Please always consult the OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Centre) website for the most up-to-date information from Ontario Universities:
Summary of answers to frequently asked questions:
When can I apply for university?
In the fall the ONTARIO UNIVERSITY APPLICATION CENTRE will open applications in early fall. You create an account and apply online. You need your Ontario Education Number (OEN), which you can find on your timetables and report cards.
What about applying for early admission?
THERE IS NO EARLY APPLICATION DEADLINE OR APPLICATION FOR MOST UNIVERSITIES IN CANADA
(UofT and UBC are a couple of exceptions)
Once a Grade 12 student submits their university application (and pays application fee) through OUAC, the universities start gathering information on them. Universities are able to extract Grade 11 marks
Some schools send out early conditional offers for some programs to grade 12 students who had exceptional marks in their grade 11 courses. This can happen any time after you apply. For early admission, an Ontario University will look at your grade 11 marks. If your grade 11 average is strong you may get a conditional early offer to your program on the condition that you complete your required 6 U/M grade 12 course marks and that you meet all other program and graduation requirements. They may also specify an average that you must have or indicate that you need to maintain an "consistent average"
There is nothing students need to "do" to get an early offer, other than apply early in the fall and do well in grade 11. Having poor marks in grade 11 does not negatively affect the chance of a later offer -- there are several rounds of offers
If the school/program you're applying for has an early deadline, it will be clearly stated on their website. Please make sure you keep an eye on these deadlines
U of T:
future.utoronto.ca/apply/important-application-dates/
Students who apply by November 7th and have completed all of the next steps in time will be considered for admission in our first round (February). We can’t guarantee that those who apply later--or don't complete necessary next steps in time--will be considered in our earlier rounds.
Here are some responses to anticipated questions from students/counsellors:
Why should you apply by the early recommended date:
"Applying by our recommended application date ensures that an applicant has enough time to complete all of the necessary next steps to be considered in all rounds of admission."
What happens if I apply after the early recommended date:
"An application will not be directly disadvantaged if an applicant waits to apply by the final application deadline, however the applicant may not be able to complete all of the necessary next steps to be ready to be considered in all of our admission rounds.
UBC:
you.ubc.ca/applying-ubc/blog/admission-requirements/first-round-offers-admission-ubc/
First-round offer of admissions are assessed on available final grades (usually your Grade 11) and your personal profile. To be considered for a first-round offer of admission, you must:
Apply by December 1, 2023.
Submit any materials that you have completed so far by December 10, 2023:
BC/Yukon students need to request an electronic transcript be sent to UBC via the BC Ministry of Education’s Student Transcript Service and ensure UBC has their Personal Education Number (PEN) on their application.
Ontario students need to submit an OUAC Reference number as part of their application so UBC can receive grades electronically from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre. If you are not applying via OUAC, contact the Admissions office and we will let you know how to provide your grades.
Alberta and Nova Scotia students need to complete the academic profile section of the UBC online application.
Students from all other provinces simply need to submit their online application and the Admissions office will contact you on how to provide your grades.
Have very competitive grades and personal profile.
Meet all the admission requirements.
If I need 6 U and M level courses in grade 12 and the universities see my grade 11 courses and marks, what if I didn't take enough grade 11 U and M courses?
Universities require at least 6 U or M grade 12 courses and look at the top marks, including courses required for certain programs. The grade 11 marks in SOME courses help them with admissions decisions but taking Open level (like gym), College level (like woodshop) or coop has NO NEGATIVE IMPACT on your eligibility. The 6 U and M course requirement is for grade 12 courses only. Which grade 11 courses are used for admissions decisions for the very best students with the highest marks is anyone's guess but probably English plus their marks in required courses for the specific program you want. To summarize, you can take any courses you want at any level (university, college, mixed, open) in grade 11 as long as you have the pre-requisites you need for the specific program you want and you will have at least 6 4U / 4M courses. So, if a program requires grade 12 university level biology (SBI 4U1), you need to take (SBI 3U1) too.
** Universities look at grade 11 marks or sem 1 mid-term marks as indicators of how you will do during grade 12.
What does it mean if a course is "recommended" for my program?
Some programs list "recommended" courses along with the courses that are required for admission.
These recommended courses are not required for admission and whether you take them or not will not affect your application.
However, they will be helpful background for understanding some of the material in your first-year courses.
How many programs/universities may I apply to?
You may apply to as many Ontario universities/programs as you wish; however, you are limited to a maximum of 3 program choices at any 1 university (including its affiliates). Some universities may further limit the number of programs you can apply to (ie. U of T limits you to 1 program in each faculty).
How do I hide marks that I don’t want the university to see?
Marks are automatically uploaded by the TCDSB. Only grade 11 and 12 marks show and all upcoming grade 12 courses are visible to indicate that pre-requisites will be satisfied. The university has their own process for which marks they will focus on -- nothing students can do will change or influence this process (logarithm can varies between schools and from one year to the next) so students can't "show" or "hide" particular marks. UNIVERSITIES WILL LOOK AT YOUR TOP SIX MARKS AND INCLUDE ANY REQUIRED COURSES IN THE TOP SIX. Some universities (ie. Waterloo) will consider marks in required courses rather than an overall average.
After I apply, do I have to do anything else?
If a university requires a supplemental application, portfolio review or audition, this will be indicated during the application process on the the OUAC (Ontario Universities' Application Centre) website. When you apply, you will get login information for accessing the university’s portal. Students are responsible for following the steps for these and keeping track of the deadlines (dates and requirements vary from school to school and program to program)
www.ouac.on.ca/faq/how-i-number-my-choices/
For the most part, no. Whether you list a university or a specific program as first, second, third or higher on the application is
not normally a factor in the universities’ admission decisions. A university must make its policy clear in its own information
where there are exceptions to the policy of using the numbered list of choices.
