Coat of arms of the University of Toronto

[1] Despite its varied usage, modification of the coat of arms is extremely rare, as its use is strictly controlled by the University's Office of International, Governmental, and Institutional Relations.

The motto, which is not itself part of the arms but of the overall heraldic achievement, is velut arbor aevo, Latin for "may it grow as a tree through the ages".

[4][5]The armorial bearings of the University are blazoned by the Canadian Heraldic Authority as follows:[6] The origins of the coat of arms are obscure.

The earliest reference to the device is an 1857 recommendation that the senate of the University adopt the coat of arms, which was accepted.

There have been minor alterations, such as the loss of the original supporters (Minerva and Victoria) and the transformation of the beaver from an aggressive to a more benign charge over time.