Trent University is a public university in Ontario, founded in 1964, with its main Symons campus in Peterborough and a second campus, Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area, in Oshawa. This guide is about the Durham GTA campus, because that is where the programmes open to Indian applicants actually sit.
Trent was named the number one undergraduate university in Ontario in the 2026 Maclean’s rankings, and it took first place in Ontario across four separate categories: student awards, student services, medical and science grants, and best overall reputation. It placed in the top five nationally in each of those four. That is a real and specific achievement, and Section 2 explains what it does and does not mean.
Seventy four programmes are currently open to international applicants at Durham. Every degree costs CAD 35,000 a year and every graduate certificate costs CAD 23,500, with the master degrees sitting between them. The campus is in Oshawa, inside the eastern Greater Toronto Area, roughly an hour from downtown Toronto.
🎓 Quick Fact: the graduate certificates here have a stricter TOEFL requirement than the bachelor degrees. Degrees ask for 20 in writing only; certificates ask for 20 in every section. That is the opposite of what most applicants assume, and Section 6 sets out all three English bands.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area |
| Type | Public university, degree granting |
| University founded | 1964 |
| Durham campus | Courses in Oshawa from the late 1970s; present campus established 2010; new academic and residence building opened 2020 |
| Address | 55 Thornton Road South, Oshawa, Ontario L1J 5Y1 |
| Durham students | Roughly 2,600 to 3,000, full and part time |
| Maclean’s 2026 | #1 undergraduate university in Ontario, and #1 in Ontario in four categories |
| Programmes open to international students at Durham | 74: 52 four year degrees, 8 three year degrees, 11 graduate certificates, 3 master degrees |
| Tuition | CAD 35,000 every degree; CAD 23,500 every certificate; CAD 24,372 or 34,817 for master degrees |
| Application fee | CAD 92.25 undergraduate and certificate, CAD 143.50 master |
| English | IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0 on all 74 |
| Duolingo | Accepted at 115 on 71 programmes. Not accepted on the three master degrees |
| Official Website | www.trentu.ca/durham |
2. The Maclean’s Number One, Read Properly
Trent genuinely holds the top position, and it is worth understanding precisely what it covers.
| Measure | Position |
|---|---|
| Maclean’s 2026, primarily undergraduate category | #1 in Ontario |
| Student awards | #1 in Ontario, top 5 nationally |
| Student services | #1 in Ontario, top 5 nationally |
| Medical and science grants | #1 in Ontario, top 5 nationally |
| Best overall reputation | #1 in Ontario, top 5 nationally |
3. What Other Pages Get Wrong
| Claim you will see | The actual position |
|---|---|
| “The Durham campus opened in 2020” | Trent has taught in Oshawa since the late 1970s and the present campus was established in 2010. What opened in 2020 was a new academic and residence building |
| “Acceptance rate 33 percent” | Trent does not publish an acceptance rate. Admission is assessed against the published percentage for each programme, which ranges from 50 to 80 percent here |
| “107 courses at Durham” | Our current data shows 74 open to international applicants. The larger figure counts programmes not available to you |
| Student reviews quoting “fees around CAD 27,000” | Every degree at Durham is now recorded at CAD 35,000. Older student accounts describe an earlier fee schedule, not the current one |
| “The university has two Nobel prize winners” | Trent makes no such claim on its own site. Treat it as unverified |
| Pages that describe Peterborough facilities on a Durham page | The Otonabee river setting, the 1,400 acre campus and the nature reserves are all Peterborough. Durham is an urban campus in Oshawa |
4. The 74 Programmes at Durham
| Type | Count | Tuition a year | Post study work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four year bachelor degrees | 52 | CAD 35,000 | Exempt from the field of study test |
| Three year bachelor degrees | 8 | CAD 35,000 | Exempt |
| Master of Management, general | 1 | CAD 24,372 | Exempt, and allows a spousal permit |
| Master of Management, two specialisations | 2 | CAD 34,817 | Exempt, and allows a spousal permit |
| Graduate certificates | 11 | CAD 23,500 | Field of study test applies |
The Routes Indian Applicants Ask About
Artificial Intelligence, four versions
Arts or science stream, each with or without co-op. The co-op versions ask 80 percent and add a full year of paid work terms. The non co-op versions ask 70. That ten point gap buys a year of Canadian employment history.
Five Bachelor of Laws dual degrees
Six years, paired with business, English, media studies, philosophy or sociology. Four ask 80 percent; only the business pairing accepts 70. At CAD 35,000 a year that is a very large commitment.
