Trent University’s Symons campus in Peterborough, Ontario is the university’s main site: 1,400 acres on the banks of the Otonabee River, with eleven on-campus nature reserves and an Oxbridge style college system. The university was founded in 1964 and was named the top undergraduate university in Ontario in the 2026 Maclean’s rankings, taking first place in the province across four separate categories.
This guide covers Peterborough specifically. Trent’s second campus at Durham in Oshawa is a different proposition, and Section 3 sets out how they differ.
One hundred and eighty programmes are open to international applicants here, against 74 at Durham. Almost all are degrees, which matters more than it sounds: only six of the 180 are non-degree credentials, so 174 escape the Canadian field of study test entirely. That is the most favourable work permit position of any institution in our Canadian catalogue.
🎓 Quick Fact: postgraduate study at Peterborough is cheaper than undergraduate. Twenty master degrees sit at CAD 22,944 a year while every bachelor degree is CAD 35,000. That is roughly CAD 12,000 a year less for a higher qualification, which is the reverse of what most applicants expect.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Campus | Symons campus, Peterborough, Ontario. The main Trent campus |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Address | 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2 |
| Campus | 1,400 acres on the Otonabee River, 11 nature reserves, Oxbridge style colleges |
| Location | About 90 minutes from downtown Toronto |
| Maclean’s 2026 | #1 undergraduate university in Ontario, and #1 in the province in four categories |
| Programmes open to international students | 180: 141 bachelor degrees, 33 master degrees, 6 certificates and diplomas |
| Undergraduate tuition | CAD 35,000 a year, identical on every bachelor degree |
| Postgraduate tuition | CAD 17,935 to 50,730. Twenty master degrees sit at CAD 22,944 |
| Application fee | CAD 92.25 undergraduate, 128.13 or 143.50 postgraduate, 234 for the consecutive B.Ed |
| Standard entry | 70 percent at Class 12 on 135 of the 180 |
| Standard English | IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0 on 178 of the 180 |
| Official Website | www.trentu.ca |
2. The Maclean’s Number One, Read Properly
Trent holds the top position in Ontario for undergraduate universities, and it took first place in the province in four categories: student awards, student services, medical and science grants, and best overall reputation, placing top five nationally in each.
3. Peterborough or Durham? They Are Not the Same
Both campuses award the same Trent degree, but the choice matters more than most applicants realise.
| Peterborough | Durham GTA | |
|---|---|---|
| Programmes for you | 180 | 74 |
| Master degrees | 33 | 3 |
| Laboratory sciences | Full range: chemistry, physics, biology, forensics, nursing | Very limited |
| Non degree credentials | Only 6 of 180 | 11 of 74 |
| Setting | 1,400 acre riverside campus, 90 minutes from Toronto | Urban campus inside the eastern Greater Toronto Area |
| Job market access | Requires travel to Toronto | Inside the GTA |
Put simply: Peterborough for range and for science, Durham for proximity to the Toronto job market. Several subjects appear at both campuses with different lengths, so check before assuming they are identical. Gender and Social Justice, for example, runs four years at Peterborough and three at Durham, a difference of roughly CAD 35,000 in tuition.
4. The 180 Programmes
| Type | Count | Tuition a year | Work permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four year bachelor degrees | 138 | CAD 35,000 | Exempt from the field of study test |
| Three year degrees and consecutive B.Ed | 3 | CAD 35,000 | Exempt |
| Master degrees | 33 | CAD 22,944 to 50,730 | Exempt, and 16 allow a spousal permit |
| Graduate certificates and one diploma | 6 | CAD 17,935 to 23,500 | Field of study test applies |
What Peterborough Is Actually Known For
Forensics, 13 programmes
Forensic science, biology and chemistry, plus joint majors with psychology, anthropology and law and policing. More forensics routes than any other Canadian university offers.
Environment and water
Trent has taught environmental studies since the 1970s and runs a national Water Quality Centre. Water Sciences is a degree few Canadian universities offer at all.
Indigenous Studies
One of the longest established Indigenous Studies departments in Canada, with an environmental science variant and a joint master degree with Canadian Studies.
