collageCanada’s colleges and universities are home to some of the finest artists, historians, and art conservationists in the world. The institutions featured in this guide to fine art schools are all members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) which has 34 member institutions across Canada. This includes several members that are renowned for their programs in the visual arts.
The decision to attend an institution of higher learning or apply to one is based on a number of factors. These factors include tuition, housing, acceptance rates, school rankings, graduation rates, etc. Now, if you are looking to apply to the fine art universities in canada, how would you know that?
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Fine Art Universities In Canada
alberta university of the arts
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
- Tuition Fee (Annually): $4,356.60 (Canadian students), $13,792.80 (international students)
Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts), formerly known as Alberta College of Art + Design, is a publicly funded Canadian degree-granting art and design university located in Calgary, Alberta. It was established back in 1973, and since then, it has focused on creating a studio-based experience for students in fine art, new media, and design. One of their prominent degrees is the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA), and the university offers it in the following majors: painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, fibre, glass, jewelry and metalworking, print media, and media arts and technologies. Students aiming to get this degree can do so on either a full-time or a part-time basis.
Aside from the BFA degree, another degree that AUArts offers is the Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree. And this degree is offered in the majors of Photography and Visual Communication. Both of these majors are full-time 4-year courses that also include some evening classes.
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, DEPARTMENT OF FINE ART
- Location: Edmonton, Alberta
- Tuition Fee (Per Semester): $2,588.40 (Canadian students), $17,995.20 (international students)
The University of Alberta is an educational institution established by Norwegian emigrants way back in 1910, and it is considered as one of the top 100 teaching and research universities in the world. The institution’s Department of Art is divided into three main areas: Visual Arts, Music, and Drama. Some of the majors and studio practices that it offers to students include painting, drawing, sculpture (clay, found objects, plaster, paper, wood, and foam blocks), and digital imaging.
The most popular degree offered by the University of Alberta, Department of Art is the Bachelor of Arts (degree). This usually takes about four years of study. Aside from that, those students who are not taking this degree as a major can choose to take it as a minor.
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
- Location: Montreal, Quebec
- Tuition Fee (Annually): $3,600 (Canadian students), $19,390 (international students; for 3 terms)
Concordia University was founded back in 1974 by the merger of Sir George Williams University (1926) and Loyola College (1896). Its Department of Visual Arts offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. And this degree is offered in the following courses: Art Education Visual Arts, History of Art, Cinema, Design and Communication Arts, and Creative Arts Therapies and Studio Arts. Aside from the Visual Arts Department, Concordia University also has a Department of Performing Arts, and it offers Contemporary Dance, Performance Art, Theatre, and Music.
EMILY CARR INSTITUTE OF ART AND DESIGN
- Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Tuition Fee (Annually): $3,300 (in-state students), $11,000 (out-of-state students)
The Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design was founded back in 1925, and it is one of Canada’s top universities that specialize in art, design education, and research. The undergraduate degrees, which offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts, provides the students with majors in different kinds of art. Some of these include painting, drawing, ceramics, print media, sculpture, illustration and digital arts, animation, film/video/integrated media, critical and cultural practices, fine arts, and creative writing. Aside from BFA, Emily Carr University also offers a Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree, and this is offered in the majors of communication design, industrial design, and interaction design.
The undergraduate degrees offered by Emily Carr Institute take about four years of study, and they combine together art and design theory with studio practice. Moreover, the institution also offers a Master of Applied Arts degree, and it is a two-year professional program that allows students to prepare for a career in fields of visual arts, design, media, and other creative industries.
GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE, CENTER FOR ARTS AND DESIGN
- Location: Toronto, Ontario
- Tuition Fee (Annually): $3,312, $11,000 (postgraduate courses)
The George Brown College Center for Arts and Design is divided into three schools: School of Design, School of Fashion Studies, and School of Performing Arts. All three schools offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs as well as a postgraduate qualification in a variety of design disciplines such as interdisciplinary design strategy, digital design/games design, and advanced digital design.
NOVA SCOTIA COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (NSCAD)
- Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Tuition Fee (Annually): $11,408
Founded way back in 1887, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) offers three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Design (BDes), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). These degrees usually take up four years of study, and they require two semesters of foundation studies. There are five main areas of undergraduate study:
- Crafts: textiles, ceramics, and jewelry design and metalsmithing
- Design: interdisciplinary design, digital design, graphic design, and product design
- Fine art: painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture
- Historical and critical studies: the history of art, liberal arts, English and other critical analysis courses
- Media arts: photography, film, and intermedia
The students can choose to major any of the courses mentioned in these five areas.
