Mature applicants

We understand that life can affect your academic plans after graduating from high school and recognize the value mature students bring to uOttawa. 

Mature student status recognizes adults without the prior academic performance required for admission who have interests and work experience that suggest they could succeed in university studies.

Applicants who don’t meet our regular admission criteria are evaluated holistically on an individual basis. You need to show academic promise through studies, work and/or personal experience. To be considered for admission as a mature applicant, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Have been away from formal, full-time education for some time. 
• Complete the program prerequisites and other requirements. All prerequisite courses must be equivalent to Grade 12 courses. To see these prerequisites, select the province or territory where you’ve studied.
• Submit a CV. 
• Submit a letter of intent telling us why you think you have the potential to succeed. Include the following: 
  • Your reasons for pursuing university studies
  • The ways the program you’ve chosen will affect your future
  • The ways you believe you’ve matured since the last time you attended an educational institution full time
  • Any personal or professional experience that gives you the tools to embark on this new journey
     

Our decision on your application will depend on the strength of your file and the program you’re applying for. 
We don’t offer a pre-evaluation service. For us to evaluate your file, you must apply for admission.

Note: If you’ve attended university or college full time, you’re not considered a mature student for admission purposes. You’re considered a transfer student and must meet the regular admission requirements.
Applicants admitted as mature students aren’t eligible for transfer credits.

Note: These are minimum requirements and are subject to change. Meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee admission.
For some programs, you may have to provide additional supporting documents or pass an audition or exam.

• If you’ve studied in Canada for less than three years (secondary and/or postsecondary studies), you might have to provide us with your official results in one of the following University-approved language tests (scroll down). 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 French Immersion Stream. Just indicate your choice on the application form.
• While most programs accept admission applications until June 1, some have different deadlines. Check the application deadlines and available programs before applying.
• We reserve the right to stop accepting applications before the deadline.
   

• 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.
• Students applying for a certificate program must use the Application for Undergraduate Admissions form. 
• 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 or 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 all documents through uoDoc (in uoZone). Please note:

• Transcripts submitted through uoDoc are not considered official. If you are admitted, you must submit your official transcript with final grades.
• If you have taken the prerequisite courses for your program in secondary school, we require your secondary school transcripts.
• Submit your documents on time. Learn more about deadlines and available programs.

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.