Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

Transcription

1 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009 The manual for Ontario secondary schools on the operation of the Ontario Universities Application Centre

2 Please note Throughout this publication, mention of OUAC applications (101 and 105) refers to both the paper and the online (COMPASS) applications. The online application system is referred to as both COMPASS.101 and SSOLA (Secondary School Online Application). Non-SSOLA schools are those whose students will use the paper application and manual amendment procedures. Counsellors Online Services are web-based inquiry, academic update and reporting tools available to school officials at both SSOLA and non-ssola schools. SSOLA schools are those registered with the OUAC to offer their students the online application and amendment systems. Contents A B C D E General Procedures Communication/Distribution of Materials to Secondary Schools Creating the Application Data File Who May Use the OUAC 101 Application Completing the Application Recording Academic Data Reporting Additional Academic Data Recording Additional Comments Reporting Night School/Correspondence Courses New/Late Applicants Second Semester Only Applicants Applicants Wanting to Withdraw their Application Special Note Regarding OSSD Equivalence Fee Schedule and Payment Options Payment Details Returning Application Forms and Application Fees Payment Options Acknowledgement by the OUAC and Amendment Procedures Acknowledgement by the OUAC Amendment Procedures Amending University and Program Choices Amending Academic Data Applicant Status Report Offers of Admission Communication from the Universities Applicant Responses to Offers of Admission Amending Responses to Offers of Admission Re-Accepting a Previously Cancelled or Expired Offer Amending Program Choices With an Accepted Offer Applicants Who Are Deferred at Early Admission Applicants Who Are Refused Admission Verifying Receipt of a Response to an Offer of Admission Secondary School Grades Processing Overview Application Submission (First Data Transmission) February Grades Collection (Second Data Transmission) April Grades Collection (Third Data Transmission) July Final Grades Collection (Fourth Data Transmission) Summer Grades Collection (Fifth Data Transmission) OUAC Reference Number File

3 Contents Special Notes Electronic Procedure Process for Grades Collection Periods (Manual and Automated) Verification of Grades Received Corrections to Grades Reported for Manual and Automated Schools F G H Special Procedures and Other Entry Points International Baccalaureate Applicants IB Grades Collection Procedure (February) January Admission (Winter Entry) April/May Admission (Spring Entry) Discretionary Period for Fall Entry Applying to Universities Outside Ontario Contingency Plan in Case of Mail Disruption Registering for the Secondary School Online Application Process (SSOLA) When a School Is Not Automated Other Services Admission Information Service Other Publications Online Tutorial Use of the Internet Counsellors Online Services Registration Procedure OUAC Website Miscellaneous Notes Applying to the Royal Military College of Canada Reporting Extenuating Circumstances/Disabilities to the Universities OUAC Communication with Secondary Schools Courier Deliveries to the OUAC Faxing Information to the OUAC Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data Appendix B: Rules for Automatic Dropping of Course Records Appendix C: Schedule of Dates Appendix D: University Contacts