Aside from the degrees, NSCAD also offers two certificate programs: the Visual Arts Certificate in Studio and the Visual Arts Certificate for Teachers.
ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN UNIVERSITY (OCAD U)
- Location: Toronto, Ontario
- Tuition Fee (per semester): $6,995
Out of all the universities in Canada, the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) is the one that offers the widest variety of visual arts and design programs. OCAD U offers five degrees: Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Design (BDes), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and Master of Design (MDes).
BFA majors offered are the following: drawing and painting, printmaking, photography, integrated media, and criticism and curatorial practice. As for BDes, the majors are material art and design, advertising, industrial design, graphic design, illustration, and environmental design. And then for graduate degrees, OCAD U offers Masters in Art, Media, and Design, Advertising, Contemporary Art, Design, and New Media, Art Histories, Digital Futures, Strategic Foresight and Innovation, Design, and Criticism and Curatorial Practice.
YUKON SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SOVA)
- Location: Dawson City, Yukon
- Tuition (per semester): $1,620
The Yukon School of Visual Arts (SOVA) is the most northern school in Canada that offers art programs. SOVA offers a Foundation Year Program, which is equivalent to the first year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. What this means is that the students finish their first year at SOVA then finish their degrees at their choice of the four partnering art schools across Canada. These four are the OCAD U, the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, AUArts, and the NSCAD.
The Foundation Year Program is made up of six studio studies courses and four liberal studies courses. The studio studies include principles and practices of drawing, printmaking and paper (the use of collage, beading, relief printmaking techniques and handmaking paper), principles and practices of drawing, and colour and painting (oils, acrylics, watercolours, colour pencils, etc.). Additionally, students can choose to study sculpture, time-based media (production, performance art, and conceptual art), art words (how to write professional artist biographies, project descriptions, etc.), and cultural studies.
THE NEW BRUNSWICK COLLEGE OF CRAFT AND DESIGN (NBCCD)
- Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick
- Tuition Fee (Full-Time): around $1,000 (Canadian students), $6,630 (international students)
The New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (NBCCD) is the only one of its kind in Canada as it focuses entirely on fine craft and applied design. In this school, the curriculum features a studio-based education with a hands-on entrepreneurship focus.
The programs offered in this school include two-year Diplomas in Aboriginal Visual Arts, Ceramics, Digital media, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Jewelry/Metal Arts, Photography, and Textile Design. NBCCD also offers one-year Certificate programs in Foundational Visual Arts and Advanced Studio Practice. Aside from the Diploma and Certificate programs, a four-year Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) degree is also offered in partnership with the University of New Brunswick (UNB).
OTTAWA SCHOOL OF ART
- Location: Byward Market, Ottawa, Ontario
- Tuition Fee (per course/per term): $375
The Ottawa School of Art is a non-profit art school in downtown Ontario. It offers a one-year certificate program, a three-year diploma program, art camps, and general interest courses. The specialized art courses that the school offers include life drawing, landscape painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, lithography, watercolour, etching, printmaking, and many more. Additionally, the school also provides exhibition space and a boutique for the display and sale of artwork by local artists and students.
cheap art colleges in canada
Sheridan College Faculty Of Art & Design
Sheridan College, Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design, established in 1967 as a Canadian art school, offers students an amazing learning experience that prepares them for work and life. With its creative campus approach – designed to give you problem-solving and critical thinking tools – and deep program offering across the creative spectrum, Sheridan College, Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design, offers students an amazing learning experience that prepares them for work and life.
To better assist students, the college offers a variety of financial aid options to individuals who wish to study at Sheridan, including: Academic excellence, community involvement, demonstrated leadership qualities, and financial need are among the factors used to award scholarships. Sheridan Degree Entrance Scholarships are awarded to selected individuals who wish to major in any of the university’s degree programs.
Bursaries are given to students who have significant financial difficulties yet wish to study at Sheridan College’s Faculty of Animation, Arts, and Design. Academic Awards are given out by Sheridan to students that excel academically. Students are nominated for this award by their faculty members.
Ottawa School Of Arts
With a variety of multipurpose art facilities, Ottawa School of Art, as one of Canada’s premier art institutions, focuses on developing students’ artistic skills from infancy to adulthood, as well as preparing them for life beyond the campus.
The Ottawa School of Art offers scholarship money to students who wish to pursue their academic dreams at the university, with the successful applicants having the opportunity to choose their preferred degree.
