Applicants to universities in Ontario can submit their forms electronically through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). Students normally apply using this system in their final semester of high school and can pay application fees online via a credit card.
The minimum average grade required for admission to any Ontario university is 70 percent for a student registered at a high school in the province. This mark only guarantees consideration of the application, but a higher grade may be necessary in competitive programs. An applicant to any humanities or social sciences program must complete advanced English courses (referred to as the 4U level) for eligibility. Those applying to the sciences must complete 4U level chemistry, biology or calculus.
General admission regulations in British Columbia require all students to demonstrate English-language proficiency by completing three consecutive years of study at an English high school, or by taking the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in English and earning a score of 4 or higher. Applicants also may take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TEOFL) and obtain a minimum score of 90 points.
Applicants in B.C., the Maritime provinces and the Prairies must obtain a minimum high-school average of 70 percent as the basic admission requirement for all programs. The privately-run Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., sets its minimum average entering grade at 67 percent.
All universities in Quebec are public and subsidized by the government. Registrars in the province, including those employed by the province's three English universities, must abide by admission regulations that significantly differ from other Canadian institutions of higher education. Quebec's students complete 11 years of grade school before studying for two years at colleges known as Cegeps. College students must submit their university applications by March 1 of each academic year in order to be considered for admission for the following September.
Applicants must obtain a minimum overall average between 65 and 70 percent to be considered for admission to most programs. Journalism, communication and creative-writing departments require students to submit a letter of intent and pass a writing proficiency exam.
The general rule applicable across Canada for international applicants is that they must complete their high-school education according to their home countries' requirements, with above-average grades. Most Canadian universities, with the exception of Concordia University in Montreal, require international applicants to submit SAT scores.
Concordia does not require applicants to take any standardized tests, but as in the case of all Quebec universities, international students applying directly from high school are required to take an additional year at university in order to satisfy the Cegep requirement.