Holland College

Prince Edward Island’s Holland College takes its educational philosophy from the school’s namesake, Samuel Holland, an 18th-century surveyor who had a passion for progress and new technology. The college offers 60 diploma and certificate programs at 13 campuses and centres across the province. Program areas include applied sciences, carpentry, computer studies, health and community studies, marine training and tourism. The college’s one-year post-graduate certificates are increasingly popular. Holland College also offers degree pathways, which give graduates as much as two years of credits toward a degree at post-secondaries across Canada, the U.S. and overseas.

The college’s cooking students hone their skills at the Culinary Institute of Canada, housed in the Tourism and Culinary Centre on the Charlottetown waterfront. Next door is Canada’s Smartest Kitchen, a research facility for food-product development. The school’s bioscience technology program received the 2020 Gold Program Excellence Award from Colleges and Institutes Canada.

The main Prince of Wales campus in Charlottetown features the Florence Simmons Performance Hall, the Centre for Community Engagement and two apartment-style residences. In October of 2024, the new Centre for Student Wellness and Academic Success opened, providing students with academic support services, a primary health clinic and mental-health services. The Summerside Waterfront campus houses most of the college’s trades and industrial technology programs, along with the Marine Training Centre and the Atlantic Police Academy. The college’s Business Analytics Centre supports the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, allowing students from the project management and data analytics post-graduate certificate programs to collaborate on real-world projects.

Quick facts

School size:
Mid-sized

Tuition:
Diploma $4,700–$13,200
Certificate $5,100–$32,800
Post-Grad $5,800–$11,100

Residence offerings:
Yes

Popular programs

Business Administration Diploma
Culinary Arts Diploma
Practical Nursing Diploma
Computer Information Systems Diploma
Early Childhood Care and Education Diploma

Cool options

Bioscience Technology: This post-graduate certificate for science majors provides practical lab experience and on-the-job training in preparation for the bioscience industry.
Heritage Retrofit Carpentry: Students learn the construction techniques that were used centuries ago and replicate them, combining traditional skills with the latest technology, in order to preserve historic properties by upgrading and restoring them without compromising their character. 
Sustainable Business Leadership: This one-year post-grad program equips students with the knowledge, skills and hands-on experience needed to lead organizations towards more sustainable operations and deploy clean tech solutions.