Master of Management, 16 months
The general version is CAD 24,372 against CAD 34,817 for the two specialisations. All three include a placement, run 16 months, and support a spousal work permit.
Logistics and Supply Chain
A three year degree, plus graduate certificates in one year and two year versions. Oshawa sits in Canada’s largest freight corridor, so the local context is real.
Psychology, six variants
Arts or science, general or with a developmental or health specialism, plus three joint majors. The science stream is statistics heavy and the better route to graduate study.
Policing and Community Well-Being
A three year degree with an optional eight month placement. But Ontario police services generally require citizenship or permanent residence before appointment, so read Section 8.
5. Fees and the Real Cost of a Year
Trent Durham prices simply. Every single degree costs CAD 35,000 a year, whether it is a three year arts degree or a six year law dual degree. Every graduate certificate costs CAD 23,500. Only the master degrees vary.
| Item | Amount (CAD) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, any degree | 35,000 | Identical across all 60 undergraduate degree routes |
| Application fee | 92.25 | 143.50 for the master degrees |
| Ancillary and student fees | confirm in writing | Billed separately from tuition |
| Proof of funds for the study permit | approx 22,895 | Government set and revised regularly |
| Study permit and biometrics | approx 235 | Government fees |
| Realistic first year, a degree | approx 58,000 to 62,000 | Roughly INR 37 to 39 lakh |
No scholarship is recorded on any of the 74 programmes in our current data. Budget the full tuition.
6. Admission and English Requirements
| Bar | Programmes |
|---|---|
| 50 percent | All 11 graduate certificates, plus the joint journalism and media studies route |
| 70 percent | Most degrees, and all three master degrees |
| 75 percent | Teacher Education, Criminology, Logistics, Policing |
| 80 percent | The co-op business and AI routes, and four of the five law dual degrees |
The graduate certificates accept a three year Indian bachelor degree at 50 percent, which is among the most accessible postgraduate entry points anywhere in our Canadian catalogue. The three master degrees require a four year bachelor at 70 percent.
Three Different English Bands
| Test | Bachelor degrees | Graduate certificates | Master of Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.5, no band below 6.0 | 6.5, no band below 6.0 | 6.5, no band below 6.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | 86, with 20 in writing only | 86, with 20 in every section | 93, with 22 writing and 22 speaking |
| PTE | 59, no component minimum | 59 | 60 in every component |
| Duolingo | 115 | 115 | Not accepted |
💡 Apply Study Visa insight: two English traps here catch people out. First, if you are applying for a graduate certificate and planning to use TOEFL, you need 20 in every section, not just writing. A student with 86 overall and 17 in speaking meets the bachelor requirement and fails the certificate one. Second, the Master of Management routes do not accept Duolingo at all, unlike the other 71 programmes here. Check which band your course sits in before you book any test.
7. Work Permits: Degrees Versus Certificates
Trent is a public university, which is the favourable position in Canadian immigration terms. Its degrees are exempt from the field of study requirement, so any of the 63 degree routes here supports a Post-Graduation Work Permit of up to three years regardless of subject.
Spouses: Three Programmes Out of 74
A spouse can apply for an open work permit only where the student is on a master programme of 16 months or longer. At Durham that means exactly three routes: the Master of Management and its two specialisations, Health Care Management and Strategic Change Management. All three run precisely 16 months, which meets the threshold.
No bachelor degree and no graduate certificate qualifies, however long it runs. The six year law dual degrees do not qualify, because they are bachelor degrees.
An Ontario attestation letter is required with the study permit application, and Trent issues it alongside the letter of acceptance.
8. Careers That Need More Than the Degree
Several popular Durham programmes lead toward regulated or restricted professions. The credential is necessary but never sufficient.
| Programme | What still stands in the way |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Social Work | Registration with the Ontario College of Social Workers, plus field placement availability for international students |
| Teacher Education, arts and science | Ontario College of Teachers certification, a separate application involving background checks |
| Policing and Community Well-Being | Ontario police services generally require citizenship or permanent residence before appointment |
| Criminology and the justice routes | Many corrections and border roles apply the same citizenship conditions |
| The five Bachelor of Laws dual degrees | Delivered with a partner law school. Confirm the partner, the transfer point and whether it leads to Canadian licensing |
| Child and youth routes | Vulnerable sector police checks, assessed on Canadian records |
🛂 Planning a Canadian study permit? The team at ApplyStudyVisa.com handles the full sequence from transcript assessment and offer through the Ontario attestation letter, funds documentation, biometrics and permit decision. Contact our Ludhiana office for a free assessment.
