3 programs, side by side

Rows marked with a dot are where these differ. Everything is each university’s own published wording; the “your average” row is yours, calculated the way each program does it.

	Carleton Public Affairs and Policy Management OUAC CPX Remove	Lakehead Arts One (Thunder Bay) OUAC AB Remove	TMU Undeclared Arts (First Year Studies Only) OUAC SUN Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	80–82%	70%	70–75%“70-75%”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	No course codes parsed — see prerequisites	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	Optional concentrations: Development and Human Rights; International Policy; Public Policy and Administration Combined honours with Communication and Media Studies available 6 best 4U/M courses Alternative Offers Find more information about alternative offers +1 more on the program page	ENG4U Alternative Offers If you do not meet the admission requirements for your program of choice but do meet Lakehead University's general admission requirements, you will automatically be considered for an alternate program.	English/Anglais (ENG4U/EAE4U preferred)
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	No	No
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	—	—	70
What you study	International Development Media and Communication Studies Others in Business & Administrative Studies Politics	Anthropology Economics English Studies Fine Art	English Studies History Human Geography Interdisciplinary Studies
What it is	You study how governments, organizations, and institutions make decisions and solve public problems, combining politics, policy analysis, and communication. The program lets you focus on areas like international development, social policy, or media's role in public discourse, and you can pair it with a communication degree if you want. It suits people interested in working in government, non-profits, advocacy groups, or international organizations where understanding policy and public issues matters more than technical expertise.	Arts One is a broad first-year program that lets you explore multiple humanities and social science subjects — including anthropology, history, English, economics, and geography — before deciding on a major. Unlike applying directly to a single program, this approach gives you time to sample different disciplines and find the right fit before committing. It suits students who are curious about ideas and society but aren't yet certain which direction they want to specialize in.	You enter this program without committing to a specific major, taking first-year courses across subjects like English, history, psychology, philosophy, and sociology. This gives you time to explore different areas of arts study before declaring a focus at the end of year one, rather than applying directly to a named program. It suits students who are interested in humanities and social sciences but unsure which direction fits them best.
The door tomajors you reach through it	Applied to directly	Applied to directly	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	2 published, 0 with no applicationfrom 85%See them
Source	Carleton University on OUInfo	Lakehead University on OUInfo	Toronto Metropolitan University on OUInfo

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Same subject area and a similar published range, at a campus you have not got in the table yet.

Ranges are what each university publishes, not guaranteed cutoffs, and limited-enrolment programs often admit above them. Confirm anything you are about to act on with the university; each column links to its source.