Expect

Decorative Image with text that says MORE.

About us

Georgian is MORE than an education ― it’s an experience! We work with industry and community partners to offer relevant, cutting-edge curriculum, quality work placements and co-op experiences with top employers. Our students graduate with the skills and mindset to be innovative thinkers and changemakers who can transform their workplaces and communities.

Our vision is to accelerate success through exceptional teaching and learning, innovation and partnerships. Read our 2022-24 strategic plan.

General information

These quick facts are based on data collected in June 2023 unless dates indicate otherwise.

  • Established 1967
  • Multi-campus college in Central Ontario:
  • Georgian is the first ― and only ― college in Canada designated a changemaker college by Ashoka U for our role as a leader in social innovation and changemaking in higher education
  • Key performance indicators (2022-23)
    • Georgian’s graduate employment rate – 90.3% – continues to be above the provincial average, which we’ve exceeded for 25 years
    • This means 90.3% of our alumni found work within six months of graduation
  • Recognized leader in student work experience:
    • 100% of our programs emphasize practical, hands-on learning and most offer a formal work-integrated opportunity, ranging from paid co-op terms to internships and field placements
    • In addition to traditional co-op, students can apply for an Entrepreneurial Co-op (eCo-op) where they can start a business, or an Innovation Co-op (iCo-op) where they’ll work with peers from various disciplines to create products or services that meet community needs
  • 100,000 alumni (October 2023)
  • 12,488 full-time students, including over 6,300 international students from 86 countries speaking more than 52 languages (May 2023 audit)
  • Approximately 2,569 full- and part-time employees, including student employees (March 2023)
  • Economic impact: total annual impact in catchment area is $1.7 billion, which is 5.3% of the region’s GRP or 1 out of every 15 jobs in the region supported by Georgian’s presence (source: Lightcast 2022-23) Learn more
  • Downtown Barrie Arch and Helen Brown Design and Digital Arts Centre
  • Barrie Campus home to Peter B. Moore Advanced Technology Centre ― the first in our region providing students and industry partners with access to research, incubator, changemaker and fabrication space
  • Career and Employment Community Services locations in Barrie, Orillia and Orangeville
  • On-campus residences in Barrie, Orillia and Owen Sound; variety of off-campus housing options
  • Wiidookdaading Indigenous Resource Centres in Barrie, Midland, Orillia and Owen Sound
  • $6.4 million in bursaries, awards and scholarships available each year
  • Board of Governors consists of:
    • 12 appointees from cross-section of communities
    • Georgian President and CEO
    • Vice President (Board Secretary)
    • Representative each for students, faculty, support staff and administrators

Academics

Our students

  • Average age: 23
  • 77% are 25 and younger, 41% are 19 or younger
  • 49.8% identify female, 49.9% male and 0.3% another gender identity
  • 4.3% of the full-time student population self-identify as Indigenous (as of winter 2023 enrolment)
  • 32% directly from high school; 68% non-direct
  • Traditional catchment area of Simcoe, Muskoka, Bruce, Dufferin and Grey accounts for 57% of domestic enrolment
  • GTA (Toronto, York, Durham, Halton and Peel) accounts for 22% of domestic enrolment

Georgian connects students to the skills they need, mindset to succeed, and confidence to thrive. We produce graduates who are fully connected to their potential, industry, community and the world.

Georgian College Coat of Arms

Georgian College Coat of Arms

President and CEO Kevin Weaver unveiled a renewed Coat of Arms on Oct. 5, 2022. The re-design was undertaken in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation and acknowledgement the college is situated on the Treaty Land and traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg.

The Coat of Arms was created in 1968 and is used for official communications that originate in the President’s Office and the Office of the Registrar, including on each Georgian credential.

The new design includes several Indigenous elements:

  • The centre wave includes the colours or the Métis sash
  • The image of the white pine tree and roots intertwined on the back of a turtle reflects the belief among First Nations that the world was created and exists on the back of a giant turtle
  • The wind-blown white pine, known as the Tree of Peace in People of the Longhouse culture is representative of the trees in the Georgian Bay region and its roots symbolize how peace can grow if nurtured

In addition, a fourth book was added to the college’s existing academic areas to represent the significance of health programming. The other three books represent applied arts, business and technology.

Special thanks to Georgian’s Indigenous Studies and Services team, under the leadership of Greg McGregor, members of the Anishnaabe Education and Training Circle and Indigenous artist and Georgian graduate Chantelle Marchand for the careful thought that went into this project.

Watch the video that describes the updates made to Georgian’s Coat of Arms in October 2022.