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 Architectural Studies – Design OUAC CR Remove	Waterloo Global Business and Digital Arts (Co-op only) OUAC WGB Remove	OCAD Digital Futures OUAC HDF Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	75–77%“75-77% (regular and co-op)”	80–83%“Low 80s”	Not published“N/A”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U MHF4U SPH4U	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	English (ENG4U) Physics (SPH4U) Advanced Functions (MHF4U) 3 best 4U/M courses	Any Grade 12 U English (min. 75%)	OSSD with an overall academic average of at least 70% in six 4U/M courses, including English 4U with a minimum final grade of 70%
More than marks?supplementary application	Yes Application deadline: March 1 Portfolio deadline: March 5 Alternative Offers Usually closes before January 15	Marks only	Yes Admission based primarily on your portfolio assessment. All offers of admission are conditional on meeting the minimum academic requirements. Alternative Offers There are no alternative offers. Usually closes before January 15
Co-op	Available	Available	No
Degree	—	—	Bachelor of Design, BDes, Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA
First-year intakewhere published	—	140	—
What you study	Architecture Design	Business Studies Computer Animation and Visual Effects Design Media and Communication Studies	Computer Animation and Visual Effects Design Fine Art Information Systems
What it is	You study the creative and technical side of designing buildings and spaces, learning to sketch ideas, understand how structures work, and use design software. This program includes mandatory work terms where you apply classroom learning to real projects with architecture and design firms. It suits people who enjoy solving visual problems, thinking in three dimensions, and want hands-on experience before committing to a full architecture degree.	You study both business and digital creative work — things like animation, graphic design, and media production — alongside practical work terms in real companies. Unlike a general business degree, this combines creative visual skills with business knowledge so you can manage or launch projects that blend both. It suits people who want to work in creative industries but also understand the commercial and organizational side of getting work made and sold.	Digital Futures is a design and fine arts program where you study visual storytelling through digital tools and media, combining animation, graphic design, coding, and art. Unlike traditional design or fine art streams, it's built around interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world projects that blend artistic creativity with digital technology and communication. It suits people who want to create visually, think critically about media, and work across both artistic and technical domains.
The door tomajors you reach through it	architecture	Applied to directly	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	None published by average
Source	Carleton University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	OCAD University on OUInfo

Also compare with

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.