Academics of the campus are centred on a variety of undergraduate studies in the disciplines of management, arts and sciences, whilst also hosting limited postgraduate research programs.

The campus is noted for being the university's sole provider of cooperative education programs, as well as the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

The campus has traditionally held the annual F. B. Watts Memorial Lectures, which has hosted internationally renowned scholars since 1970.

Its nuclear magnetic resonance laboratory was the first of its kind in Canada, allowing the campus to conduct influential research in the environmental sciences.

The Dan Lang Field, home to the baseball team of the Toronto Varsity Blues, is also situated at the campus.

McLean's additions to the Miller Lash House, which would eventually become the residence of the campus's principal, were modernized and 28 hectares (70 acres) of surrounding land north of the estate were also acquired.

The college's faculty, consisting of 16 members, was also established and headquartered at the main campus in Downtown Toronto.

First classes were held at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute and Old Biology Building at the St. George campus.

[8] Due to delays in construction after a strike among workers, the Scarborough College opened in temporary classes at the main campus to 191 full-time students in 1965.

This was for a unique video lecturing system the college was initially planned to have, that relies on the use of closed-circuit television for teaching purposes.

In 1972, the campus was reorganized as a separately governed division of the university's Faculty of Arts and Science, developing its own curriculum.

In 1973, it became the first post-secondary institution to adopt a course credit system in Ontario and the first cooperative education program was established.

[12] Andrews objected to the term "brutalist," since the architecture was built with human needs and logic in mind, aiming to create a connected space that limited outdoor exposure in the winter.

[10] The design of the Andrews Building, along with its unique closed-circuit television teaching system, were targets of international acclaim during the decade.

[16] Double cohort brought challenges to the teaching, study and residence spaces at the campus due to increase in first-year enrollment.

Constructed using 18 tonnes of recycled steel from a demolished gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum, the three-storey Student Centre earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification as well as a Green Design Award from the City of Toronto.

[21] Since 2009, the university has undertaken a proposal to substantially expand the campus north of Ellesmere Road, starting with the construction of the Instructional Centre, funded by Canada's Economic Action Plan, completed in 2011.

[14] The Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre brought pool facility to campus and significantly expanded the size of the gym.

The Parapan American Games also brought an addition of seven accessible tennis courts to the Highland Creek valley.

[22] The most recent addition to campus architecture is Highland Hall, built on the footprint of the old gym and athletic centre.

[25] In 2022, the Ontario government announced that University of Toronto Scarborough would provide medical training as well.

[26] The medical facility will train approximately 300 doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physical therapists in total each year.

The cooperative education programs, which place students for up to three semesters in workplaces pertaining to their field of study, are unique to the campus in the University of Toronto.

It is awarded by the programs in the Department of Management, which offers specialist degrees with fields in marketing, human resources, finances, accounting, information technology and economics.

The most recent graduate program offered through the Department of Management is the Masters of Accounting and Finance which provides accreditation pathways for both the CPA and CFA designation.

These 'Phase 1' houses, the ones originally part of the Student Village, include Aspen, Birch, Cedar, Dogwood, and Elm hall.

'Phase 3' are the townhouses located north of the main campus, near the Science Research building, include Juniper, Koa, Larch, and Maple Hall.