Application requirements
General application requirements
In addition to general graduate studies application requirements, found below, that are applicable to all programs, individual programs may have unique application requirements that you can consult, on the right hand side.
Transcripts
Transcripts, from all post-secondary institutions you have attended, must be scanned, uploaded and attached to your SlideRoom application form. If you do not complete this step you will not be able to complete your final submission.
Foreign documents from non-English speaking institutions must be sent in the original language and accompanied by an official, certified English translation of the transcript(s).
Reference letters
We encourage you to contact your referees as early as possible. A good referee is someone who can speak to your post-secondary performance, capacity for research and potential for academic study at the graduate level.
All program applications require three reference letters, except for the Digital Futures Graduate Diploma which requires only two.
Application fee
When you apply to Graduate Studies at OCAD U using the online SlideRoom portal, you will be prompted to pay an application fee of $100 USD, in addition to a SlideRoom submission fee (which may range from $5 to $12 USD). The submission fee amount varies depending on which program you are applying to and how many media items you upload. Application and submission fees are non-refundable and charged for each program for which you apply.
English language competency
The official language of instruction at OCAD U is English.* An applicant whose first language is not English or whose previous degree, equal to 2 year of post-secondary education, has been conducted in another language must demonstrate a graduate level command of English sufficient to pursue their chosen program before being accepted into that program. Applicants are required to achieve a satisfactory score on one of the following standardized academic English tests that include a writing component.
Only tests completed within the 12 months prior to the Application Deadline will be considered.
TOEFL IBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test)
Overall score of 90 and no scores below the following: 22 Reading, 20 Listening, 22 Writing, 22 Speaking.
If TOEFL IBT is not available a minimum PBT (paper-based test) TOEFL of 600 and essay of
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Overall score of 7, and at least a 7 on each of the academic modules.
Hard copy official TOEFL and IELTS scores must be sent from the testing body directly to OCAD U only if you are accepted into one of our programs.
*Note: Subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Committee of the program concerned, a student may write his/her thesis and be examined in French.
