- Ontario colleges publish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that include student satisfaction and graduate employment, often broken down by program. Search the college name plus "KPI".
Good for: facts behind the marketing, like how many graduates find work in their field.
Watch for: numbers grouped by broad area rather than your exact program, and results that are a few years old.
5. Student newspapers
Almost every campus has an independent student paper. Search its website for the program or faculty name.
Good for: problems the school would not mention, like course changes, crowded labs, or housing issues, plus student opinion pieces.
Watch for: stories about one event that has since been fixed.
6. YouTube and TikTok
Students post "day in my life" and "what I wish I knew" videos about their programs.
Good for: seeing the campus, the residences, and a normal day.
Watch for: sponsored content and paid student ambassadors. These creators often show the highlights, not the hard weeks.
How to tell if a review is honest
Before you trust a review, ask:
- Is it recent? Anything older than two or three years may describe a different program.
- Is it about the program, or just the school? "The campus is beautiful" tells you nothing about second year Nursing.
- Does it give details? "Great program" is useless. "Three labs a week and most of us work part time" is useful.
- Who wrote it? A paid ambassador, an unhappy student who switched out, and a current third year will tell you different stories. All three can be true.
- Does it match what others say? One review is an opinion. Three reviews saying the same thing is a pattern.
Red flags in program reviews
- Every review is glowing, with no downsides at all
- Reviews that read like marketing copy
- A review that complains about one person or one bad week, with no detail about the program itself
- Reviews from years ago presented as current
- "Reviews" on a site that is selling you something, like a consultant or a paid application service
A simple way to put it together
For each program on your short list:
- Read the official program page and first year course list.
- Check the survey data (CUDO or college KPIs) for graduate outcomes.
- Skim Reddit and the student paper for recent issues.
- Talk to two or three current students. This is where you check everything else you read.
- Write down the two or three things that stood out, good and bad.
When you compare programs side by side, your notes from step 4 will usually matter most. For the full decision process, see how to choose a university or college program in Canada.