Sign up now for fall

Have you ever told yourself that you'd love to learn about Renaissance Italian art or classic jazz or calligraphy, if only you had the time? Well, now that you're retired, the time has come! It's exhilarating to delve into something new, or to take something up again that we used to enjoy.

If you want to take credit courses, York University is very supportive of seniors (60+), waiving tuition fees up to one undergraduate or graduate degree. George Brown offers a 20% tuition discount. Ryerson used to waive tuition fees for seniors (60+) taking undergraduate courses, but that policy has disappeared from their 2013-14 undergraduate calendar. University of Toronto waives incidental fees but not tuition fees for seniors (65+). Coursera offers free courses online, some of which are from U of T.

As for non-credit courses, there's plenty of choice. Some are targeted specifically to seniors, and run mostly in the daytime. Others are intended for all adults, but offer discounts for seniors, and may take place in the evening. Some are taught by professionals, others by amateurs, and still others by volunteers preparing presentations for one another. For some of them, fall registration has already begun, and they fill up fast. For a list of programs, click the Lifelong learning link below. Note that to keep your choices affordable, I've limited the listings to programs that cost $30 or less per class.