Higher Education

Postsecondary education in Ontario overall is regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Among the institutions are universities, colleges of applied arts and technology and private career colleges. Ontario residents are given first consideration when applying to most institutions in-province and are eligible to apply to universities and colleges out of province.

There are 19 publicly assisted universities in Ontario, all of which offer undergraduate or bachelor degrees and most of which offer graduate or doctoral degrees. Northwestern Ontario is home to Lakehead University in the City of Thunder Bay, a facility with 7,400 students and a large variety of undergraduate, Master and Doctoral degree programs. Lakehead University has partnered with Laurentian University to host the new Northern Ontario School of Medicine which has campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury and multiple teaching and research sites distributed across Northern Ontario, dedicated to educating skilled physicians and undertaking health research suited to community needs.

There are 24 colleges of applied arts and technology in Ontario which receive public funding from the Ontario government. Many have multiple campuses, offering students in Ontario more than 100 locations for full and part-time courses within the province through which they can obtain certificates or diplomas, participate in apprenticeship programs or enroll in courses leading towards university degrees. Confederation College is located in Thunder Bay with regional satellite campuses and is noted for program offerings like the Aviation Centre of Excellence and its use of new technology in its teachings.

Over 500 private career colleges operate in Ontario, governed by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities’ Private Career Colleges Act. These colleges are privately operated companies which generally offer smaller class sizes, flexible schedules and career-specific skills training. Numerous private career colleges operate in Northwestern Ontario, providing training in business, human services, transportation, health services and more.

Distance education also plays a significant role in more remote communities. Contact North, the main provider of these services, works with 17 educational partners to provide education and training to students within their home communities and offers 95 Access Centres in Northern Ontario. Courses include skills training, credit courses for degree programs and special interest learning.