How to apply to Sheridan College for animation, illustration and other art and design degrees: four-year honours bachelor’s degrees, selection by grades plus portfolio, and what the Animation and Illustration portfolios contain, for students in China, Canadian high school students and transfer students

2026-10-19 · Application guides

Sheridan College in Ontario offers four-year honours bachelor’s degrees in Animation, Illustration, Photography, Interaction Design, Game Design, Craft and Design, Interior Design and more. Admission is based on an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, with Grade 12 English and other senior courses averaging at least 65%, plus a portfolio for Animation, Illustration, Photography and 3D Animation. Canadians apply through ontariocolleges.ca by February 1 for equal consideration; international students use Sheridan’s international application portal. For 2026–27, the first two semesters of Animation cost about CAD 32,665 for international students.

Sheridan College is a public college in Ontario. Its art and design degrees sit in the Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design and are four-year honours bachelor’s degrees, not diplomas. Below are the key points for September 2027 entry from Sheridan’s website, for students in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. Art and design degrees

Honours Bachelor of Animation (PBAAA): Trafalgar Campus, Oakville, four years. Life drawing, story development, layout, animation principles and character design, across 2D, 3D and stop motion; a three-month work placement follows Year 3.
Honours Bachelor of Illustration (PBAAI): Trafalgar Campus, four years. The page advises budgeting about CAD 2,000–5,000 a year for technology and supplies.
Honours Bachelor of Photography: about CAD 500 a year in supplies. The page we read does not list 2027 start dates or fees, so confirm the intake before applying.
Interaction Design, Game Design, 3D Animation and Emerging Technologies and Experiential Design: Trafalgar Campus, four years.
Honours Bachelor of Craft and Design: Ceramics, Furniture, Glass, Industrial Design, Textiles and Multidisciplinary streams.
Interior Design: Hazel McCallion Campus, Mississauga, four years.
The faculty also runs diploma, graduate certificate and other non-degree programs; this article covers bachelor’s degrees only.

2. Requirements and selection

Program pages ask for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent. For Animation and Illustration:

Grade 12 English (ENG4U);
one Visual Arts or Communication Technology credit (Grade 11 or 12, any level except workplace) or one postsecondary Visual Arts course;
four other Grade 12 U or M courses;
at least a 65% overall average; or two semesters of postsecondary study including those courses, at 65%.

Selection uses the average of the six highest senior credits (including required courses) plus the portfolio result where one is required:

Portfolio required: Animation, Illustration, 3D Animation and Photography (Photography’s includes three short-answer questions).
No portfolio: Interaction Design and Game Design, assessed on grades; Game Design also requires Grade 12 U Math.
Portfolio only without a Visual Arts credit: Industrial Design, Experiential Design and Interior Design; an art, design, media or architecture-related Ontario College credential also waives it.
There is a portfolio assessment fee; the amount is not published and appears in the applicant portal.
Pathway: Sheridan’s Art Fundamentals, Media Fundamentals or Visual and Creative Arts programs completed at 65% can meet the requirements.

3. Animation and Illustration portfolios

Portfolios are submitted after you apply, following instructions and deadlines in the Sheridan Applicant Portal. Sheridan publishes sample instructions for reference; the points below are from the 2026-intake samples, so check the portal for 2027:

Animation: five components.
1. Observational drawing: four life drawings (two 5–20-minute poses, two in motion), drawn by hand, not from photos.
2. Character design and animation: a rotation of an original character and a short animation of 24–72 images.
3. Storyboarding: four widescreen panels on a set theme.
4. Perspective line drawings: one interior and one exterior.
5. Personal artwork, including 15 pages from your own sketchbook.
Existing cartoon characters, tracing and copying are not accepted; all work must be your own. The sample says the portal opened around November 8, 2025 and closed February 19, 2026; portfolios from applicants who applied by February 1 get equal consideration, and early submitters may hear earlier.
Illustration: two parts.
- Drawing Test (70% of the score), all drawn from life, e.g. a 30-minute figure drawing, three compositional sketches with a final drawing and a statement of up to 150 words, and two sets of five quick drawings.
- Portfolio of Original Work (30%): 10–15 pieces plus 15–25 sketchbook pages.
The 2026-intake sample deadline was February 20, 2026.

4. How and when to apply

Canadian citizens and permanent residents apply through ontariocolleges.ca. Applications open in early October; apply by February 1 for equal consideration for fall programs. For portfolio programs, offers start around March; accept by May 1.
International students apply through Sheridan’s international application portal and pay an application fee by credit card (amount not published). Documents need a notarized official English translation plus the original. Sheridan says international dates will be posted shortly.
Intakes: Animation and Illustration are open to Canadian and international applicants for September 2027; the January 2027 Animation intake is closed.

5. English requirements

Degree programs: IELTS 6.5 (no band below 6.0), TOEFL iBT 88 (21 per section; from 2026, 4.5 with 4.5 per section), Duolingo 115 (subscores 95), PTE 60 (57 per section) or CAEL 70 (60 per section).
Two or more years of full-time study in English at a recognized school waives testing; accredited public or private secondary schools in Canada (other than Quebec) count. Quebec degree applicants need one CEGEP academic English (603) course.
Exempt applicants still present a senior English course, which counts toward the admission average.

6. Fees and scholarships

2026–27 fees for the first two semesters (tuition, health insurance and ancillary fees, CAD, Canadian / international):
- Animation 10,362.18 / 32,665.14;
- Illustration 10,482.44 / 29,980.91;
- 3D Animation 9,776.89 / 31,226.91;
- Interaction Design 9,886.57 / 22,423.26;
- Game Design 10,039.01 / 22,575.70;
- Industrial Design 9,680.17 / 21,254.32;
- Experiential Design 9,436.65 / 23,959.18;
- Interior Design 9,600.84 / 24,886.97.
International Entrance Scholarship: CAD 5,000 for four-year degrees, no separate application. However, the international scholarships page says the Bachelor of Animation is not eligible, while the Animation page says new international students may receive it. The pages differ, so rely on your Letter of Acceptance.
Other international awards: CAD 2,500 Degree Pathway for transfers into Years 2–4 based on previous postsecondary study; CAD 2,000 a year Degree Achievement for Years 2–4 with a GPA of 3.6 (80%) in the previous year.
Canadian students: the Photography page lists a CAD 2,000 Degree Entrance Scholarship for citizens and permanent residents with at least a 75% average.

7. Tips for three types of applicants

Students in China:

International applicants must meet equivalents of the Canadian requirements; how the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask international admissions.
Have English and an art course on your transcript; send notarized English translations.
The Animation and Illustration portfolios centre on life drawing, so practise observational drawing, character design and keep a sketchbook.

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

Apply through ontariocolleges.ca by February 1.
Program pages say OSSD “or equivalent”; how BC courses such as English 12 map is not published, so confirm with Sheridan admissions.
Sheridan says two or more years of full-time English study at an accredited secondary school in Canada (other than Quebec) waives English testing, but you still submit a senior English grade.

Transfer students:

Two semesters of postsecondary study at 65% with the required English and art courses is an admission route; earlier credits can be assessed for Advanced Standing.
International students entering Years 2–4 may receive the CAD 2,500 Degree Pathway award.