At Conestoga College in Kitchener, Canada, HD in Graphic Design is offered as a higher diploma in Applied Design programme. The programme runs for 3 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 15,477 per year (CAD 4,010 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Higher Diploma
Field:Applied Design
Duration: 3 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 4,010 / year
International tuition: CAD 15,477 / year
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Graphic Design at Conestoga is a three-year Ontario College Advanced Diploma at the Kitchener - Doon campus combining design theory, studio practice and real client projects. Students work with current software, hardware and printing technologies across packaging, photography, illustration and digital design, and complete a third-year field placement. Membership access to the Association of Registered Graphic Designers helps graduates build portfolios and industry connections.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Domestic entry: an OSSD or equivalent, or mature-student standing at 19 or older, with Grade 12 English at a minimum of 70% at the C level or 60% at the U level, or Conestoga's Preparatory Communications (COMM1251). Every applicant who reaches the academic strength threshold of 70% must then attend a program information session and present a portfolio of their creative work, so a place cannot be secured on grades alone. A design kit is covered by tuition and fees and is handed out in the first week of classes. International applicants: Conestoga's standard diploma and certificate English minimums apply - IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 5.5, TOEFL iBT 80 with no skill below 20, PTE Academic 53, or Duolingo 110. Anyone holding transcripts from outside Canada, Canadian citizens and permanent residents included, needs a course-by-course credential evaluation from a service such as ICAS or WES, and must show English proficiency if the language of instruction was not English.
Application Details
Start Date:Intake months: January and September. Start dates listed by Conestoga on 6 September 2026, for domestic and international applicants alike: September 2026 and January 2027 at Kitchener – Doon. An individual campus intake may already be closed.
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca (college code CONS): for the Fall 2027 intake the online application opens 26 September 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, offers may be issued from 1 November 2026, and accepted offers must be confirmed by 1 May 2027; most oversubscribed programs stop accepting applications after 1 February 2027, though many programs remain open afterward. Conestoga does not publish a separate equal-consideration date for its January intake. International applicants apply directly to Conestoga and are assessed on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis until each program fills; no fixed international closing date is published. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
