History, Affiliations and Rankings

Centennial College was established in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as a local community more than 5 decades ago. In 1965, Ontario Education Minister William Davis highlighted the need for a network of colleges to assist the province compete in a technologically advanced and globalised economy. A group of Scarborough and East York citizens, led by school trustee Reg Stackhouse, discovered an abandoned facility at 651 Warden Avenue, the old radar section of Canadian Arsenals Ltd., and convinced the federal government to lease it as a temporary campus. In May 1966, the founding paperwork was signed, and Centennial College was established. The doors opened on October 17 to 514 students enrolled in 16 career-oriented programmes. The purpose of the college is to ensure graduates a rewarding connection with the college’s community. Over the years, Centennial College has established its presence outside Canada and into the global world by working with communities of Mississauga, China, India, Brazil, South Korea, etc. Centennial has academic affiliations with Colleges and Institutes Canada, Universities Canada, and Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). As per Webometrics, the Ranking Web of Universities, Centennial College has a rank of #77 in Country Rankings and #1026 in Continental Rankings. In 2014, Centennial College was ranked among Canada’s Top 50 Colleges, and in 2017 was ranked 8th in Canada for Applied Research Activity. 

Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses

Centennial College has five campuses - the Ashtonbee Campus, Downsview Campus, Morningside Campus, Progress Campus and Story Arts Campus and seven satellite locations. In addition, the college also has learning sites called Eglington and Pickering learning sites. The college is known for not only its quality education but also for its excellent infrastructural facilities available at all the campuses. Centennial College offers unique programs in more than 100 different fields of study which include Business, Communication, Arts, Community And Consumer Services, Applied Computing, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Travel and Tourism, Animation, Music, Theatre, Film and Design. The academics at Centennial College are led by a team of experts who help students build on the practical application of theoretical studies. In addition to its mainstream courses, Centennial provides 24-hour access to online teaching facilities for all its online courses.

Accomplishments and Alumni

Among its unique innovations, the college is one of the limited institutions in Canada that have taken steps to become a greener university. In 2011, its LEED Gold-certified library and academic facility at its Progress campus were launched. This was a big step towards reducing the college’s carbon footprint. Centennial College was recognized as having the best student and employer satisfaction rating in the Great Toronto Area in 2016 & 2017. According to the provincial Key Performance Indicator (KPI), Centennial College has the best student and employer satisfaction rating in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), in 2016 and again in 2017. The International Student Barometer Survey conducted by Centennial College in 2016 revealed that their international students reported high satisfaction, with Expertise of Faculty being rated 90.9%, Safety at the Campus being 95.9%, and Campus Environment being 93.2%. Centennial College has a strong alumni network of over 200,000 that adds to the university’s global image and reputation. The alumni have established a strong image of the university across the globe, including Johnny Candy (a famous comedy actor), Jennifer Valentine (Canadian television personality), and Elinor Caplan (businesswoman and former politician) being among the most reputable alumni of Centennial.

Student Diversity and Visiting Companies

Centennial College welcomes international students to encourage cultural diversity at its campus. The College is known for its global cultural diversity with more than 100 ethnocultural groups represented and 80 languages spoken on the campus, encouraging international admissions and increasing cultural plurality. Centennial College has an enrollment of 5,200 international students from more than 100 countries around the world. The College works with potential employers to support students through professional development, skills development, and networking. To ensure students placement after graduation, Centennial has established connections with the industry through a unique Solv model which enables businesses of all sizes and all sectors to engage with the college through a single point of contact. The industry participates in student recruitments through the Centennial College campuses, training and various joint services to impart application-based learning to Centennial students. Top recruiters of Centennial College include Air Canada, Samsung, Facebook, Harley Davidson, IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, Hospitals, Canadian Press Harley Davidson, Sun Life Financial Inc.