At OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, Hons in Graphic Design is offered as a honours degree in Applied Design programme. The programme runs for 4 years, delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 32,000 per year (CAD 8,900 per year for local students).
This program leads to a Bachelor of Design (Honours) over four years at the Toronto campus, teaching students to combine images, photography, and text to convey ideas and messages. The first year covers design process, drawing, photography for communication, and visual culture history; the second year adds typography, sustainable design, three-dimensional form, and packaging design; upper years bring advanced typography, experimental work, and research methods, culminating in a fourth-year thesis project centred on the student's own interests and values. Delivery is in-person and studio-based, combining hands-on training with theory courses. The program also offers short experiential-learning placements, in-class projects with industry partners, summer internships, gallery exhibitions of student work, and freelance opportunities. It suits students who want to work as graphic designers across design studios, communications firms, cultural institutions, journalism, broadcast media, or as design entrepreneurs.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:70.00 / %
Admission Requirements: OCAD University's Graphic Design program page adds only a portfolio and a Statement of Intent to the university's general undergraduate admission requirements, so the baseline comes from OCAD's own academic requirements and English proficiency pages. Ontario high school applicants need the OSSD with Grade 12 U English (ENG4U/EWC4U/ETS4U/EAE4U/EAC4U/EAL4U) at a minimum of 70%, six Grade 12 U/M courses, and a 70% overall academic average; applicants from other Canadian provinces need a 70% average in university-preparatory courses including senior-level English at 70% or equivalent; international applicants need an equivalent secondary credential with a B/70% in English, or a minimum of 24 points on the IB. Applicants whose first language is not English, or who have not completed four consecutive years of English-medium schooling, must submit an approved test: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (6.0 minimum per band), TOEFL iBT 84 overall (Reading 20, Listening 19, Speaking 22, Writing 20), PTE Academic 58 (56 per section), Duolingo 110 (105 Production), or CAEL 70 (60 per band). Graphic Design itself asks for a portfolio, prepared per OCAD's portfolio guidance, and a Statement of Intent. Admission is competitive; meeting the minimums does not guarantee a seat.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:OCAD University admits only in September each year through OUAC, and as of September 2026 it has not yet posted specific dates for fall 2027 entry; the most recently published cycle, fall 2026, set a recommended application deadline of February 1, 2026 and a portfolio-submission deadline of February 10, 2026, with applications opening in early October 2025. OCAD applies the same recommended deadline to domestic and international applicants alike and does not publish a separate international date. The university describes admission as continuing on a rolling basis after the recommended deadline while space remains, rather than as a hard cutoff. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