4 General Procedures Communication/Distribution of Materials to Secondary Schools Communications and Materials Sent to SSOLA Schools Late August einfo newsletter (fall issue) Mid-September Notes for Secondary Schools manual OUAC Posters School Data Collection Sheet Winter/Spring Entry information Registration forms for Counsellors Online Services In the Loop newsletter (includes changes for current year) COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet 101 brochures Final Applicant Status Report OUAC Form for Current Registered Courses October PIN Access Letters for Winter Entry mailed. Counsellor User IDs and Passwords mailed to schools/boards. November PIN Access Letters (online access codes for all students listed on the school s electronic data file sent to the OUAC prior to the November deadline). Authorized school officials may access submitted application records for students at their school through Counsellors Online Services. Acknowledgement letters mailed to students as applications are processed. February Applicant Status Reports may be viewed/printed by authorized school officials at any time through Counsellors Online Services. message to school officials and students to request online verification of the processed grades, sent from the OUAC after processing the February Grades Collection submitted by the school/board. Checklist of students for whom no grades were received (manual submission of grades). Audit checklist to all schools with applicants who have less than six 4U/M courses. April message to school officials and students to request online verification of the processed grades, sent from the OUAC after processing April Grades Collection submitted by the school/board. Mid-May In the Loop newsletter: updates on current-year processing and changes for upcoming cycle. Applicant Status Reports may be viewed/printed by authorized school officials at any time through Counsellors Online Services. Schedule of Dates for upcoming cycle. Announcement of the Admission Information Service. Audit checklist to all schools with applicants who have less than six 4U/M courses. July message to school officials and students to request online verification of the processed grades, sent from the OUAC after processing the July Final Grades Collection submitted by the school/board. 4 Materials Sent to Non-SSOLA Schools Late August einfo newsletter (fall issue) Mid-September Notes for Secondary Schools manual OUAC Posters School Data Collection Sheet Winter/Spring Entry information Registration forms for Counsellors Online Services In the Loop newsletter (includes changes for current year) Blank Application Forms (to schools) OUAC 101 Application packages Fee envelopes for submission of service fees 101 brochures Final Applicant Status Report OUAC Form for Current Registered Courses October PIN Access Letters for Winter Entry mailed. Counsellor User IDs and Passwords mailed to schools/boards. November Acknowledgement/Amendment Forms mailed to schools and students as applications are processed at the OUAC (continues through January). February Applicant Status Reports may be viewed/printed by authorized school officials at any time through Counsellors Online Services. February Grades Collection Forms (manual schools only). February Grades Report only for schools with no access to Counsellors Online Services. Checklist of students for whom no grades were received (manual submission of grades). message to school officials and students to request online verification of the processed grades, sent from the OUAC after processing the February Grades Collection submitted by the school/board (manual schools do not receive an ). Audit checklist to all schools with applicants who have less than six 4U/M courses. April April Grades Collection Forms (manual schools). message to school officials and students to request online verification of the processed grades, sent from the OUAC after processing the April Grades Collection submitted by the school/board (manual schools do not receive an ). Mid-May April Grades Report only for schools with no access to Counsellors Online Services. Applicant Status Reports may be viewed/printed by authorized school officials at any time through Counsellors Online Services. In the Loop newsletter: updates on current-year processing and changes for upcoming cycle. Schedule of Dates for upcoming cycle. Reminder of the Final Grades Collection. Announcement of the Admission Information Service. Audit checklist to all schools with applicants who have less than six 4U/M courses. June July Final Grades Collection Forms mailed (manual schools). Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

