University in Canada
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
University profile
Lakehead University is a public, comprehensive university in Ontario, Canada, offering programs from the arts and sciences to professional fields such as business, education, engineering, kinesiology, nursing, social work, forestry and law. Its main campus is in Thunder Bay, with a second campus in Orillia and the Barrie STEM Hub in Barrie. Students have been coming to Lakehead for 60 years.
The Thunder Bay campus sits in the heart of the city of Thunder Bay, on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, Signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. Fieldwork and hands-on learning are built into many programs, using the natural laboratories of northwestern Ontario. The Orillia campus, opened in 2006, occupies an 85-acre LEED-certified site in west Orillia on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg. The Barrie STEM Hub offers engineering and computer science in two downtown Barrie locations, 24 Maple Avenue and 5 Ross Street.
Academic units are the Faculties of Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health and Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science and Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences and Humanities. Graduate study includes 33 Master's and 11 Doctoral programs.
Research is organised through 14 research centres and institutes, among them the Biorefining Research Institute, the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining and Exploration, and the Anishinaabe Kendaasiwin Institute. Enrolment is 16% international, 16% graduate and 16% Indigenous. The Ingenuity incubator supports students developing start-up ideas.
Student life includes residences at Thunder Bay and Orillia, with housing guaranteed for all high-school students, plus varsity and recreational athletics, student clubs and an English Language Centre with an Academic English Program for international applicants. Off-campus housing resources cover Thunder Bay, Orillia and Barrie, and Georgian Green Student Rez in Barrie is a partner housing option for Barrie STEM Hub students. A joint admissions arrangement with Confederation College and Lakehead-Georgian degree plus diploma programs extend the pathways into the university.
Awarded automatically, with no application, to students entering directly from a recognized Canadian high-school curriculum. Based on the top six Grade 12 U or M marks (Fall 2027 and Winter 2028 entry): 95.0% and above, $16,000 ($4,000 a year for 4 years) or free tuition for 4 years; 90.0-94.9%, $10,000 ($2,500 a year); 85.0-89.9%, $5,000 ($1,250 a year); 80.0-84.9%, $3,000 ($750 a year). Awards are renewable by maintaining an 80% or 90% average each year, and offers are made in March, May and July with the best value kept. Free tuition covers tuition only, not compulsory ancillary fees.
Considered automatically for international students entering from high school or transferring from an international college or university (2027-2028): 90.0%+ or IB 35+, $40,000 ($10,000 a year for 4 years, renewable at 90%); 80.0-89.9% or IB 30-34, $30,000 ($7,500 a year, renewable at 80%); 75.0-79.9% or IB 28-29, a one-time $6,000 in Year 1. Awards apply to Years 1-3 entry into a minimum 4-year degree and are applied after completion of the Academic English Program where required.
Lakehead provides over $11 million a year in scholarships, bursaries and awards. Details: entrance scholarships, international scholarships, scholarships, awards and loans.
Academic Entrance Scholarships (Domestic) →
International Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships →
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View scholarships for Lakehead University →Applicants need the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and a minimum of 6 Grade 12 U or M courses or equivalent, including program-specific prerequisites, with a minimum 70% overall final average. Higher averages apply where demand exceeds places; averages are calculated on the top 6 Grade 12 U or M courses. Conditional admission is based on successful completion of in-progress prerequisite courses. Ontario grades are sent to Lakehead through OUAC.
Non-Ontario applicants submit official high-school transcripts, and Lakehead considers applicants from recognized Canadian and international curricula individually; international scholarship tiers use a Canadian-equivalent average or IB average.
Applicants whose first language is not English must show proof of proficiency. For all undergraduate programs except Nursing, the two-year Bachelor of Education programs and the Juris Doctor: CAEL 60; Cambridge C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency 176 (no score below 169); Duolingo 120 (no sub-score below 115); IELTS Academic 6.5 (no score below 6.0); MET 85; PTE Academic 58 (no component below 50); TOEFL iBT 80 (no component below 19, tests from January 2026). For Nursing, Consecutive Bachelor of Education and Juris Doctor: Cambridge 185 overall (Listening 176, Reading and Use of English 176, Speaking 185, Writing 185); Duolingo 130 (Listening 115, Reading 120, Speaking 130, Writing 145); IELTS 7.0 overall (Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Speaking 7, Writing 7); MET 90; PTE Academic 65 (Listening 58, Reading 58, Speaking 65, Writing 65); TOEFL iBT 103 (Listening 24, Reading 24, Speaking 28, Writing 28). The TOEFL institution code is 0888. Nursing and Consecutive Education applicants may alternatively complete Academic English Program Level 6 or have studied 3 years in an English-medium system; Juris Doctor applicants may alternatively show 3 years in English-medium study.
Medium of instruction also qualifies: one year of full-time university study in an English-language university in a country where English is official; two years of full-time college diploma study likewise; or three years of full-time high-school study in English. IELTS can be taken at Lakehead. IELTS and PTE results are sent to [email protected]; Cambridge candidate details go to [email protected].
Master's applicants must be graduates of a recognized university, college or institute with evidence of scholarly achievement, normally a four-year bachelor's degree or equivalent with at least second-class (B) standing over the last 20 half courses. A Qualifying Year may be required and does not count toward the graduate degree; meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission, and the academic unit must recommend admission. PhD applicants need a Master's degree or equivalent with an average specified by the academic unit. Graduate applicants apply through OUAC (Lakehead graduate application).
Fall 2027: Ontario high-school applicants January 15, 2027; college transfer and international applicants March 1, 2027; domestic applicants August 31, 2027. Winter 2027: international November 2, 2026 and domestic December 1, 2026. Spring/Summer 2027 Bachelor of Education and Technological Education: November 2, 2026. Juris Doctor: November 2, 2026. One-Year Honours Bachelor of Social Work and Year 3: December 10, 2026. Nursing (3 and 4 year): January 15, 2027. Many programs accept later applications if space remains. Graduate applications for international applicants: Fall start February 1, Winter start September 16, Spring start January 15.
Undergraduate intakes are Fall (September), Winter (January) and Spring/Summer (May/July); select programs only admit in September. Application fees must be paid before an application is processed. Official final transcripts are required for a confirmed offer; a Deferral of Admission request for Fall 2027 closes August 31, 2027. Tuition and compulsory ancillary fees are listed in the Schedule of Academic Fees; Lakehead provides a cost estimator.
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