All NSCAD campuses closed at noon, February 24, 2024 due to freezing rain. All campuses will reopen at 9 a.m. on February 25.

Undergraduate

If you believe that creative ideas can build a better world, there’s a place for you here.

Students at NSCAD University have been shaping art, design and craft in Canada since 1887. With an approach to education that includes the strategic integration of arts, culture and community engagement, students thrive in a learning and research environment that is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and academic excellence.

At NSCAD University, not only will you receive a rigorous, interdisciplinary educational experience, but you will belong to a vibrant creative community recognized globally for its impact on art, craft and design. Connecting you with award-winning faculty, you will learn the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the creative industries, where you will become leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts in your fields.

During your time at NSCAD, you’ll learn to shape your place in the world – and make art matter.

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Foundation Year

All of our undergraduate students start their studies with a foundation year. This allows students the rare opportunity to experiment and learn a wide range of new art practices, ideas and materials before making the choice about where to focus their creative and academic energy in their following years at NSCAD University.

Alumni go on to have incredible careers as artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, administrators, academics and creative professionals in an array of different fields within the creative industries. While their paths may seem different, there is one thing they all share: their lives were shaped by their time at NSCAD University.

Featured Alumni

ALUMNI

TANYA TAGAQ GILLIS
BFA 1998, DFA 2015

“NSCAD changed my life. It’s where I learned to express myself.”
Tanya Tagaq Gillis (BFA 1998, DFA 2015) is an avant-garde artist who has won a Polaris Prize and multiple Juno Awards. Her first novel, Split Tooth, is the winner of the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award. She is also a member of the Order of Canada.

ALUMNI

SYDNEY SMITH
BFA 2006

“NSCAD lets you try on different hats, experiment and explore. People are so driven and focused. You get a high from it that you don’t get from anything else.”
 Sydney Smith (BFA 2006) is a children’s book illustrator and winner of the Governor General’s Award for illustrated children’s books, TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, Britain’s Kate Greenaway Medal, and the Atlantic Book Awards’ Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration.

ALUMNI

HEATHER IGLOLIORTE
BFA 2003

“NSCAD is where I learned how to see, and that’s crossed over to all aspects of my life.” Heather Igloliorte (BFA 2003) is Canada’s pre-eminent Inuk Art Scholar. She is a curator, artist and Concordia University Research Chair in Indigenous Art History and Community Engagement.

ALUMNI

AKSHAY TYAGI
BFA 2008

“At NSCAD, I learned work is never done and the evolution of your mind and eye is imperative for real growth.”
Akshay Tyagi (BFA 2008) Fashion innovator, Bollywood costume designer and stylist.

ALUMNI