5 Section A: General Procedures Creating the Application Data File The majority of Ontario secondary schools provide initial demographic data and academic history to the OUAC in electronic format. Specifications for this electronic file are provided in the OCAS/OUAC Secondary School Data Transmission Specification located on the OUAC website at in the section Important Documentation. See also Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data. The Schedule of Dates on page 37 notes the deadline in November for the submission of this file to the OUAC. Submission of this data file by SSOLA schools: allows the OUAC to create and print access codes through which students may gain access to and complete the online application; allows the OUAC to pre-load the school s demographic and academic data into the OUAC s database; and should include electronic data files for all students who have two or more 4U/M courses in order to ensure that students who decide to apply later in the cycle will already have access codes. The OUAC will not access these records unless/until the student submits an application. School officials for SSOLA and non-ssola schools who are unable to submit the required information electronically can use the Create a PIN option available through Counsellors Online Services. The student s given name, last name, Secondary School Student Number (SSSN) and Ontario Education Number (OEN) are entered to create an account. The OUAC will generate PIN Access Letters that will be mailed to schools for distribution to the students. One business day after the student has applied, the school official will be able to log in to Academic Updates to enter the student s academic history and current courses. Who May Use the OUAC 101 Application The OUAC 101 Application is to be used by Ontario secondary school students who meet all of the following requirements: they are taking courses during the day in an Ontario secondary school and have not completed one year or more of postsecondary education (this includes students returning for second semester and graduated students returning to upgrade one or more courses); they have received or expect to receive their OSSD with six 4U/M courses at the end of the current school year; and they are applying to a preliminary year, a diploma program or a first-year degree program at an Ontario university. The following information should assist school officials in determining the type of application to be used: Applicants who are registered simultaneously in either day school/night school or day school/correspondence (or other distance education modes of study) who expect to meet the requirements noted above should use the OUAC 101 Application. The applicant s day school will be responsible for the submission of information pertaining to all courses and grades for that applicant. Applicants who attend two day schools simultaneously who expect to meet the requirements noted above should use the OUAC 101 Application. One of the two day schools must become the home school and hold responsibility for submitting all academic data on behalf of the applicant. Applicants who will attend second semester only should use the OUAC 101 Application. However, those students who intended to, but did not, register for second semester and who have already applied using the OUAC 101 Application must contact the OUAC to have their information switched over to the OUAC 105 Application. Applicants who have completed one year or more of postsecondary education or who have graduated from a postsecondary institution and are currently registered to study at a secondary school (for example, to upgrade language skills or other qualifications) must use the OUAC 105 Application. Applicants who have previously attended a secondary school in another province or country who will NOT satisfy the requirements for the OUAC 101 Application noted above (regardless of secondary school completion in the other educational jurisdiction) must use the OUAC 105 Application. Adult applicants registered in day school or adult training schools who do not satisfy the requirements for the OUAC 101 Application noted above must use the OUAC 105 Application. Notes for Secondary Schools

6 Section A: General Procedures Applicants who are registered in night school courses or correspondence courses only (that is, they do not hold simultaneous registration in either day school/night school or day school/correspondence) must use the OUAC 105 Application, whether or not they expect to meet the requirements noted above. This also applies to students enrolled in any other form of distance education, such as internet courses. Those schools able to submit grades (Grade 11 and 12, plus OSSD status) electronically on the specified 101 deadlines (see Schedule of Dates, page 37) may wish to allow applicants to use the OUAC 101 Application. Contact the OUAC Secondary School Division for more information. Notes: (1) If an applicant has filled out an OUAC 105 Application and is now registered at your secondary school for second semester, you must contact the OUAC for specific instructions on how to proceed. The fees paid through the OUAC 105 Application process are non-refundable but may be used towards the applicant s OUAC 101 Application, if applicable. The deadline for these requests is February 1. (2) All other applicants must use the OUAC 105 Application, which is available online at School officials should note that transcripts requested by prior students (those no longer attending secondary school 105 applicants) must be sent directly to the selected universities. These transcripts should not be forwarded to the OUAC. The OUAC cannot forward these documents to the universities and will not be able to return them to the applicant. Completing the Application Applicants should refer to either the COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet (guide for online applicants), available online at or the OUAC 101 Application package. Applicants should also visit the OUAC s 101 website at on a regular basis to view the 101 addenda for the most up-to-date information regarding program changes, new programs and cancellations. Applicants should complete or verify all requested personal information. In particular: (1) The Ministry Identification Number (MIN), Secondary School Student Number (SSSN), and the mandatory Ontario Education Number (OEN). These numbers are used to match applications to application data provided by the school/board and for the collection of grades in February, April and July. Twins who are applying for university entrance must have a different MIN, SSSN and OEN. (2) Because of the Ontario government s policy on differential fees for non-canadian citizens, all applicants must declare their Country of Citizenship and Status in Canada. Canadian citizens will record Canada as Country of Citizenship and will check Canadian Citizen in the Status in Canada field. Applicants with the status Permanent Resident, Study Permit or Other must record a Country of Citizenship other than Canada. Applicants indicating Other as their Status in Canada must specify their status in the field provided (for example, Convention Refugee, Diplomatic ). (3) Aboriginal Applicant (voluntary declaration): Option for students to voluntarily declare themselves as a Canadian Aboriginal person (First Nation, Inuit or Métis). (4) Correct entries for First Language are English, French or Other. The universities wish to know the language the applicant first learned as a child. (5) The name and MIDENT number of the secondary school that the applicant is currently attending. Selecting University Programs (1) Program Selection: Applicants may select up to three initial combinations of university, affiliated college (if applicable) and program, which are covered by the base application fee of $105. Additional choices beyond the initial three may also be selected for the additional cost of $35 per choice. 6 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

