Home school

We evaluate home-schooled applicants on an individual basis. Home-schoolers applying without a high school diploma will have to present alternative credentials for admission.

Home-school applicants do not require the usual six 4U- or 4M-level courses that are associated with the Ontario high school diploma or equivalent.

However, for programs requiring specific grade 12 mathematics or science admission prerequisites, you must have completed the equivalent course through standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, AP exams or 4U-level courses from an accredited Ontario high school, or their equivalent from another province.

Please note that the requirements listed are minimum requirements only and are subject to change. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Before applying, make sure you meet the admission requirements. Check minimum averages and prerequisite courses for your program.

Good to know

• You can apply as early as mid-September for the following fall term. While most programs accept applications for admission until June 1, some programs have different deadlines. Check the deadlines and available programs.
• For some programs, you may have to provide additional supporting documents or pass an audition or exam.
• If you have been studying in Canada for less than three years, you might have to provide us with your official results in one of the following University-approved language tests. We reserve the right to request the result of a language test at any time, if necessary.
• In some programs, you can apply to the Co-operative Education Program or French Immersion Stream. Just indicate your choice on the application form.

• Apply online through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC).
• On the form, declare all current and previous postsecondary studies, completed or not, even if they are not related to your current application. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of your application or the withdrawal of your offer of admission at any time.
• You must pay application fees for all admission applications. Visit the OUAC website to find out which fees you need to pay.
• OUAC is not part of the University of Ottawa. It handles applications to Ontario universities and transfers your application to us. 
• For more detailed information, consult the OUAC video tutorials.

• You should receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application within one week of applying. Keep an eye on your junk mail inbox, just in case. If you do not receive it within two weeks, email [email protected].
• Be sure to save the acknowledgement of receipt email. It tells you how to log into the uoZone student portal to track the progress of your application. It also includes your student number, user ID and password.
• Once you have logged into uoZone, check your Admission file for the list of supporting documents you need to submit to complete your application.
• For technical assistance, including with your uoAccess ID or uoZone password, please contact our IT Service Desk.

Submit your transcripts and other documents through uoDoc (in uoZone), including:

• A personal statement in which you describe the educational plan you followed to prepare for university studies over the last two years. For example, you may have studied a provincial or other home-school curriculum. Please also describe your extra-curricular activities.
  • Your personal statement could include a transcript of grades indicating all subjects taken and grades earned from grades 11 and 12. These may be graded either by an independent home-school agency or by the applicant’s parent(s).
• Standardized Testing Results (such as SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, AP Exams, etc.), if taken. These are optional depending on your choice of program.
• Transcripts submitted through uoDoc are not considered official. If you are admitted, you must submit your official transcript with final grades.
• An official transcript must be printed and stamped with an official seal and sent by the institution in question, or a copy certified by a notary, lawyer or commissioner of oaths.
• The University of Ottawa may request any other document necessary to evaluate your file. All documents become property of the University and will not be returned to applicants. You are responsible for ensuring that we receive all requested documents by the deadline.

Submit your documents on time. Learn more about deadlines and available programs.