Fleming College (弗莱明学院), officially Sir Sandford Fleming College, is an Ontario public college that traces its name to the Scottish-Canadian engineer who surveyed Canada’s transcontinental railway and invented worldwide standard time. The college’s international education pages describe three main campuses — Sutherland Campus in Peterborough, Frost Campus in Lindsay and Haliburton Campus — with a fourth location in Cobourg dedicated to academic upgrading and continuing education. Everything in this guide comes from the college’s own website, checked on 5 August 2026, and reflects how the college describes itself rather than any external ranking.
What kind of college Fleming College is
Fleming College describes itself on its campus pages as a community of applied, hands-on programs: Sutherland Campus in Peterborough hosts 75-plus full-time programs across business and information technology, general arts and science, health and community service, and trades and technology. Frost Campus in Lindsay is home to the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, which the college calls one of Canada’s leading environmental institutions, with features such as community and pollinator gardens, wetlands, an arboretum, a wind turbine, geothermal heating and cooling, and a constructed wetland that treats wastewater on site. Haliburton Campus, overlooking Head Lake, houses the Haliburton School of Art + Design and its hands-on studio programs. The college’s academic schools are Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Haliburton School of Art + Design, Business and Information Technology, General Arts and Sciences, Health and Community Services, and Trades and Technology.
The college’s current leadership page names Dr. Theresa Knott as Interim President effective 1 January 2026, described as the seventh president of Sir Sandford Fleming College. International students are offered three intakes per year — September, January and May — according to the international education pages.
Programs and credentials at Fleming College
Fleming College publishes its full-time programs in categories used across Ontario colleges: Ontario College Certificate, Ontario College Diploma, Ontario College Advanced Diploma and Ontario College Graduate Certificate. Graduate certificate programs are described as short — usually two or three semesters, or six months to one year — and built around specialized skills for graduates who already hold a diploma or degree. Examples listed on the post-graduate programs page include Digital Marketing, Aquaculture (Co-op), Community Collaboration in Addictions and Mental Health, Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography, Health Care Management – Canadian Context, Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management, and Museum Management and Curatorship.
Program pages list start dates and availability separately for domestic and international applicants. The Business program (Ontario College Diploma, four semesters, Sutherland Campus) is an example of a two-year diploma, with September 2026 and January 2027 start dates. Ecosystem Management Technician (Ontario College Diploma, four semesters, Frost Campus) runs from September and January. Practical Nursing (Ontario College Diploma, five semesters, Sutherland Campus) offers September, January and May starts and is described on its page as an accelerated two-year program with a pathway to Trent University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Computer Security and Investigations is an Ontario College Advanced Diploma of six semesters at Sutherland Campus. Some programs, such as Business, show “closed” for international availability on certain intakes while remaining open for domestic applicants, so checking each program page’s international tab matters.
Entry requirements for international applicants
International applicants to Fleming College face two main requirement categories: academic and English language, with some programs adding non-academic requirements (NARs) that appear on the program’s own page. For diploma programs, the college asks for scanned original, certified or notarized secondary school graduation transcripts; post-graduate programs require scanned original, certified or notarized university or college transcripts. Documents not in English must be translated by an official notary or approved educational resource, and Fleming reserves the right to request WES or similar verification.
English proficiency can be proven several ways, per the college’s language requirements page (checked 5 August 2026). Direct admission test scores include IELTS Academic at 6.0 overall with no band below 5.5 for diplomas and certificates, and 6.5 with no band below 6.0 for graduate certificates; TOEFL iBT at 80 for tests before 2026 and a new overall-score scale from 2026; Duolingo 105+ (120+ for graduate certificates); CAEL overall 60 (70 for graduate certificates); PTE Academic 46+ (56+ for graduate certificates); and Cambridge exams at 169 minimum with no skill below 162. Alternative routes include completing Level 8 of Fleming’s own English Language Bridge (ELB) program with 70% for diplomas or 80% for graduate certificates, completing ESL or English for Academic Preparation at an Ontario community college, university or approved pathway partner, or demonstrating prior English-medium education — for example three consecutive years of secondary study in English in a country where English is a primary language.
2026–2027 tuition and other costs for international students
Fleming College does not publish one flat international fee; the tuition and expenses page states that international and domestic tuition and ancillary fees vary by program and are listed on individual program pages. The figures below are the 2026–2027 international semester rates shown on those pages when checked on 5 August 2026. Business: 9,549.36 CAD per semester (September 2026 intake). Ecosystem Management Technician: 9,310.18 CAD per semester. Practical Nursing: 10,586.58 CAD per semester. Early Childhood Education: 9,593.36 CAD per semester. Health Care Management (graduate certificate): 9,376.68 CAD per semester. Computer Security and Investigations: 11,491.44 CAD per semester. Program pages note these amounts are subject to change, and ancillary fees sit on top of tuition.
For budgeting, the college’s tuition and expenses page gives monthly living-cost averages: shared accommodation including heat, hydro and water at 800 CAD and up; cellphone or mobile 50–120 CAD; food 187–500 CAD; miscellaneous 100 CAD or more; and textbooks, supplies and instruments from 0 to 1,200 CAD per term. International students must carry adequate medical coverage; Fleming arranges coverage through Morcare Insurance at approximately 900 CAD for an academic year (September to August), prorated for other intakes. On-campus residence fees for 2026–2027, from the residence page, are 100 CAD non-refundable application fee, 400 CAD deposit, 50 CAD non-refundable activity fee, and 4,345 CAD for one semester or 8,690 CAD for two semesters, with residences in Peterborough, Lindsay and Haliburton.
How the application process works
The college’s international how-to-apply page (checked 5 August 2026) lays out six steps for Fleming College applicants. First, choose a program and check its start date, minimum requirements and whether its length meets visa needs. Second, gather the required transcripts and translations. Third, apply early — Fleming states its goal of providing offers within 5–10 business days of receiving an application, and warns that study permits and visas can take months, so applicants should work backwards from their country’s recommended window. Fourth, submit through the Ontario Colleges international application (IAS) portal; new applicants pay a 100 CAD application fee, and the college stresses returning to the application to click “submit” after payment so Fleming actually receives it. Fifth, on receiving an offer, accept it in the portal and pay the full first-semester fees by the deadline in the offer letter — a late or incomplete payment revokes the seat. If approved for a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL), students download it from the IAS portal and then begin the study permit and visa process with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which is a government matter rather than a college one. Sixth, about seven weeks before the term, International Student Services begins sending arrival information covering housing and airport pickup.
Because program availability, language scores, fees and government requirements all change, the college’s own pages are the reference for current figures. If you would like to work through how these requirements apply to your own background, target program and timeline, our advisers can help you compare the program list, document set, fee range and application calendar together.