7 Section A: General Procedures Note: Applicants may have a maximum of three program selections at any one university, including affiliated colleges. Certain universities may further limit the number of choices at their institution. Applicants must carefully note the instructions published in the individual university sections of the application booklet. Fees paid to the OUAC are non-refundable; therefore, if a university does not consider more than one program selection, applicants will not be able to obtain a refund of any portion of the fees paid. (2) Program Codes: Applicants must locate the codes for the desired university/program choices. These codes are found in the individual universities information sections in the COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet, which can be found online at or in the OUAC 101 Application package. The most up-to-date program information is available online in an addenda format to accommodate changes that have occurred to the publication after printing. (3) University/Program Choices: This section of the application allows applicants to indicate an order of preference for their selections of university and program. While order of choice is normally used for enrolment management purposes, the admissibility of an applicant is not affected by order of choice on the application. Where there are exceptions to this policy, the universities must state their policies clearly in their own literature. If in doubt, applicants should contact the admissions office at the universities to which they have applied. The only programs listed in the COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet or the OUAC 101 Application package are those in which an applicant registers in first year. Many programs have majors/options commencing after completion of first year and may therefore not be identified in the list. In addition, programs for which admission requires completion of one or more years of university (medicine, for example) will not appear in the list. The OUAC produces bilingual COMPASS.101 Companion Booklets and OUAC 101 Application packages. School copies of the COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet are sent to all secondary schools and can also be found online at Since the codes for French language programs differ from the English program codes, students who wish to apply to programs offered in French must use the specific university/program codes listed for these programs in the OUAC 101 Application information. (4) Co-op: Check this field if co-op is desired and is available for the selected program. (5) University Name/Program Title: Applicants using the paper form must ensure that the code entered matches the written description for the university and program. If the written entry does not match the program code indicated by the applicant, the written entry will take precedence over the program code. (6) Subject of Major Interest: Not all programs list subjects of major interest. It is not always necessary to complete this section; however, the information may be of particular importance for those programs where a list of available majors is noted (for example, in Arts and Science programs). The universities have instructed the OUAC to process only valid subjects of major interest for any particular program. If the applicant indicates, on the paper application, a major not offered in that program by that university, the OUAC will pass along a code for Invalid Major Selected to the university. This message will also be printed on the applicant s Acknowledgement/Amendment Form. The applicant should then consult the university for advice. The online application will provide specific edits for subjects of major interest. Where a university requires subjects of major interest to be indicated by the applicant, the details screen of the program code will force the applicant to select a major. Where a university indicates that selection of a major is optional, the applicant may choose to indicate a major. Where a university provides no subjects of major interest for a program, the applicant will not be allowed to select any subject of major interest. (7) Expected Enrolment Date: Correct entries on the paper form are W for January 2009 entry S for April/May 2009 entry A for July 2009 entry F for September 2009 entry Applicants may not apply during for university entrance in Notes for Secondary Schools