15 law dual degrees
Six year routes pairing a bachelor of laws with business, economics, philosophy, sociology and ten other disciplines. All ask 80 percent. Read Section 8 before applying.
Computing with 12 month co-op
Computer Science honours with a full year of paid work terms, plus theoretical, data analytics and software engineering streams and a separate Software Engineering co-op degree.
Nursing, including a 28 month route
A four year collaborative degree and a compressed 28 month version for existing degree holders, which accepts a three year Indian bachelor. Nursing is Peterborough only.
5. Fees, and the Thing Almost Nobody Notices
Undergraduate pricing here is simple. Every bachelor degree costs CAD 35,000 a year, whether it is a three year arts degree or a six year law dual degree. Postgraduate pricing is where the money is.
| Programme | Tuition a year |
|---|---|
| Graduate Diploma in Instrumental Chemical Analysis | CAD 17,935, the cheapest here |
| Twenty thesis master degrees | CAD 22,944 |
| Graduate certificates | CAD 23,500 |
| Master of Instrumental Chemical Analysis | CAD 29,659 |
| Quantitative methods and forensic science masters | CAD 30,388 to 31,907 |
| All 141 bachelor degrees | CAD 35,000 |
| Master of Education, course based | CAD 50,730, the most expensive |
No scholarship is recorded on any of the 180 programmes in our current data. Budget the full tuition, and note that ancillary fees, health insurance and UHIP are billed on top.
6. Admission Requirements
| Bar | Rows | Programmes |
|---|---|---|
| 50 percent | 5 | All five graduate certificates, entering from a three year bachelor degree |
| 70 percent | 135 | Most degrees and every master degree |
| 75 percent | 20 | Biomedical Sciences, forensics, nursing, teacher education, conservation biology |
| 80 percent | 20 | All 15 law dual degrees, the co-op business and software engineering routes, the medical professional streams |
💡 Apply Study Visa insight: the five graduate certificates accept a three year Indian bachelor degree at just 50 percent, which is among the most accessible postgraduate entry points anywhere in our Canadian catalogue. The catch is that they are the only six non degree credentials here, so they carry the work permit risk that the other 174 programmes avoid. If your marks allow a master degree at 70 percent instead, take it.
7. Four English Bands, and Two Traps
| Band | IELTS | TOEFL | PTE | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degrees | 6.5, no band below 6.0 | 86, with 20 in writing only | 59 | 115 |
| Graduate certificates | 6.5, no band below 6.0 | 86, with 20 in every section | 59 | 115 |
| Master degrees | 6.5, no band below 6.0 | 93, with 22 writing and 22 speaking | 60 in every component | Not accepted |
| Consecutive B.Ed | 7.0, with 7.0 writing and speaking | 100 | Not accepted | Not accepted |
8. Work Permits: Peterborough’s Strongest Card
Trent is a public university, and Canadian rules exempt degrees from the field of study requirement that applies to non degree credentials. Because Peterborough is almost entirely degree based, this campus sits in an unusually good position.
| Credential | Count | Field of study test |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor and master degrees | 174 | Exempt. Subject does not matter |
| Graduate certificates and the graduate diploma | 6 | Applies. Confirm for your intake |
Ninety seven percent of the catalogue is exempt. For comparison, at the Durham campus that figure is 85 percent, and at some Canadian colleges it is under 20 percent.
Spouses: 16 Programmes
A spouse can apply for an open work permit where the student is on a master programme of 16 months or longer. Sixteen programmes here qualify, all of them two year master degrees.
An Ontario attestation letter is required with the study permit application, and Trent issues it with the letter of acceptance.
9. Careers That Need More Than the Degree
| Programme | What still stands in the way |
|---|---|
| Nursing, both routes | National licensure examination, provincial registration, and clinical placement capacity for international students |
| Teacher Education and consecutive B.Ed | Ontario College of Teachers certification, a separate application with background checks |
| The 15 law dual degrees | Delivered with a partner law school. Confirm the partner, the transfer point and whether it leads to Canadian licensing. Six years at CAD 35,000 is roughly CAD 210,000 |
| Medical Professional Stream, arts and science | Canadian medical schools reserve very few places for international students and several accept none |
| Forensics, all 13 routes | Canadian forensic laboratories are largely government run and frequently require citizenship or permanent residence |
| Bachelor of Social Work | Ontario College of Social Workers registration, plus field placement availability |
| Environmental Geoscience | Professional geoscientist registration requires supervised experience after graduation |
🛂 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.
