Studying in Ontario: A Guide

Why students consider Ontario

Ontario is Canada's most populous province and home to a large share of the country's universities and colleges, including institutions in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Waterloo, Kingston, and London. It offers a wide range of programmes across arts, sciences, engineering, business, health, and skilled trades.

This guide is a neutral overview to help you understand how the province works. It does not rank Ontario above or below any other province — the right destination depends on your programme, budget, and goals. Always confirm current details on the official university, college, and government sources before you decide or apply.

Universities and colleges

Ontario has two broad types of public post-secondary institutions: universities, which grant degrees, and colleges, which focus on diplomas, certificates, and applied or career-focused programmes (some also offer degrees). Many students choose between a degree route and an applied-college route depending on their goals.

Ranking bodies such as QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and Maclean's publish their own assessments of Canadian universities each year; these are the views of those publishers, not official government rankings. If a ranking matters to you, read it on the issuing body's own site and note the year it applies to.

• Universities grant bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees
• Colleges focus on diplomas, certificates, and applied programmes
• Some institutions offer both college and degree pathways

How to apply: OUAC and ontariocolleges.ca

Most undergraduate applications to Ontario universities go through a central portal called the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC), where you can apply to multiple universities in one place. Applications to Ontario public colleges generally go through ontariocolleges.ca.

Each institution and programme sets its own admission requirements, deadlines, and English-language-test expectations. Because these change every cycle, confirm exact requirements and dates on OUAC, ontariocolleges.ca, and the specific institution's official site before applying.

Tuition and OSAP

Tuition in Ontario varies widely by institution, programme, and whether you are a domestic or international student. We do not publish specific fee figures here because they change every academic year — look them up on the official institution site for the year you plan to start.

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is the province's financial-aid programme. Eligibility for OSAP and similar provincial aid is generally limited to specific resident categories, so review the official OSAP eligibility rules to see what applies to your situation. Treat all funding details as official-source facts to verify, not guarantees.

The study permit is separate and federal

This is general information, not immigration advice. Admission to an Ontario institution is a provincial/institutional matter, but the study permit that allows most international students to study in Canada is issued by the federal department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They are two separate steps.

Study-permit rules — including documents, processing, and any provincial attestation letter (PAL) requirements — are set by IRCC and can change. Always verify the current requirements on the official Government of Canada source before acting, and never assume a particular outcome.

• Admission → handled by the university or college
• Study permit → issued by IRCC (federal)
• Verify current study-permit rules on canada.ca before applying