8 Section A: General Procedures (8) Full-time or Part-time study: The OUAC 101 Application may be used to apply to part-time studies at Carleton University, the University of Guelph, the Ontario College of Art & Design and York University. Applicants should also use this form if they are applying to Ryerson University for Midwifery as well as a Ryerson part-time degree program, or if they are applying to a Ryerson University part-time degree program as well as a program at another university. Otherwise, applicants should contact Ryerson directly for the appropriate application form. To apply for part-time studies at any other institution, applicants must contact the university directly. (9) If You Applied Before, Enter Year: If the applicant applied to a selected university in a previous year, they should enter the year of the previous application. (10) Residence Information Requested: Indicate Yes or No depending on whether or not the applicant desires information about residence application procedures from the universities. Some universities use this information to determine whether the applicant is eligible for residence accommodation. Complete All Remaining Fields (1) Address: Applicants should provide their address if they have one. They should copy their exactly as it should appear, using uppercase and lowercase characters as appropriate. is the primary mode of communication between the universities and applicants. Applicants need to verify that the address given is correct and accurate. Applicants must keep this information up-to-date, and notify the OUAC of any change to their address. Universities may use this method of communication to provide an offer of admission as well as to communicate other important university information. addresses may also be used to create accounts on university applicant status web systems. A unique address is required by many university systems. (2) Applicant Declaration Postsecondary Institution: Applicants who have attended a university, college or educational institution beyond secondary school must answer Yes and indicate the name and location of the institution in the fields provided. Universities will consider postsecondary results in reaching decisions even if the applicant is enrolled as a secondary school student. It is the applicant s responsibility to arrange for official transcripts to be forwarded directly to the universities to which they have applied. If an applicant has one year or more of postsecondary education, the OUAC 105 Application should be completed. (3) Applicant Declaration Secondary School Outside the Province of Ontario: Applicants who have attended a secondary school outside of Ontario must indicate the name of the last school attended. It is the applicant s responsibility to arrange for official transcripts to be forwarded directly to the universities to which they have applied. (4) Total Number of Years in All Ontario Secondary Schools: This number includes the current year. Select the applicable number. (a) Total Number of Years in a Canadian School System: The number entered should be a total of all years spent in elementary and secondary school systems within Canada, where the language of instruction was English (or French, in the case of Francophone students). It is not necessary to include kindergarten or junior kindergarten years. Include the current year. (b) Total Number of Years in an English-Language School System Outside of Canada: The number entered should be a total of all years spent in elementary and secondary school systems outside of Canada, where the language of instruction was English. It is not necessary to include kindergarten or junior kindergarten years. Include the current year, if applicable. If Outside Canada, Specify Where: Record the location (city and country) of the school attended outside of Canada. Note: The information provided here, along with an applicant s indication of First Language, will be used by the universities to determine whether additional information on English proficiency will be required to further consider the application. (5) Authorized Contact: Applicants may wish to designate a person other than themselves to sign admissions documents on their behalf. In such cases, the full name of the authorized contact and their relationship to the applicant are required. Please note that inquiries about applications may only be made by the applicant. 8 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