Your numbered list of choices does provide valuable information to the university admission offices. This is particularly true for
limited enrolment programs. Admission officials use this data to project the number of applicants who are likely to accept offers
of admission, so the university can plan its resources accordingly.
ENG 4U is required for admission to university. What if I don’t have it in Semester 1?
On the OUAC system, universities can see all the courses you are registered for. As long as it is clear that you plan to take ENG 4U (or any other pre-requisite for your program) you are fine, even if the course hasn’t been completed.
What if I don’t meet the minimum requirements from last year? Does that mean I won’t “get in”?
If your marks don’t meet the minimum requirement right away, the university won’t “reject” you. They will simply wait until more marks are in. Acceptances (and student decisions) are on-going and universities are constantly re-evaluating applicants while new offers are sent out.
If I failed or repeated a course, which mark will be considered?
Every university has a different policy about failed and repeated courses.
To view each university’s offer of admission information, go to: http://www.ontariouniversitiesinfo.ca, select the universities you are interested in, and then select "Offers of Admission" under the “University Information" navigation menu.
Remember, the best source of up-to-date information is the universities themselves. For more information, contact the universities directly. Definitely check this… For example, for Engineering at Waterloo, they may deduct 5 percentage points for repeated courses.
Do universities consider night school/summer school/private school courses as equal to regular day school courses?
MOST universities do not discriminate between day school courses and courses delivered by other means. HOWEVER there are exceptions to this and you should consult the website for each university to confirm their policy. For example, Waterloo’s math and engineering programs may adjust your overall admission score for courses taken outside of regular day school.
Can I take an OPEN or COLLEGE level course if I want to apply to university?
Yes of course! You can take courses at the C or O level, as long as you still have at least 6 U or M level credits and cover any courses required by your program.
How do I apply for OSAP?
Detailed application information is located here: https://www.ontariouniversitiesinfo.ca/osap
What about scholarships?
MANY scholarships are based solely on marks and are automatically awarded by the university or college. You don’t have to apply for these.
SOME university scholarships and bursaries require a separate application and information on that is available on www.electronicinfo.ca or on each university's website.
The BA scholarship package helps us determine which students should be nominated for scholarships which require a school endorsement. Also, if we hear about a specific award that we know particular students are eligible for, based on their application, we will tell them. We collect these in September/October of your Grade 12 year.
What are some other ways to access financial support?
(from www.ontariouniversitiesinfo.ca)
University Scholarships and Bursaries
Scholarships are available through most universities. Unlike a loan, a scholarship or bursary does not require repayment. These may be awarded based on academic merit, financial need, extracurricular activities or other distinctions. You may have to apply for certain scholarships and bursaries, and you may be automatically considered for others.
Check out the Ontario Universities Info website Scholarships search to find university scholarships and bursaries available to you.
Renewable Versus Non-Renewable Scholarships
A renewable scholarship is awarded for more than 1 year. Each year, the recipient must meet the university's stated criteria to continue receiving the scholarship.
A non-renewable scholarship is awarded for 1 year only. In some cases, you can re-apply for subsequent years; in other cases, you may not be permitted to re-apply. Contact the university directly for further information.
Total Value Versus Per-Year Value
On www.ontariouniversitiesinfo.com , scholarships are categorized according to how much money they provide per year. To calculate the total value of a scholarship, multiply the per-year value by the number of years the scholarship can be renewed.
A scholarship that appears in the "Under $1,500" category may look small; however, if it is renewable for 4 years, it could have a total, 4-year value of up to $6,000. In comparison, a scholarship that appears in the "$3,000-$4,999" category looks larger, but if it is non-renewable (available for only 1 year), it could have a lower total value than the first scholarship.
Other Scholarships
There are many organizations and companies that offer scholarships, awards and prizes, often based on competition. You must actively seek out and apply for these awards. The internet is a great source of information – do your research and remember to apply early.
It's also worthwhile to look into scholarships offered by organizations or community groups that you or your family belong to, as these groups often have special scholarships available only to members and their families. Likewise, ask your parents and family about any financial support programs that may be offered through their workplace. Many companies provide scholarships to employees and their families.
Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP)
OSAP is a financial aid program that can make it easier for students and families to go to college or university. Funding is available for both full and part-time postsecondary students, and is based on a number of factors, including your family income. Some students may get their tuition covered by OSAP.
For more information, visit the https://www.ontario.ca/page/osap-ontario-student-assistance-program .
Personal Loans
If your parents' household income is too high, OSAP may not cover all the costs of university. In this case, you may want to look into personal bank loans or lines of credit. Unlike OSAP, bank loans charge interest immediately. Most banks provide specialized student loans – contact a few local banks to compare products.
Tips for choosing a university:
• Program availability
• Admission requirements (do you have the courses/marks you need for the program)
• Location
• Size of school and how many students are usually in a class
• Quality of facilities and resources - for example, libraries, labs, research facilities and technical equipment
• Opportunities for work experience - for example, is there a cooperative ("co-op") program?
• Opportunities for travel and exchange programs/credit programs abroad
• Fees and financial aid options - for example, scholarships and grants
• Faculty, staff
• Ability to accommodate special needs - for example, access to equipment for students with physical disabilities, special arrangements for students with learning disabilities
• Recreational and other activities - for example, sports, clubs or school newspaper
• Reputation of school and job placement rate of graduates
• VISIT THE SCHOOLS during their Open Houses and /or Campus Tours
Get course calendars from the schools that you are interested in and visit their websites. Depending on what you want to study, there may be few schools or many schools to choose from.