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In recent years, Victoria has had the third-highest entering average of U of T colleges, the largest entering average of the large colleges. Victoria used to be considered a distant second to Trinity College in terms of academics and wealth. In recent years, however, Victoria has surpassed Trinity to become the richest college at U of T. In part this was because of alumni donations, but mostly it was due to the rapidly increasing value of Victoria's large real estate holdings in downtown Toronto. The academic difference between the two colleges is also now minimal.

Victoria College was originally founded (as Upper Canada Academy--the name was changed in 1841) in Cobourg, Ontario, to the east of Toronto, in 1836, largely due to the efforts of Egerton Ryerson. The school was Canada's main Methodist university. Victoria University was formed in 1884 when Victoria College and Albert College federated with each other. In 1892, Victoria University moved from Cobourg and federated with the University of Toronto. The current campus at the corner of Queen's Park Crescent and Bloor Street in Toronto was opened the same year. In 1928, the independent Union College federated with the theology department of Victoria College, and became Emmanuel College .

The oldest residence building at Victoria College is Burwash Hall. Other residences include Magaret Addison Hall , Annesley Hall, and Rowell Jackman Hall .

Victoria College's culture has transformed markedly in recent years. Where Vic used to be staunchly Methodist with strict segregation of the sexes, Vic is now regarded as one of the most liberal colleges with a large gay and lesbian population and has seen an almost complete dissapearance of religion from the college's daily life.

Vic's financial power has allowed it to become one of the most attractive colleges at U of T for students. It offers more scholarships per capita than any other college, the recently renovated E. J. Pratt Library is the largest library of any college, and Vic has the largest student centre of any college.

Victoria University's particular strengths are in the humanitiesThrough the humanities we reflect on the fundamental question: What does it mean to be human? The humanities offer clues but never a complete answer. They reveal how people have tried to make moral, spiritual, and intellectual sense of a world in which ir, especially EnglishIn literary criticism, the term English studies is occasionally used to refer to the critical study of English literature. The only thing distinguishing English studies from the broader category of academic literary criticism and literary theory is that i and Renaissance History .

Alumni of Victoria University include Lester B. Pearson, Margaret AtwoodMargaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor "Peggy" Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a novelist, poet, literary critic and one of the world's best-selling authors. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and attended school at Victoria College in Toronto. After li, Northrop FryeHerman Northrop Frye ( July 14, 1912 January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic, one of the most distinguished of the 20th century. Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec but raised in Moncton, New Brunswick, he spent his entire career, including his undergradu, Margaret AvisonMargaret Avison (born April 23, 1918) is a Canadian poet. Avison was born in Galt, Ontario. She went to Victoria College and the University of Toronto. Aside from her poetry, she also worked as a librarian, editor, social worker, and speaker. Her first co, E. J. PrattEdwin John Dove Pratt ( February 4, 1882 April 26, 1964), who published as E. Pratt was a Canadian poet from Newfoundland. Born in Western Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Pratt grew up in a variety of Newfoundland communities in Newfoundland, as his Metho, Donald SutherlandDonald Sutherland (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian actor. He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and studied in Toronto at Victoria College where he was expelled from residence for throwing a sink out the window. He got his start at age 14 at CBC Radi, and Norman Jewison.