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.

	U of T (Mississauga) Visual Studies OUAC TEV Remove	Lakehead Interdisciplinary Studies (Orillia Campus) OUAC AZ Remove	OCAD Visual and Critical Studies (Art History) OUAC HVC Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	73–80%“Mid to high 70s”	70%	Not published“N/A”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	ENG4U	ENG4U Alternative Offers If you do not meet the admission requirements for your program of choice but do meet the General Admission Requirements of Lakehead University, you will automatically be considered for an alternate program.	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	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
Degree	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Diploma, Dipl.	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	60	—	—
What you study	Cinematics & Photography Design Fine Art	Anthropology Chemistry English Studies Entrepreneurship	Creative Writing Design English Studies Fine Art
What it is	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 lets you design your own degree by combining courses from multiple fields — anthropology, chemistry, English, history, philosophy, law, media studies, and others — rather than following a single major. You choose which subjects to focus on and how much depth in each, creating a customized path that suits your interests. It works well if you're curious about several areas and want flexibility to explore across disciplines before committing to one specialization.	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
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	4 published, 4 with no applicationfrom 90%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	None published by average
Source	University of Toronto — Mississauga on OUInfo	Lakehead University on OUInfo	OCAD 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.