10. Who Peterborough Suits, and Who It Does Not
It suits you if
- You want choice. 180 programmes is the widest range in our Canadian catalogue, and 33 master degrees is more than most mid sized universities offer.
- You want a degree rather than a diploma. 174 of 180 escape the work permit field of study test entirely.
- You are doing a master degree. Twenty sit at CAD 22,944, roughly CAD 12,000 a year below the undergraduate rate.
- You want laboratory science, forensics, environmental science, water science or nursing, none of which run at the Durham campus.
- You want co-op. Thirty six programmes carry co-op or a placement, including twelve month co-op in computing and conservation biology.
- You hold a three year Indian bachelor and want a graduate certificate at 50 percent, or the compressed nursing route.
It does not suit you if
- You are price sensitive at undergraduate level. CAD 35,000 with no scholarship recorded is at the higher end for an Ontario bachelor degree.
- You need to be inside the Toronto job market. Peterborough is 90 minutes out; the Durham campus is not.
- You are bringing a spouse and are not on one of the sixteen qualifying master degrees.
- You are choosing a graduate certificate mainly for the work permit, which is the one route here carrying that risk.
- You expect the law dual degrees to make you a lawyer in Canada. They confirm nothing about licensing.
- You want a large city campus. This is a riverside campus in a small Ontario city, which is the whole point of it.
11. 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 placed first in Ontario for student awards, student services, medical and science grants, and best overall reputation, ranking top five nationally in each. It is not a claim to outrank the large research universities.
Q: How much are Trent Peterborough fees for international students?
CAD 35,000 a year for every bachelor degree. Postgraduate ranges from CAD 17,935 to CAD 50,730, with twenty master degrees at CAD 22,944. Graduate fees are charged per term across four terms for a sixteen month programme, so ask for the total cost rather than an annual figure.
Q: Is a master degree really cheaper than a bachelor at Trent?
Yes for many of them. Twenty master degrees are recorded at CAD 22,944 against CAD 35,000 for every bachelor degree. Thesis based master degrees are typically the cheapest, because they involve supervised research rather than full coursework loads.
Q: Does Trent Peterborough accept Duolingo?
For bachelor degrees and graduate certificates, yes, at 115. It is not accepted on any of the 33 master degrees, nor on the graduate diploma or the consecutive B.Ed routes. That is 36 programmes in total, so check your band before booking.
Q: Should I choose Peterborough or the Durham campus?
Peterborough for range and for science: 180 programmes against 74, 33 master degrees against 3, and all the laboratory sciences. Durham for proximity to the Toronto job market. Some subjects run at both with different lengths, so compare before assuming they are identical.
Q: Are Trent Peterborough programmes PGWP eligible?
Trent is a public university, so 174 of the 180 are degrees and exempt from the Canadian field of study requirement. Only the five graduate certificates and one graduate diploma are non degree credentials subject to that test, and their eligibility should be confirmed for your specific intake.
Q: Can my spouse work in Canada while I study at Trent Peterborough?
On sixteen programmes, all two year master degrees. A dozen further master degrees are recorded as one to two years, a range that straddles the sixteen month threshold, so confirm the exact length in writing if a family move depends on it.
Q: Does Trent accept a three year Indian bachelor degree?
Yes for the five graduate certificates, which ask just 50 percent, and for the compressed nursing degree. The master degrees are recorded as requiring a four year bachelor at 70 percent, so have your transcript assessed rather than assuming either way.
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 Peterborough runs from 50 percent for graduate certificates to 80 percent for the law and co-op routes.
Q: How do I apply to Trent Peterborough 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 of the four English bands 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. Five 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 an annual figure, the exact length of any master degree recorded as one to two years, which English band your programme sits in before booking a test, work permit eligibility if you choose one of the six non degree routes, 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 180 Peterborough routes, checked in September 2026.
