What The Varsity does

The Varsity is the University of Toronto's student newspaper of record, founded in 1880 and published by Varsity Publications Inc., a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Toronto. It operates as a community-led multi-platform publication producing a weekly print newspaper (14,000 copies distributed every Monday across U of T's three campuses — St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough — and 100+ GTA newsstands), a continuously updated website (thevarsity.ca) attracting over 60,000 unique monthly visitors, specialized magazines (Bloom, Gaze), the Varsity Handbook, a daily Newswire digest, a weekly email newsletter, and short-form video content. Its technology stack is a WordPress-based website with Issuu integration for digital archive distribution across seven editorial sections: news, opinion, features, arts & culture, science, sports, and business & labour.

The organization is funded by two revenue streams: a mandatory student levy paid by all full-time U of T undergraduates (providing a recurring, institutionally backed revenue base) and advertising revenue from print and online channels, sold on a custom-quote basis through its business office. It serves three primary customer segments: U of T students (primary readership across 70,000+ undergraduates and 20,000+ graduate students), U of T alumni and staff (secondary readership), and advertisers seeking to reach Canada's largest student community. The publication recruits volunteers from the student body with no experience requirement and accepts contributions across all editorial sections.

The Varsity holds an exclusive tri-campus mandate at U of T and operates under a Board of Directors governance structure typical of Canadian student media organizations. It has no parent company, no venture capital or external ownership, and is not publicly listed. Editorial output is produced by 132 contributors (including volunteer student journalists), and the publication maintains active social media presence on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or proprietary technology platforms are evidenced in the underlying data.

Name

The Varsity

Legal name

Varsity Publications Incorporated

Website

https://thevarsity.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Varsity is a 145-year-old, community-led student newspaper serving the University of Toronto's three campuses, funded by a mandatory student levy and advertising. It publishes a weekly print edition, a continuously updated website, and specialized magazines for the 90,000+ U of T community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Student Levy: The Varsity is funded by a mandatory student levy paid by all full-time undergraduate students at the University of Toronto. This provides a stable recurring revenue base.
2. Advertising Revenue: Revenue generated through print and online advertising. The publication offers advertising rates to businesses targeting the U of T community. The website attracts over 60,000 unique visitors per month, and print circulation is 14,000 copies across three campuses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Varsity is the University of Toronto's student newspaper of record, founded in 1880 and published by Varsity Publications Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. It produces a weekly print newspaper (14,000 copies) distributed across U of T's three campuses and over 100 GTA newsstands, alongside a continuously updated online news website (thevarsity.ca) attracting 60,000+ unique monthly visitors. The publication covers news, opinion, features, arts & culture, science, sports, and business & labour sections.

Product overview

The Varsity operates as a multi-platform student news organization offering a weekly print newspaper alongside a continuously updated website, magazines, newsletters, and video content. The core products include the weekly print edition (14,000 copies distributed across three U of T campuses), the online news website (thevarsity.ca with 60,000+ monthly visitors), and specialized publications including the Bloom winter magazine, Gaze current magazine, and Varsity Handbook. Supporting products include the Varsity Newswire digest service and weekly email newsletter. The organization covers seven main editorial sections: news, opinion, features, arts & culture, science, sports, and business & labour.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Varsity Weekly Print Newspaper The Varsity's weekly print newspaper is published every Monday and distributed across U of T's three campuses (St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough) and over 100 newsstands across the GTA. With a print run of 14,000 copies, it serves as the university's newspaper of record for students, staff, and faculty.
• The Varsity Online News Website The Varsity's online platform at thevarsity.ca is updated throughout the week with new content, providing continuous news coverage beyond the print edition. The website attracts over 60,000 unique visitors monthly.
• Bloom Magazine The Varsity's winter magazine featuring long-form journalism, in-depth features, and creative content distributed across campus.
• Gaze Magazine The Varsity's current magazine showcase featuring contemporary coverage and visual storytelling.
• Varsity Handbook A student resource handbook providing campus guides, student life information, and reference materials for the U of T community.
• The Varsity Weekly Newsletter A weekly email newsletter delivering news and updates directly to subscribers, complementing the print and online news platforms.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The McGill Daily: Student newspaper at McGill University, founded in 1911. Operates as an independent, levy-funded student publication serving a comparable Canadian university community with print and digital editions — the closest analog to The Varsity's operating model in Eastern Canada.
• The Ubyssey: Student newspaper at the University of British Columbia, founded in 1918. Like The Varsity, it is a levy-funded, multi-section student publication producing weekly print and continuously updated online news coverage. Comparable in editorial scope and audience scale.
• Western Gazette: Student newspaper at Western University (formerly University of Western Ontario). Operates with a similar print + digital student press model serving a single Ontario university community, providing a direct Canadian peer comparison.
• The Silhouette: Student newspaper at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Comparable in scale and operating model as an Ontario university student publication with print and digital editions serving a similar demographic.
• The Sheaf: Student newspaper at the University of Saskatchewan, founded in 1912. Operates as a print and digital student publication covering campus news, opinion, and culture — directly comparable in format and audience.
• The Fulcrum: Student newspaper at the University of Ottawa, serving English-speaking students at a major Canadian research university. Comparable in mandate, scale, and the bilingual/multi-campus editorial challenge parallel to The Varsity's tri-campus role.
• The Ontarion: Student newspaper at the University of Guelph. Like The Varsity, it is a Canadian university student publication operating with print and digital editions covering news, opinion, features, and culture for a single campus community.
• The Peak: Student newspaper at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. A directly comparable Canadian student publication with print and digital editions covering campus news, arts, opinion, and sports for a major Canadian university.
• The Harvard Crimson: Student newspaper at Harvard University, founded in 1873 — even older than The Varsity. While U.S.-based and larger in scale, it is the most internationally recognized analog for an independent, daily-published student newspaper of record with multi-platform distribution and a powerful alumni network.

Others

• Canadian University Press: National cooperative newswire and association for Canadian student publications. While not a direct competitor, CUP is the coordinating body through which The Varsity syndicates and exchanges content with peer student papers, making it a key ecosystem participant in the same operating space.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theVarsity
• Facebookfacebook.com/thevarsitynewspaper
• Instagraminstagram.com/thevarsitypublications
• TikTokvm.tiktok.com/ZMNr3xLgS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Varsity