9 Section A: General Procedures (6) Intend to Apply for OSAP: This optional information is collected on behalf of the OSAP office and may allow for the sharing of information with individual university financial aid offices. (7) Intend to Apply for Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top scholarship program: By selecting Yes, applicants authorize the OUAC to disclose application information, including academic grades on file at the OUAC, to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (OSAP branch) for the purpose of determining the eligibility of students applying for this scholarship. During completion of the OUAC application, applicants will inform the OUAC of their intent to apply for a Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top scholarship. In order to apply for this scholarship, an OSAP application must be completed. (8) International Baccalaureate Program: Students who are taking or who have taken courses from the International Baccalaureate (IB) program must select either the Diploma or Certificate option. (9) Advanced Placement (AP) Exams: AP exams are administered by the College Board in the United States. Students who have written, or intend to write, an AP exam by June of the current school year should answer Yes in the box provided. This will assist applicants who may be forwarding additional documents for evaluation directly to the universities. (10) Personal Information and Applicant s Declaration: Applicants must read the Declaration and Notice of Collection, Use, Disclosure and Treatment of Personal Information provided as part of your application to Ontario University(ies) Undergraduate Program(s) (101) and the Collection and Use of Personal Information before completing the application. Applicants completing the online application (COMPASS.101) must click the box labeled I verify and agree after they have read the declaration. The application process is not complete and the application is not received by the OUAC until the applicant selects this box. Note that completion of the application occurs after the payment of fees. Applicants completing the paper application must sign and date the application form once they have read the declaration. Application forms without the applicant s signature will be returned unprocessed. (11) Payment: See Section B: Fee Schedule and Payment Options on page 12. (12) OUAC Reference Number: Online applicants will be issued a Reference Number immediately after their application has been successfully submitted. Recording Academic Data Academic information must be provided by a school official. This information allows the universities to ascertain, at an early stage, whether or not applicants will hold the correct course requirements for admission. In addition, the universities may make early conditional offers of admission after receiving the academic information. The following academic information must be completed: all current-year courses (excluding Grade 9 and Grade 10 courses); all previously completed Grade 11 and Grade 12 courses (OSS) (Grade 11 and Grade 12 courses include all subjects with a 3 or a 4 in the fourth position of the course code) and, where appropriate, CO, CU and DO, DU courses; and indication of the applicant s current OSSD status (including Community Involvement and Secondary School Literacy Test). For more details, see Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data. Schools who complete the OUAC 101 Application Form manually may provide prior-year Grade 11 and 12 data by attaching an official transcript to the application form, but they must still record current-year data on the application form itself. Counsellors are advised not to send counselling summaries as these documents are more difficult for the OUAC staff to interpret than official transcripts. The following items are required for each course reported: Course Title, Course Code, Completion Date, Credit Value, Mark %, Grade Type, FR, Course Delivery, Course Type, Note, MIDENT (if course taken at a school other than the home school, if known). Note: Only Mident numbers for schools that exist on the OUAC secondary school file can be collected. See Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data, for descriptions and applicable codes. Notes for Secondary Schools

10 Section A: General Procedures Reporting Additional Academic Data School officials who require additional space for reporting additional academic data may use a second or third application form. The school may use the blank space at the top centre of the second and subsequent application forms to print Page 2, Page 3, etc. In addition, the Reference Numbers printed at the top of any subsequent pages should be covered (typed over) with a series of xxx marks. This is extremely important in order that the applicant be assigned only one unique OUAC Reference Number. School officials should securely staple second and subsequent pages for any application to the first form. Recording Additional Comments School officials who wish to record additional information such as equivalent credits, should do so either online through Counsellors Online Services using the Comments section in the Academic Updates section or by indicating a comment in the academic area of the application form. Any documents should be sent directly to the universities of choice. Reporting Night School/Correspondence Courses Day school students who are studying at night school or through the Ministry s Correspondence Branch must have official midterm/final grades for these courses submitted either by the home school or by the school where the student has taken the course(s). Please note that during the current school year, the OUAC will not accept transcripts submitted by students. If a student is registered at a day school in semester one, completes those courses, then registers for night school only in semester two, the day school (semester one) will be responsible for sending that student s night school course data to the OUAC. New/Late Applicants Students applying after the January deadline are strongly urged to investigate specific university deadlines prior to applying. All fees paid to the OUAC are non-refundable. Students wishing to apply to university who are either new to a school or applying late can submit an online application in one of the following ways: (1) The applicant has transferred from another SSOLA school; therefore, the OUAC has a data record for that student: The applicant should request his or her access codes from the school that originally provided the data. The applicant should complete the online application. After the application has been submitted, the new school must contact the OUAC in writing to request the change of school information. The request must include the student s name, OUAC Reference Number, old school MIDENT and name, new school MIDENT and name, the student s new SSSN, if applicable, and their OEN. This will allow the new/current school to access the student s file. (2) The applicant was not included on your November file: Using Counsellors Online Services, select the Create a PIN option. The applicant must complete all of the demographic information. Once the application has been submitted and processed by the OUAC (usually within one business day), academic information must be added to the application record in one of the following two methods: (a) An authorized school official can input grades using the Academic Updates option of Counsellors Online Services. (b) A school official can send an official transcript with the student s OUAC Reference Number along with a list of current courses (using the OUAC Form for Current Registered Courses found at under Important Documentation ) to the OUAC for input. (3) The applicant was included on your November file: Provide the student with their PIN Access Letter previously sent to you by the OUAC. After the student applies, ensure that all academic information is complete. Note: In items (1) and (2) above, the applicant s record will contain the academic information provided in the November submission. Any further updates or additions to the applicant s academic data will need to be done using the Counsellors Online Services Academic Updates option. 10 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

