Cambrian College

Sudbury, Canada • Founded 1967

Updated Sep 2026

Table of Contents

About the university
Location & Contact info
Admissions, students & campus
Programs you can study
How to apply, step by step
Common questions answered
Top universities in Canada
Similar faculties nearby
Where else to study this subject
Universities compared with this one

Overview

English Name: Cambrian College

Founded: 1967

Institution Type: College

Cambrian College is a public college of applied arts and technology headquartered in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, with satellite sites in Espanola, Little Current and Val Caron serving northeastern Ontario.

It offers more than 100 programs spanning fields such as early childhood education, dental hygiene, developmental services work, medical laboratory technology, computer systems technology and security, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and skilled trades such as welding. Credentials awarded range from certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas through post-graduate certificates, degrees and micro-credentials.

International applicants must meet published English-language requirements, and the college's programs are eligible for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding. Cambrian maintains a nationally recognized Indigenous education and student-services program and reports a student body drawn from a wide range of countries.

Its program structure is oriented toward practical, career-ready skill development rather than purely academic study.

This mix of technical diplomas and advanced diplomas alongside degree and micro-credential options suits recent secondary-school graduates entering applied and technical fields, students pursuing health-care, technology or trades credentials, and international students seeking a smaller northern Ontario college with dedicated Indigenous-student and newcomer support services.

Location & Contact

Where Cambrian College sits geographically, plus the contact channels students use during admissions. Alumni-office inquiries are separate from admissions and have their own contact page.

Map:

Website: https://cambriancollege.ca/

Academic Details

Below: the academic-side numbers and recognition that shape Cambrian College's reputation. Recognition and accreditation are distinct — recognition is government-level, accreditation programme-specific.

Academic Year: September to August, in three terms. Most programs follow Cambrian's Academic Schedule A, built from 14-week blocks with September, January and May starts. In 2026-27 the fall term begins on 8 September 2026 with a Day 1 orientation and classes from 9 September, and ends on 18 December 2026; the winter term begins 11 January 2027 with classes from 12 January and ends 23 April 2027; the spring term begins and starts classes on 10 May 2027 and ends 20 August 2027. Each block has a study week with no classes (26-30 October 2026, 1-5 March 2027, 28 June-2 July 2027) and convocation falls in June. Two programs keep separate calendars: Child and Youth Care on Schedule B and Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training on Schedule C, whose 2026-27 blocks start on 17 August 2026, 30 November 2026 and 29 March 2027. Not every program admits in every term - each program page lists the intakes it actually offers.

