Canada's university of art and design, known for studio-based learning, creative research and a downtown Toronto location.
OCAD University is Canada's largest and oldest university dedicated to art, design and digital media. Its roots go back to the Ontario School of Art, and it became a degree-granting university with a public mandate to educate creative practitioners and thinkers.
Students work in studios, workshops and labs, learning through making while also studying art history, critical theory and the liberal arts. Programs span drawing and painting, illustration, industrial and graphic design, digital futures, textiles, jewellery and Indigenous visual culture, among many others.
The university is known for its commitment to interdisciplinary work, Indigenous knowledge and inclusive design, and for graduates who move into art practices, design studios, technology companies and cultural organizations across Canada.
Tuition in CA$, 2026-2027
Students who live in Ontario apply for student aid through OSAP (the Ontario Student Assistance Program); students from other provinces apply through their own province’s program. A provincial application also covers the federal Canada Student Grants and Loans.
OCAD University offers entrance and in-course scholarships and bursaries, along with awards that recognize artistic merit and financial need.
Tuition for 2026-27 from the school’s own published fees, for a typical first-year arts program, rounded. Ancillary fees, books and housing are extra. Confirm the current figure on OCAD University’s fee page.
Scholarship names and amounts are estimates and change every year; confirm them with OCAD University.
Applications to OCAD University go through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC).
Applicants generally need Ontario secondary school completion with six 4U or 4M courses including English, or equivalent, and a portfolio or creative submission assessed by the university. Additional documents may apply for some programs.
Apply through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC), then submit your portfolio and any other required materials to OCAD University by the stated deadlines.
The admission average and deadline are estimates; confirm them with OCAD University and OUAC.
OCAD University is located in downtown Toronto, in the Grange Park and Queen Street West area near the Art Gallery of Ontario. Its landmark Sharp Centre for Design, a building raised on coloured stilts, is among the most recognizable structures in the city.
Student life at OCAD University centres on studios, exhibitions and a close-knit creative community in the heart of Toronto. Students show their work in on-campus galleries and take part in clubs, student government and cultural events.
Figures are estimates for exploration — verify current costs, deadlines, and requirements on the school’s official website.