9. Who Trent Durham Suits, and Who It Does Not
It suits you if
- You want a public university degree that removes the work permit field of study risk entirely.
- You want small classes. Durham has one of the best student to faculty ratios of any university in Ontario.
- You want Greater Toronto Area access without downtown Toronto rents, since Oshawa is materially cheaper.
- You hold a three year Indian bachelor and want a graduate certificate, which enters at just 50 percent.
- You can hit 80 percent and want structured co-op in business, accounting or artificial intelligence.
- You want joint majors. Durham offers an unusual number, giving genuine depth in two disciplines.
It does not suit you if
- You are price sensitive. Every degree is CAD 35,000 a year with no scholarship recorded, which is at the higher end for an Ontario undergraduate degree.
- You want a science or engineering degree. Durham is weighted toward social sciences, business, law and humanities; the laboratory sciences are at Peterborough.
- You are bringing a spouse and are not on one of the three Master of Management routes.
- You are choosing a graduate certificate mainly for the work permit, which is the one route here carrying that risk.
- You want the Peterborough experience. The river setting, nature reserves and college system are not at Durham.
- You need research depth. This is a teaching focused campus, which is what the Maclean’s ranking is measuring.
10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is Trent University really ranked number one in Ontario?
Yes, in the 2026 Maclean’s rankings for primarily undergraduate universities. Trent also took first place in Ontario for student awards, student services, medical and science grants, and best overall reputation, placing top five nationally in each. It is not a claim to outrank the large research universities.
Q: How much are Trent Durham fees for international students?
CAD 35,000 a year for every degree, three year or four year or six year. Graduate certificates are CAD 23,500. The general Master of Management is CAD 24,372 and its two specialisations are CAD 34,817. No scholarship is recorded on any of the 74 programmes.
Q: What is the difference between the Peterborough and Durham campuses?
Same university and the same degree, different campus. Peterborough is the large main campus with the river setting, nature reserves and the full science and professional range. Durham is an urban campus in Oshawa, weighted toward social sciences, business, law and humanities, with around 2,600 to 3,000 students.
Q: Does Trent Durham accept Duolingo?
Yes at 115, on 71 of the 74 programmes. The three exceptions are the Master of Management routes, which do not accept Duolingo at all. Those require IELTS, TOEFL or PTE.
Q: Does Trent accept a three year Indian bachelor degree?
Yes for the 11 graduate certificates, which require a three year bachelor at just 50 percent. The three Master of Management routes require a four year bachelor at 70 percent, so have your transcript assessed rather than assuming either way.
Q: Are Trent Durham programmes PGWP eligible?
Trent is a public university, so all 63 degree routes are exempt from the field of study requirement and support a permit of up to three years. The 11 graduate certificates are non degree credentials, so the field of study test applies to them and eligibility should be confirmed for your specific intake.
Q: Can my spouse work in Canada while I study at Trent Durham?
Only on the three Master of Management routes, which each run 16 months and meet the threshold. No bachelor degree or graduate certificate qualifies, including the six year law dual degrees, because those are bachelor degrees rather than master degrees.
Q: When did the Trent Durham campus open?
Trent has taught in Oshawa since the late 1970s, and the present campus on Thornton Road South was established in 2010. A new academic and residence building opened in 2020. Pages claiming the campus opened in 2020 are describing that building, not the campus.
Q: What is the acceptance rate at Trent University?
Trent does not publish one, and figures circulating online are third party estimates. Admission is assessed against the published percentage for each programme, which at Durham ranges from 50 percent for the graduate certificates to 80 percent for the co-op and law routes.
Q: How do I apply to Trent Durham through Apply Study Visa?
Send us your Class 12 marksheet or degree transcripts and your English score. We check your profile against the specific programme percentage, confirm which English band applies before you book a test, confirm the total programme cost in writing before you pay, and manage the application, the letter of acceptance, the Ontario attestation letter and the study permit as one process from our Ludhiana office.
Q: Does Apply Study Visa charge students a fee for this service?
No. Our counselling, application handling and permit filing for this university are free to the student. We are paid by the institutions we work with, which is exactly why we will tell you plainly when a programme carries a risk rather than pushing the application through.
✅ Verify before you commit. Four items should be reconfirmed in writing at application stage rather than taken from any page, including this one: the total programme cost including ancillary fees rather than the annual figure, which English band your programme sits in before you book a test, work permit eligibility if you choose a graduate certificate, and the Canadian proof of funds threshold and permit fees, which the government revises regularly. Programme details here were compiled from current international programme data covering all 74 Durham routes, checked in September 2026.