Admission Requirements: DOMESTIC APPLICANTS (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) How to apply. Every application goes through ontariocolleges.ca, the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS); Cambrian itself makes the admission decision. You open an OCAS account, pick the program and the start term you want, request your transcripts and pay the Ontario Colleges application fee inside that account, then follow the file in the myApplication account Cambrian opens for you once the application arrives. Many programs run more than one start date in a year, so check which terms your program offers before you choose. Academic entry. Certificate, diploma and advanced diploma programs need an Ontario Secondary School Diploma of 30 credits taken at the College (C), University (U), University/College (M) or Open (O) level, or an equivalent, or mature student standing; applicants who finished under the older Ontario curriculum need the 30-credit OSSD at general or advanced level, or an equivalent. Degree programs need the 30-credit OSSD with six University (U) stream courses (six OAC courses under the old curriculum), or an equivalent, or mature student standing, and each degree adds its own average on top: 65% across six grade 12 U or M courses for the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration and for the Honours Bachelor of Applied Psychology, and 75% across six grade 12 U or M courses for the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Adult training programs ask, unless the program says otherwise, for grade 10 in the applied or academic stream (general or advanced under the old curriculum) or mature student standing, but provincial college eligibility rules still require either an OSSD or mature standing. Every program also carries its own named grade 11 and 12 subject prerequisites, printed on that program's page, and those are what usually decide an application. Mature students. If you turn 19 before classes begin and hold no OSSD or equivalent, you may apply as a mature student. Each such application is judged individually, pre-testing for readiness for college study may be required, and you must still satisfy the subject prerequisites of the program you have chosen. Transfer and out-of-province applicants. A secondary school graduate from another Canadian province may be treated as holding the OSSD equivalent; Admissions confirms that case by case. A domestic applicant submitting transcripts earned outside Canada must send official documents only, with a certified translation where the document is not in English and an assessment by a certified credential evaluator, plus a photocopy of a passport or birth certificate. English for domestic applicants. Cambrian publishes no college-wide test score for domestic applicants. If you apply to an open enrolment program you may be asked to write Cambrian's own English comprehension test, and the result can send you to Academic Upgrading or to English for Academic Purposes first. If you apply to a limited enrolment program you need instead to have completed an English course judged equivalent to Ontario grade 12 at the (C), (U) or (M) level, and only equivalent academic achievement is counted in the competition for those seats. Limited enrolment and selection. Holding the published requirements does not by itself secure a place. Where qualified applicants outnumber the seats, Cambrian selects among them and gives preference to Ontario residents, judging the file on what has reached the Admissions Office by the transcript submission deadline. Applying through ontariocolleges.ca by 1 February earns equal consideration; after that date applications are taken first-come, first-served for as long as seats remain. When a program fills, a limited number of qualified applicants are held on a waiting list and told by mail, email or telephone if a seat opens. An applicant refused admission may write to the Registrar and ask the Admissions Appeals Committee to review the file. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS How to apply. International applicants do not use the domestic ontariocolleges.ca form. Applying without an agent means applying on the OCAS international service, where you may choose up to three programs and where Cambrian's college code is CAMB; applying with an authorised agent or consultant means the agent files on your behalf inside Cambrian's own online application portal, using your personal email address so every notice reaches you. Applicants in South Asia and in Africa may also apply directly to Cambrian through its regional direct-application contacts. Cambrian says international applicants may apply to any full-time program on its international program list; a number of full-time programs - several health sciences, skilled trades and partner-campus programs among them - state on their own pages that they are not currently available to international students, so check the program page before applying. Your file needs official notarised transcripts from each school, college or university attended, a certified translation of anything not in English, an assessment by a certified credential evaluator, proof of English proficiency and a scanned copy of a current valid passport; creative art and design programs normally also want a portfolio. Once the offer or letter of acceptance arrives you accept it and pay the fees named on the second page of the letter through the same portal, keep the fee receipt, then apply for an Ontario Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL), and only after that for the study permit and visa; a work permit is needed as well if your program contains a compulsory co-op or placement. English for international applicants. Cambrian accepts TOEFL, Academic IELTS, PTE (Pearson) and Duolingo, and its published minimums differ by credential level. Diploma or certificate: IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5; TOEFL 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the internet-based test; PTE 58; Duolingo 105 to 115. Graduate certificate: IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0; TOEFL 570 paper-based or 84 internet-based; PTE 61; Duolingo 120 or higher. Degrees: IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0; TOEFL 88 internet-based; PTE 58; Duolingo is shown as not applicable. Two diplomas are held to the graduate certificate line rather than the diploma line - Social Service Worker (SSPG) and Social Services Worker - Indigenous Specialization (SSIS). A program page can also publish more tests than the table does: the Honours Bachelor of Applied Psychology page adds CAEL 70 with no sub-test below 60 and accepts TOEFL 570 paper-based, and gives PTE Academic 61, while the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration page gives the same CAEL figure with PTE Academic 58 - so read your program's page alongside the table. International applications are assessed individually and every general and program-specific requirement, senior-level English credits included, must be met. If you have not yet reached the language minimum you may apply to Cambrian's English for Academic Purposes program together with a future program, provided you meet the other admission requirements. Cambrian hosts an IELTS test centre at its Barry Downe campus in Sudbury in partnership with Humber College.

Programs Offered

The full set of programmes Cambrian College offers is searchable and grouped by level below. Some programmes accept rolling applications; others run on annual cycles — check before applying.

113 programmes on record. Each level below shows a sample. Compare these on the programs page All programs in Canada

Bachelor's Degree 7 programmes

Bachelor of Applied Computing

Computer Science & IT · 7 semesters · On-campus · English

International tuition: CAD 22,542/year Local tuition: CAD 7,885/year Start: September Min. GPA: 65.00 / %

Admission follows Cambrian's general degree-entry rule: the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD, 30 credits) with six Grade 12 University (U) or University/College (M) stream courses, or mature-student standing. This...

Cambrian College

Overview

Location & Contact

Academic Details

Programs Offered

Bachelor's Degree 7 programmes

Honours Degree 2 programmes

Certificate 15 programmes

Diploma 43 programmes

Foundation 2 programmes

Higher Diploma 14 programmes

Postgraduate Certificate 30 programmes

How to apply to Cambrian College

Frequently Asked Questions about Cambrian College

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