4 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.

Full	Nipissing Bachelor of Fine Arts OUAC PFA Remove	U of T (Mississauga) Visual Studies OUAC TEV Remove	Guelph-Humber Honours Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media & Communication Studies and Diploma in Media Communications OUAC GMT Remove	OCAD Visual and Critical Studies (Art History) OUAC HVC Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	70%“Min. 70%”	73–80%“Mid to high 70s”	70–75%“Estimated cut-off admission range is 70-75%.”	Not published“N/A”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	No course codes parsed — see prerequisites	ENG4U	No course codes parsed — see prerequisites	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	one of EAE4U, ENG4U	—	one of EAE4U, ENG4U	—
Prerequisitesas published	ENG4U/EAE4U	ENG4U	Ontario applicants 6 4U/M courses: ENG4U (EAE4U is a recognized equivalent) 5 additional 4U/M courses Out of province applicants +5 more on the program page	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 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	Marks only	Marks only	Yes In addition to meeting the academic requirements, you are required to submit the following to be considered for admission: A 1-page Statement of Intent (300 words maximum) on why you would like to study art history in a studio setting. An original essay of 500 words on an annually assigned topic. Usually closes before January 15
Co-op	No	No	No	No
Degree	—	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Diploma, Dipl.	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	—	60	—	—
What you study	Fine Art	Cinematics & Photography Design Fine Art	Cinematics & Photography Creative Writing Design Journalism	Creative Writing Design English Studies 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.	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.	This program teaches you how media and communication work across multiple platforms — from journalism and photography to marketing and design. You'll study both the theory behind how messages reach audiences and the practical skills to create them yourself. It suits people who want to understand media industries from the inside and are ready to work across different formats rather than specializing in just one.	You study the history of visual art and design, learning to analyze images, objects, and cultural movements across time periods and societies. This differs from a studio art program because you focus on understanding and interpreting art rather than creating it yourself. It suits people who want to think critically about visual culture and understand how art reflects and shapes society.
The door tomajors you reach through it	Applied to directly	Applied to directly	Applied to directly	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	9 published, 2 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	4 published, 4 with no applicationfrom 90%See them	7 published, 6 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	None published by average
Source	Nipissing University on OUInfo	University of Toronto — Mississauga on OUInfo	University of Guelph-Humber on OUInfo	OCAD University on OUInfo

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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.