NSCAD University

NSCAD University in Halifax was founded in 1887 as the Victoria School of Art and Design and is among Canada's oldest art and design institutions. It is small and specialised, teaching fine art, craft and design exclusively. That narrowness cuts both ways: a student certain of the field gets an institution built entirely around it, while a student uncertain between disciplines has nowhere to move. The craft provision — ceramics, textiles, jewellery — is unusual at degree level in Canada and taught at few other institutions. Nova Scotia costs sit well below Ontario and British Columbia, so NSCAD is materially cheaper to attend than the other two principal Canadian art schools. All three are worth applying to, since the portfolio prepared for one largely serves for the others.