Admissions prep · Study skills

Canadian university applications glossary

OUAC 101 and 105, ApplyAlberta, EducationPlannerBC, Quebec CEGEP, DEC and R-score, offers, deferrals, scholarships and transcripts explained.

37 cards6 topicsAbout 15 minutes a roundGrade 12 university application planning in Canada

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About this deck

Applying to university in Canada looks different depending on where you live and where you apply. Ontario uses a central application centre with separate forms for current high school students and everyone else. Alberta and British Columbia have shared online application systems, while most other provinces have students apply directly to each university. Quebec students go through CEGEP and earn a DEC before university, and Quebec universities rank them with the R-score. This deck explains those systems and the general vocabulary of admissions: conditional and early offers, supplementary applications, response deadlines, deferral, scholarships and bursaries, transcripts and transfer credit.

It is written for Grade 11 and 12 students, parents and school support staff, and for students moving between provinces. Use it to understand the language on university websites and in offer letters, then confirm every detail on the official pages of the universities and application services you plan to use, since fees, deadlines and forms change each cycle. Common misunderstandings include treating a published minimum average as the average you need to be admitted, assuming every program accepts the same Grade 12 courses, ignoring the conditions attached to an offer, and assuming a deferral is always available. Nothing in this deck predicts or guarantees an admission decision.

Before you start: None; useful from Grade 11 onward.

All 37 cards

Cover the definitions with a sheet of paper and test yourself, or use the study modes above.

Ontario

OUAC: The Ontario Universities' Application Centre: the central online service used to apply to Ontario universities.
OUAC 101 application: The form for current Ontario high school students taking day-school courses, generally under 21, applying to a first-year undergraduate program.
OUAC 105 application: The form for other undergraduate applicants not in an Ontario high school day program, such as out-of-province, international or returning students.
Programs with separate Ontario forms: Some programs use their own central forms instead of the 105, such as TEAS for consecutive education and OLSAS for law.
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD): Ontario's high school diploma. Universities usually calculate admission averages from six Grade 12 U or M courses.
U and M courses: Ontario Grade 12 courses at the university preparation (U) and university/college preparation (M) levels, the ones most programs accept.

Western Canada

ApplyAlberta: A shared online system for applying to one or more Alberta public post-secondary institutions; each school still charges its own application fee.
Transcript authorization in Alberta: When you apply through the Alberta system you authorize the schools to receive your Alberta high school marks from Alberta Education.
EducationPlannerBC: A free service where students search programs and apply to any of BC's 25 public post-secondary institutions.
Direct application: Applying through a university's own website. This is the norm where no central service exists, such as Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada.

Quebec

CEGEP: Quebec's public colleges, which students attend after Secondary V and before university, offering pre-university and technical programs.
Secondary V: The last year of Quebec high school, which is the eleventh year of schooling, so there is no Grade 12 in the regular Quebec system.
DEC (diplôme d'études collégiales): The diploma earned at a Quebec college, from a two-year pre-university or three-year technical program; generally needed for Quebec university entry.
Pre-university program: A two-year Quebec college path, such as Sciences de la nature (200.B1), designed to lead to university studies.
Technical program (Quebec): A three-year college path that trains technicians and technologists; some graduates also go on to university.
R-score (cote R): A ranking number Quebec universities use for college applicants. It adjusts each grade for the class average and spread and for the strength of the group.
Shorter Quebec bachelor's degree: Because the DEC adds a college stage, many Quebec bachelor's programs take three years, while students coming from outside Quebec often need an extra foundation year, making the degree about four years.

Offers and decisions

Supplementary application: Extra material some programs require beyond grades, such as essays, recorded answers, a portfolio, an audition or an interview.
Early admission: An offer made before final grades are in, based on Grade 11 and early Grade 12 marks; usually conditional.
Conditional offer: Admission that depends on meeting stated requirements, such as a minimum final average and completing prerequisite courses.
Unconditional offer: Admission with no remaining academic requirements, usually given once final marks are confirmed.
Rescinded offer: An offer withdrawn because its conditions were not met, for example a drop in marks or a missing course.
Waitlist: A holding list of qualified applicants who may receive offers if space opens.
Response deadline: The date by which you must accept or decline an offer; missing it can cancel the offer.
Acceptance deposit: A payment some universities require to confirm your place; often non-refundable and credited toward tuition.
Deferral: Permission to postpone your start date, often by one year, after accepting an offer. Not every program allows it.
Admission average: The average of the specific courses a program counts, which can differ from your overall average.
Competitive average: The average that admitted students tended to have in a recent year; usually above the published minimum and different each year.
Prerequisite course: A specific high school course a program requires, such as Grade 12 calculus for many engineering programs.

Money

Entrance scholarship: An award for incoming students, often automatic based on admission average and sometimes requiring a separate application.
Need-based bursary: A non-repayable award based on financial need, often requiring a budget or income form.
Renewable scholarship: An award paid again in later years if you meet conditions such as a minimum GPA and a full course load.

Documents and credit

Official transcript: A grade record sent directly by the school, school board or ministry; universities usually require it for final decisions.
Self-reported grades: Marks you type into an application yourself. They must match your official transcript later.
Interim grades: Midterm or first-semester Grade 12 marks used for early decisions.
Transfer credit: University credit granted for work done elsewhere, such as college courses or strong AP or IB exam results.
Advanced Placement (AP) and IB: Programs that offer university-level courses in high school; some universities award credit or advanced standing for high exam scores.