OCAD U

OCAD U is Canada's oldest, largest and leading art and design university, located in downtown Toronto since 1876. Over 4,500 students attend one of our 17 undergraduate and seven graduate programs. We’re a leading hub of art, design, digital media, research and innovation, and our classes are taught by some of the top experts in their fields. Students benefit from hands-on studio learning in small classrooms and have access to state-of-the-art shops and studios. Our students gain in-demand, employable skills and go on to work in every imaginable sector, including:

  • Animation
  • Environmental design
  • Film
  • Gaming
  • Graphic design
  • Illustration
  • Interior design
  • Publishing
  • Urban planning
  • Visual arts

We teach students to innovate and solve the big problems of our time. They bridge the skills gap in many different sectors including manufacturing, finance, automotive, creative industries and technology. We give our graduates the real-world transferable skills, innovation and creativity demanded by today’s high-tech, fast-evolving economy.

Student in MoCap Studio
George Reid House
Great Hall

Our campus

We have six public galleries and run a video production house with a street-front studio located in the TIFF Lightbox. Our students benefit from hands-on learning in small classrooms and have access to over 20 unique shops and studios.Our state-of-the-art Waterfront Campus houses the OCAD U CO futures design studio for industry and business.

We're located in the Queen West neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, next to Grange Park and the Art Gallery of Ontario and steps away from the Entertainment District. The University has 12 buildings in the heart of the city, and our campus is easily accessible by transit and surrounded by walkable and livable neighbourhoods.

Our iconic architecture inspires, and our Cultural Policy Hub, Global Centre for Climate Action and the renowned Inclusive Design Research Centre are at the forefront of innovation. We're more than a traditional university – we are a major cultural force and city builder.

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we stand and create. 

Mission and vision

Convocation
Convocation

Our mission

OCAD University advances interdisciplinary art and design education and research grounded in liberal arts and science driven by leading-edge technologies, innovative teaching and professional practice.

Explore Research

Our history

OCAD University was founded as the Ontario School of Art in 1876 by the Ontario Society of Artists. In 1912, we were incorporated as the Ontario College of Art (OCA), becoming Canada’s first school dedicated to educating artists. Esteemed artists such as G.A. Reid and J.E.H. MacDonald of the Group of Seven have served as presidents, and many celebrated alums have come from here. 

In 1945, we expanded our curriculum with the opening of the Design School, and our main building at 100 McCaul St. opened in 1957. The 1960s-80s saw a period of building and growth, with the acquisition of several nearby properties. We were renamed the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) in 1996. 

The 1990s and 2000s were marked by further expansion, beginning with the opening of two new buildings at 113 and 115 McCaul Street. We opened our iconic Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design in 2004. 

 

In 2002, we began to confer Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) and Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) degrees. In 2008, we accepted our first cohort of graduate students, and started offering continuing education programs in 2009. To reflect these changes, we became OCAD University (OCAD U) in 2010. 

Thousands of artists and designers have passed through our doors, and as Canada’s most longstanding and respected university for art and design, we strive to be at the forefront of creative education for generations to come.

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we stand and create.

Our President

Ana Serrano, President and Vice-Chancellor of OCAD University since 2020, is an award-winning, visionary leader. She has more than 25 years of experience in transforming organizations, creating award-winning digital products, and designing cutting-edge programs to strengthen cultural and creative sectors.

President Serrano received the Insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Government of France in 2018. She is also the recipient of the 2015 Digital Media Trailblazer Award from the Academy of Canadian Film & Television and the 2021 Crystal Award for Digital Trailblazer Award from the Women in Film & Television Toronto. She is the producer of Prison Dancer: The Musical, which sold out its run at the National Arts Centre in 2023.

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Featured student work

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