Seneca College is an exciting Canadian institution with seven campuses across the Greater Toronto area. Academics and lecturers at Seneca are some of the best in the country, and they’re dedicated to providing great teaching and preparing every student well for the working world after graduation.
Students will find the busy and interesting energy of Toronto, one of North America’s highest-rated cities, on every one of the seven campuses. They’ll also see that people of all backgrounds can succeed at Seneca, just like they can in the city.
Over 70,000 students currently attend Seneca College, and 49 per cent of them are international. Seneca is proud to have students from so many different countries and always invites the brightest students from across the globe to apply. Support provisions and scholarships are available to international students to help them settle in and achieve as much as they can during their time in Canada.
At Seneca College, there is a flexible range of courses and programmes. There are options to study undergraduate degrees and postgraduate degrees. There are options to study full-time and part-time. There’s something for everyone, really. Outside of the classroom, there are lots more chances to enjoy university life with societies, clubs, sports teams and facilities, as well as work and volunteering opportunities.
Seneca’s respected academic research areas and departments include the School of Creative Arts and Animation. In fact, the college is currently ranked fifth in the world for animation studies and third globally by the Animation Career Review. Thanks to great tutors and helpful new technology, the postgraduate course offered in visual effects for film and television is also very popular.
Seneca College has become increasingly attractive to employers in Toronto and around the globe in recent years. Employers are consistently impressed with the students they hire after Seneca, and those students are always equipped with the knowledge and the required practical abilities.
Satisfaction ratings and surveys show that student life at this institution is very enjoyable. Students have access to great resources, huge libraries and amazing tutors at Seneca. They can develop their knowledge and their friendships in a special international city.
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Founded in 1967, Seneca College has one of the best teaching reputations of any polytechnic university in Canada. It aims to provide quality teaching that informs students and keeps them interested. There are lots of great opportunities for Seneca students inside and outside the classroom — high quality teaching works perfectly with practical experiences to prepare students for professional life.
Seneca has a QS World University Ranking of 246, with a graduation rate of 75.2 per cent. Seneca’s lecturers will always do everything they can to help students finish their studies. Plus, since the student-to-faculty ratio is 22 to 1, they can give their students all the attention and focus they need to succeed.
Some of Seneca’s highest-performing departments include the School of Fashion. Several lecturers have won awards for the department, and it’s a really good example of how to keep up teaching quality and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Those goals are embedded in the way fashion is taught at Seneca, from the methods shared to the work placements chosen.
Seneca College also has a strong athletics department. Seneca Sting is one of the best, most respected sports organisations in Ontario and has won more than 450 medals across sports from dance to baseball to rugby since Seneca College was created.
Seneca College welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. Because the university offers lots of courses and programmes at a few different levels, entry requirements are different depending on the student and the things they’d like to learn. Students should be sure they know the university requirements for the specific programme they want to study before they apply.
There are also some general university entry requirements that will always apply. Students who want to be admitted at the undergraduate level will need to have gained a grade 12 score or equivalent of 50 per cent in each major subject. Postgraduates will need to share previous university qualifications from an undergraduate programme that lasted at least two years, with a minimum score of 50 per cent.
International students need to submit any transcripts and certificates for completed secondary education courses or programmes that they’ve studied either in or outside of Canada. These transcripts need to be shared in English. Any other academic records shared must be in English too. This is the case for both levels of study.
If students are applying for a Graduate Certificate programme, they may also need to provide a credential assessment from World Education Services (WES). Students will be contacted if this is needed.
If a student is coming from a country where English is not the first language or the teaching language, then they will be required to meet certain English language requirements before gaining admission to Seneca College. Two of the most popular accepted tests are the IELTS and the TOEFL. These are the required IELTS scores for each type of programme:
For TOEFL, these are the required scores for each programme:
Some students may also have to provide one of several documents if they come from a country where English is not their first language. Students must be aware that only tests taken in the previous two years are considered valid.
The student admission process at Seneca College takes time. For international students, it might at first seem scary, but the university does everything it can to make the journey to admission less confusing. There’s even an international student application checklist available on the Seneca website to help people learn all the university admission requirements that apply to them. It explains the documents an international student will need to provide, including:
International students will also be charged a CAD 90 non-refundable application fee by card. Plus, they will need a study permit to learn in Canada. To get one, they should create an IRCC account, answer the online questionnaire, upload the supporting documents, click submit and pay an additional application fee.
After admission, tuition fees for international students will depend on what they’re studying and which campus they’re at. Studying for a degree-level programme in financial planning on the Newnham Campus, for example, costs CAD8,963.50 per year. But studying for a graduate certificate programme in visual effects for film and television at the Seneca@York campus costs CAD 11,914.50 per year.
Seneca College offers two excellent university scholarships to international students, reducing their fees and helping their academic success. Both scholarships are awarded on academic merit, but there are some important eligibility requirements, so students should make sure that they can be considered before applying.
The Ji Hun Kim Memorial Scholarship is open only to students who are beginning their studies in either the autumn or winter terms. It’s named after a Seneca College alumnus who showed great character in and outside the classroom, and it provides funding to full-time English Language Institute students who can learn and lead, and who have been involved in community activities outside their studies. Ji Hun recipients must be recommended by a committee in the faculty.
The second scholarship available to international students is the Seneca Renewable Scholarship of Merit. Any students enrolled in either a diploma or graduate certificate programme are eligible. Students must keep studying full-time to continue receiving the award. The fees covered by this scholarship each year change with the academic performance of the recipient, and the scholarship is no longer awarded if a student’s GPA drops below 3.0. This is the breakdown:
Seneca College wants its students to get the most out of their studies and these scholarships can help with that, encouraging excellence and academic achievement. There are also other avenues of funding support and financial aid open to international students if a sudden event changes things/affects a student’s money situation.
