What is OUAC?
“OUAC” stands for Ontario Universities’ Application Centre.
What does OUAC do?
The OUAC is an application processing centre for undergraduate admissions to Ontario Universities. The OUAC receives student applications, processes them and transfers the information to the universities. The OUAC does not make admission decisions; that is the universities’ responsibility.
Will my marks be sent directly to OUAC?
For students applying through OUAC, you will first need to add “Ontario Virtual School” within the Academic Background section of your OUAC account to allow our administration access to your application. Once you have added us, simply check off “GROUP A” when requesting your report card and we will update your mark directly to OUAC for you. For students applying to university as a GROUP B, simply provide the university’s admissions email as well as your student ID number.
How do I access my OUAC account?
You can access your OUAC account by following this link to the OUAC login page.
How do I apply through OUAC?
This OVS blog will help you through the application process.
The new Undergraduate Application and Guide are available at:
https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/undergrad-guide
How-to videos and PowerPoint/PDF tutorials showing applicants how to use the new application are available at:
https://www.ouac.on.ca/videos/how-to-videos/
Can I use OUAC to apply to universities outside of Ontario?
The OUAC only collects and updates marks for students applying to at least ONE university within Ontario. However, the OUAC will also assist the following out-of-province universities with collecting academic data for Ontario high school students who have applied to at least one Ontario university through the OUAC:
-
- Acadia University
- Bishop’s University
- University of British Columbia
- Concordia University
- Dalhousie University
- Saint Mary’s University
- Simon Fraser University
- University of Victoria
Students who apply to these out-of-province universities can authorize the universities to request their academic information from the OUAC. To authorize them, the applicant must include their 11-digit OUAC Reference Number on the university’s application form, where the 11th digit is always “0”. NOTE: If you do not intend to apply to any universities within Ontario, you would simply apply through your selected schools directly. Once your application has been processed and a student number issued to you, please contact [email protected] to have your OVS documents forwarded.
Am I a Group A or Group B applicant?
The Undergraduate application is a smart application and will automatically put you in the right group. If you make changes to your application, your group may change.
Your program selection, admission requirements and deadlines may vary, depending on whether you are a Group A or Group B applicant.
You are a Group A applicant if all of the following are true:
-
- You are currently taking 1 or more courses at an Ontario high school
- and You are under 21 on or before December 31, 2025,
- and You have an OSSD or are working toward an OSSD with six 4U/M courses
You are a Group B applicant if you do not meet the Group A criteria.
For example, you are:
-
- Not currently taking a course at an Ontario high school
- A Canadian outside of Ontario
- An international applicant
- A transfer student
- A mature applicant
- 21 or over, on or before December 31, 2025, and taking a course at an Ontario high school
Important Dates and Deadlines for Ontario Universities’ Applications (2024-2025)
Group A Applicants
If you are a Group A applicant, there are specific dates and deadlines in your application process.
Application, Offer and Response Deadlines
January 15, 2026
-
- The deadline for Group A applicants to submit their completed applications to the OUAC.
- Note: The OUAC will continue to process applications received after this date and distribute them to the Ontario universities; however, specific university deadlines will apply.
May 28, 2026
-
- The latest date all Group A applicants who submitted their application by the January application deadline can expect a response from an Ontario university. This includes an offer of admission, a refusal or a deferral, once additional information is received.
June 1, 2026
-
- The earliest date a Group A applicant may be required to respond to an Ontario university offer of admission and give a financial commitment (e.g., registration deposit, residence deposit).
- All other admission-related elements, including scholarships, other forms of student assistance or financial incentives, and offers of residence, are considered part of the offer of admission. Therefore, a student may accept these other offers before June 1, 2026, but Ontario universities will not compel a student in any way to make a decision before this date.
Group B Applicants
There is no specific Undergraduate application deadline if you are a Group B applicant.
Deadlines vary at each university and sometimes depend on the program. Visit the university websites or contact the universities directly for their deadlines.
If you are interested in a program but the deadline has passed, you may contact the university’s admission office for help.
Be aware of university-specific deadlines for submitting transcripts and portfolios, if required, and for arranging interviews and auditions.
OVS DEADLINES AND INFORMATION
During the 2025-2026 application cycle, OUAC has set dates during which most Ontario schools will submit available grades. These periods are referred to as ‘Collection Periods’. This year, there are four significant collection periods for any available grades.
As a reminder, OVS is not a semester based institution. We have the ability to submit your grades any time, including outside of collection periods. Though most schools only submit during the designated windows, any current enrolments, midterms, or final marks can be submitted at your request.
Please note that universities do not expect all final grades to be in until the final collection period, in June/July. If you miss an earlier collection period, your grade can be submitted during a following collection period or between periods. Please note, however, that the final collection period for current grade 12 students closes on July 7th and all grades should be submitted by that time.
Collection Period 1: In Progress and Midterm Grades First Semester
-
- OVS Deadline for Submitting Work – November 13th 2025
- OUAC Deadline for Submission – November 20th 2025
Collection Period 2: In Progress and Final Grades First Semester
-
- OVS Deadline for Submitting Work – February 5th 2026
- OUAC Deadline for Submission – February 12th 2026
Collection Period 3: In Progress and Midterm Grades Second Semester
-
- OVS Deadline for Submitting Work – April 17th 2026
- OUAC Deadline for Submission – April 24th
Collection Period 4: Final Grade for all Courses
-
- OVS Group 1 Deadline for Submitting Work – June 5th 2026
- OVS Group 2 Deadline for Submitting Work – June 26th 2026
- OUAC Deadline for Submission – July 7th 2026
Deadlines for submitting work for marking are non-negotiable. Dates are set 1 week prior to OUAC deadlines to allow teachers adequate time to mark submitted work. Teachers have many students following the same deadline. We will not ask teachers to mark faster than the 1-2 business day turnaround time.
We cannot guarantee that work handed in after the OVS deadline (highlighted in red) will be marked in time for grades to be sent during collection periods. It is imperative that you follow these deadlines if you want grades submitted to OUAC during the collection period. OVS does not have any ability to adjust dates for OUAC, so you must follow these dates.
What OVS Deadline Group am I?
Group 1 students are student who need the credit they are taking with OVS in order to graduate from another high school (outside of OVS).
Group 2 students are students who are either graduating with OVS or student who do not need the credit they are taking with OVS in order to graduate high school.