New Brunswick College Of Craft & Design
New Brunswick College of Craft & Design, founded in 1938, is Canada’s only institution dedicated only to fine crafts and design. The New Brunswick College of Craft & Design (NBCCD) is one of Canada’s premier art institutions, offering everything from traditional craft studios to contemporary digital design, as well as an Aboriginal Visual Art Program.
The NBCCD provides an excellent foundation for professional practice, personal development, fostering creative enterprise, and applied learning in the art of craft and design, allowing students to discover their unique creative potential, turn their passion, dreams, and talents into a career, and join the growing community of craft and design specialists.
Part-time and full-time students interested in studying at New Brunswick College of Craft & Design can apply for financial aid, which includes:
The Renewed Tuition Bursary is a sort of financial aid designed to assist students with severe financial restrictions, and it may be used to help a selected applicant who has always wanted to study at NBCCD.
The Foundation Awards at New Brunswick Community College help as many students as the funds allow. The foundation offers NBCCD students bursaries, scholarships, and awards to help them pursue their passions.
The Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation is an award awarded to a student in the Advanced Studio Practice Program who has demonstrated exceptional craft or design talents as well as strong academic performance.
PETL Training Skills and Development is a sort of financial aid awarded to a limited number of students who meet the TSD program’s program requirements.
Yukon School Of Visual Arts
The Yukon Institution of Visual Arts (SOVA) was founded in 2007 and is Canada’s most northerly post-secondary fine arts school. Its mission is to provide a contemporary visual arts education in a culturally vibrant region. The Yukon School of Visual Arts is one of Canada’s newest art schools.
Despite being a new institution, the school has been successful in realizing its vision through its pupils. Students are given practical and theoretical training to help them realize their artistic potential and prepare for the road ahead.
YSOVA awards scholarships to students who desire to be a part of the organization but are unable to do so due to financial constraints. The applicant must be enrolled full-time in the Visual Arts Program and have a B average for the fall semester.
The WhiteHorse Motors Visual Arts Award is given to a student attending full-time in a visual arts program at YSOVA. WhiteHorse Motors is the official Ford dealership servicing WhiteHorse and the surrounding area, and they are active sponsors and volunteers in the community.
Ontario College Of Art & Design
Ontario College of Art & Design University, founded in 1876, is considered the premier art school in Ontario, as well as Canada’s oldest, largest, and most comprehensive art and design university.
The Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) is devoted to art and design education, practice, and research in a wide range of fields. Aesthetic and technical learning, as well as scientific, theoretical, critical, and historical information and methodologies, are provided to the pupils.
Students at OCAD U have access to cutting-edge infrastructures that allow them to further explore their creativity, conduct research, and engage in other activities. This institution is the greatest environment for you to pursue your artistic goals and enhance your artistic abilities.
To encourage students to enroll at OCAD U, the college provides financial aid to those who may face financial hardship.
OCAD U provides financial help to celebrate students’ achievements, which is provided year after year for each program major and year level based on grades or through a juried competition. These aids include:
Scholarships are awarded as tuition credits prior to the start of the next academic year; students are not required to apply, but will be chosen based on their outstanding academic achievement in their respective program of study; the scholarship may be one-time or renewable, depending on the student’s work.
Scholarships are available in the Faculties of Art, Design, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and School of Interdisciplinary Studies at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year levels.
Nova Scotia College Of Design & Art
With a long history of successful artmaking and a location in a coastal city with a diverse art scene, the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD) is full of internationally recognized artists, designers, researchers, and scholars who teach students the critical skills they need to succeed in an art school environment and beyond.
NSCAD gives scholarships to students with financial difficulties who wish to attend the institution, and these scholarships are given out on an annual basis. Applicants who apply by the early deadline of March 1 will be automatically eligible for the Entrance Scholarship. Every academic year, NSCAD awards more than 90 internal scholarships and bursaries to deserving students who wish to major in any subject.
George Brown College For Arts & Design
George Brown College, Center for Arts and Design is where you need to study to get practical abilities in any form of art/design of your choice and prepares you for the job journey, with top-notch art research facilities and a location in the heart of a widely diversified and lively city.
The school is one of Canada’s art schools, and it offers several scholarships each year to international and domestic students who want to be a part of this prestigious art institution.
Scholarships for diplomas and degrees. Returning students in full-time diploma or degree programs are eligible for thirty-one scholarships. Applicants must have participated in activities that benefited other students, their academic department, or the institution as a whole in order to be considered for the scholarship.