Across the seven Seneca College campuses, every student can find something that suits them, on the academic and social sides of things. They can be at the centre of the action on the Downtown Campus or study peacefully on 700 beautiful acres at the King Campus. The campuses are:
Every campus is special and unique. For example, Seneca@York is home to lots of schools of study, from Arts and Science to Community Services and Marketing. The food on the Seneca@York Campus is also very tasty and there’s a great campus bookstore. Meanwhile, the Seneca International Academy (or SIA) is designed to welcome international students and fully support their studies.
Seneca College is a leading research centre in Toronto, and its facilities and labs include the Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Mechanics Lab and the Centre for Research in Student Mobility. All the campuses and research centres provide both effective study resources and great working environments, encouraging a communal spirit and proactive learning.
There are six faculties that fill these campuses, and each one contains several smaller schools of study. The Faculty of Arts, for example, includes the English Language Institute, the School of Arts & Science and the School of English & Liberal Studies. The faculties, in full, are:
From student recreation centres like gyms and fitness clubs to student life centres like restaurants and coffee shops, there’s never a boring moment on a Seneca campus. Athletics and wellness centres can be found on the Newnham, Seneca@York, King and Markham campuses, and there are also special themed events in the Seneca calendar like ‘Wellness Week’.
On an academic level, lecture theatres are student activity centres perfect for learning and listening. Each theatre seats between 40–80 students, so class sizes are never too large for anyone to feel uncomfortable raising their hand and speaking to the class.
There are huge libraries on the Newnham, Seneca@York, King and Markham campuses too. These libraries include books, journals, magazines, DVDs and electronic resources. They give students full access to the university’s large digital archive and journal database.
Food options at Seneca College include the Seneca Dining Services feature called Seneca EATS. Through Seneca EATS, students can order food via mobile, online or at a kiosk. There are also campus meal plans available. Seneca campus stores at Newnham, Seneca@York and King give students all their studying supplies, from stationery and books to PC software and other course materials.
There are lots of clubs, societies and associations to join on campus, from the Seneca Sting sports organisation to groups like the Muslim & Chinese Student Associations and the Seneca Pride group. There’s something for students of all backgrounds, and anybody is welcome.
International students at Seneca can live in on-campus or off-campus accommodation. Toronto is a city full of community and friendship, so whichever choice they make, students can expect to feel comfortable at home. If students are living off campus, Seneca College suggests that they find accommodation as near as possible to avoid a long commute/any travel issues.
On-campus student accommodation is available at the King and Newnham campuses. Both accommodation options are apartment-style residence buildings with private bedrooms, 24-hour security monitoring and access to various amenities. They’re also fully equipped with accessibility measures, so disabled students will have the support they need.
There are also university accommodation options off-campus. Seneca partners with Places4Students to help them find affordable housing in Toronto. The average price for a bachelor apartment CAD 1,225 per month, whilst the price for a one-bedroom apartment is around CAD 1,446 per month. There’s also always the option of a shared student house, with costs split between each resident.
A Homestay option is also provided for international students. This gives them the chance to move in with a host approved by the Canada Homestay Network and become a part of that household. The Homestay option is available for a minimum of one month and will always include basic needs like private storage space, access to a bathroom, a bed and clean linen and a furnished room with a window.
Help is available to anybody who needs it through Seneca’s student support services. Whether a person is looking for academic student support (through a student guide who can help them develop stronger study skills, for example) or in need of some emotional counselling, Seneca College can assist.
There’s a student support programme operating at every Seneca campus, and appointments are available on the phone, on a video chat or in person. There are also services for those who need help out of hours, such as emergency hospital rooms and the Good2Talk helpline (Good2Talk is the university’s mental health helpline.)
Academically, international students can always get the help they need from tutors, peers and professionals. Student services offered include access to counsellors and learning strategists, invitations to a calendar of useful academic events and workshops, career services and easy-to-access online aid.
Seneca College has a long and happy history of good job prospects after graduation. As one of the fastest-growing academic institutions in Toronto, it provides students with the education and opportunities they need to go on and make a living in one of the world’s most exciting cities.
Seneca’s average job placement rate is an impressive 71.4 per cent within the first six months after graduation. The college is also very proud of its graduate satisfaction rate of 75 per cent. Students didn’t just enjoy their time learning at Seneca – the college also supported them with great networking events and career services during their studies.
Lots of great employment services are open to students at Seneca College, including the Academic Pathways programme (a career guide can help students with research, applications, resource-finding and more, offering helpful career advice and exploring career options along the way). There are even special career resources for international students, including the SMILE initiative.
Practical learning opportunities and on-campus work-study programmes are common at Seneca, giving students professional, real experience and making them more prepared when they do graduate. Students can also increase their employability and become organised leaders through the Seneca Leadership programme.
Seneca College’s great graduation and employment statistics show that students at this university get an educational experience tailored to them. The choice to study at Seneca is the choice to invest in a bright professional future, and it will see students leaving university fully prepared for whatever might come next (whether that’s the working world or an even higher level of academic education).
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
UNDERGRADUATE
CAD$20,688
POSTGRADUATE
CAD$16,800
VOCATIONAL
CAD$17,913
Overall experience
100% of reviewers recommend Seneca Polytechnic
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If you are studying right now or you have completed your studies, then help future students by sharing your experiences.
Anonymous, Pakistan
5
I'd like to early recommendation
I am very good in English although I am good in my studies. I am really keen to study in Canada as well as I have to compair my self with international students so I prefer to canada rather then other countries because of their good fasilities and well accommodation.
I am very good in English although I am good in my studies. I am really keen to study in Canada as well as I have to compair my self with international students so I prefer to canada rather then other countries because of their good fasilities and well accommodation.
