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.

	Nipissing Bachelor of Fine Arts OUAC PFA Remove	Ottawa Arts visuels (B.A.V.) (4 ans) OUAC OZ Remove	U of T (Mississauga) Visual Studies OUAC TEV Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	70%“Min. 70%”	70%	73–80%“Mid to high 70s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	No course codes parsed — see prerequisites	No course codes parsed — see prerequisites	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	one of EAE4U, ENG4U	one of ENG4U, FRA4U	—
Prerequisitesas published	ENG4U/EAE4U	FRA4U or ENG4U	ENG4U
More than marks?supplementary application	Yes If you are admitted to the BFA, you are required to successfully complete the BFA portfolio review by the end of your third year of study to remain in the BFA program. For more information about these admission requirements, contact the Chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Alternative Offers Usually closes before January 15	Yes Portfolio Usually closes before January 15	Marks only
Co-op	No	No	No
Degree	—	—	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Diploma, Dipl.
First-year intakewhere published	—	—	60
What you study	Fine Art	Cinematics & Photography Fine Art	Cinematics & Photography Design Fine Art
What it is	A Bachelor of Fine Arts focuses on developing your skills in visual art — drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and related media — through studio practice and art history study. Unlike a general arts degree, a BFA is a specialized program where most of your time goes to making and critiquing art rather than surveying broader disciplines. It suits people who want to develop a strong artistic voice and portfolio, whether they're aiming toward a career as a professional artist or exploring art as a serious creative pursuit.	You study visual art through two main lenses: cinematics and photography, plus traditional fine arts like painting and sculpture. Unlike a general arts degree, this program is structured specifically around image-making and visual storytelling. It suits people who think in pictures and want to develop strong technical and conceptual skills in how visuals communicate ideas.	Visual Studies is the study of how images, film, photography, and design communicate meaning and shape culture. You'll learn theory, history, and hands-on practice across cinematography, photography, fine art, and design. This program suits students who want to understand visual culture deeply and develop creative skills, rather than train narrowly for a specific design or film production role.
The door tomajors you reach through it	Applied to directly	Applied to directly	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	9 published, 2 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	22 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	4 published, 4 with no applicationfrom 90%See them
Source	Nipissing University on OUInfo	University of Ottawa on OUInfo	University of Toronto — Mississauga 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.