Before the current semester, the student must have completed at least two consecutive semesters of study with a minimum CGPA of 3.5.
Returning students enrolled in a full-time postgraduate certificate program are eligible for Certificate Scholarships. A CGPA of 3.5 is required, as well as active participation in the school community.
EAP Scholarships are provided to qualifying returning ESL students in the amount of eighteen dollars. The applicant must have earned an A in at least one level of the English for Academic Purposes Program and have participated in activities that benefitted other students, their academic department, or the institution in general.
Externally Funded Scholarships are three in number and come from sources outside of George Brown College, Center for Arts & Design: Kimokran Scholarship, Assist-on Scholarship, and Woori Education Scholarship. Applicants must have a CGPA of 3.3 and be actively involved in the school community in order to be considered.
Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD)
Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD), founded in 1925, is one of Canada’s premier art institutions, with a welcoming learning environment dedicated to excellence and innovation in the visual, media, and design arts. ECUAD provides students with high-quality instruction, both practical and theoretical, in whatever type of art they like to study, ensuring that they become specialists in their chosen subject.
ECUAD is a famous school of the arts that will assist you in achieving your artistic goals as a student, and the university has helped many students realize their dreams over the years through its annual scholarship/financial aid options that are available to all students.
ECUAD awards a significant amount of financial aid to students each year, including:
Funding for Undergraduate Students is a sort of financial help that may be available to new students, current students, and graduate students.
Entrance Scholarships are made up of roughly seven other scholarship prizes that are available to both domestic and international students, and they are given to new students who have excelled academically and artistically. In their initial year, these scholarships will pay a considerable percentage of tuition.
Tuition Scholarships are available to first, second, and third-year students enrolled in 12 or more credits at ECUAD and are awarded in the form of a tuition reduction in the following fall and spring semesters. There are over a dozen scholarship grants available to first, second, and third-year students enrolled in 12 or more credits at ECUAD. Only students with a 3.33 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at the time of application (March) are eligible to apply.
External Scholarships can be any type of financial aid from outside of ECUAD that students may receive and chose to use at ECUAD. Graduate Student Funding is given to an ECUAD graduate student who has demonstrated distinction and artistic potential, and there are several of these grants available.
Concordia University Faculty Of Fine Arts
The faculty, which is made up of renowned researchers, artists, and scholars who offer quality education and serve as a symbol of inspiration and encouragement to students, has over 3,800 students enrolled in 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programs in an environment that reflects the openness and diversity of contemporary culture.
The Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University is one of Canada’s best art schools. It features nine departments and four cutting-edge research centers dedicated to bridging the gap between new technologies, traditional media, and historical fine art techniques. Students interested in studying in any of these nine disciplines can apply for scholarships from the institution.
The university offers two scholarships to members of the faculty of fine arts:
The Heather Walker Memorial Scholarship was founded in 1995 by the faculty of fine arts with the help of donations from colleagues and friends, and is given out annually to full-time or part-time students enrolled in one of the Cinema or Photography programs. The scholarship recipients are chosen based on their creative and academic achievements, as well as their devotion to humanitarian causes.
The Heather and Erin Humanitarian Award, created in 1995 by the faculty of fine arts with the help of donations from colleagues and friends, is given yearly to a full-time or part-time student enrolled in a Bachelor of fine arts program. Humanitarian services, intellectual and creative excellence, and community service are used to choose applicants.
Alberta University Of Arts
Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) was founded in 1926 and is Canada’s largest art school. Capable of nurturing creativity and driving innovation, AUArts has encouraged millions of students to pursue and realize their artistic ambitions.
To assist students even more, the college offers financial aid such as scholarships, bursaries, prizes, and awards each year to help them support their education and realize their aspirations. AUArts offers a variety of awards each year to international and Canadian students who want to study in any art profession. It’s crucial to understand various award types so you know which ones to apply for. These honors are:
When AUArts freshmen or first-time students submit their portfolio, they are eligible for an Entrance Scholarship Award, which is provided as tuition credit.
Automatic Scholarship Awards do not need students to apply; instead, they are automatically selected based on their academic performance in the previous academic year or the merit of the student’s work.
Competitive Scholarship Award is a type of award that requires students to fill out and submit an application form, as well as meet certain requirements before being chosen by the faculty or award committee. Bursaries are monetary awards given to students who are financially challenged.
Prizes are items such as books, materials, medals, plaques, subscriptions, and gift coupons that are awarded to students.
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