11 Section A: General Procedures Second Semester Only Applicants Students starting school in the second semester should use the OUAC 101 Application. However, those students who intended to, but did not, register for second semester and who have already applied using the OUAC 101 Application, should contact the OUAC no later than February 1 to have their information switched over to the OUAC 105 Application. Applicants Wanting to Withdraw their Application If an applicant has withdrawn/retired from school or no longer wishes to attend university (that is, wishes to withdraw the application), the applicant should cancel all of their choices either online or by using the PDF document University or Program Choice Amendment Form Payment by Cheque or Money Order. Applicants who have applied using the paper application can cancel their choices on the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form. Either form must be signed by the applicant and forwarded to the OUAC, which will remove the application from the database and notify the universities. This information should not be forwarded to the OUAC on the February/April Grades Collection Forms. Special Note Regarding OSSD Equivalence In past years, there was some uncertainty as to the admission eligibility of applicants from Ontario secondary schools who did not possess the OSSD. In early 1994, the Ontario Universities Council on Admissions (OUCA) received confirmation from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities that applicants without the OSSD were eligible for university admission consideration if they possessed the equivalent of the OSSD from other educational jurisdictions. While it is desirable for all secondary school applicants to possess the OSSD credential, this equivalency policy could benefit new Canadians, for example, whose previous credentials are unavailable or vague. This equivalency can be determined for the universities consideration by Ontario secondary school principals or by the universities themselves. Notes for Secondary Schools

12 Fee Schedule and Payment Options Payment Details All fees submitted to the OUAC are non-refundable. Applicants must carefully check their university/program choices and read the instructions published on the individual university information sections of the application booklets before submitting their application. When an applicant using the paper form requests more choices at a particular institution than permitted by that institution, the OUAC will not process the choices beyond the institutional limit and will not refund the excess payment. If the applicable fees are not submitted to the OUAC along with the application (online or paper), the application information will not be sent to the selected universities. A reminder ( or letter) is sent to such applicants to request that the payment be submitted as soon as possible. Specific instructions for paying application fees are published in the COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet online at and in the OUAC 101 Application Package. Note that the instructions will be slightly different depending on which application the applicant uses (paper or online). Base application fee $105 For the initial three university/program choices. Surcharge $10 If the mailing address is outside of Canada. Additional choice fee $35 For each university/program choice beyond the initial three. Fee for a non-negotiable cheque $25 Online Applications Applicants using the online application have four payment options: credit card; cheque/money order; internet banking; and telephone banking. Applicants must indicate their method of payment online. Credit card (VISA or MasterCard): Applicants must provide complete and accurate credit card information. Credit card payment will be verified immediately online. The application will be processed upon successful payment. Internet or telephone bill payment services: A bill payment account number is provided to the applicant upon submission of the completed online application. Cheque/money order: Applicants should print the Application Remittance Payment Form from the link, complete the form, attach the cheque/money order and mail the package to the OUAC. Applicants Using Paper Applications Applicants using the paper form have two options for payment of application fees: credit card or cheque/money order. Applicants should: (1) Complete the Application Remittance Payment Form, indicating the method of payment. (2) Insert the completed Application Remittance Payment Form into the fee envelope provided. If paying by credit card (VISA or MasterCard), print the credit card information completely and accurately. If paying by cheque/money order, attach it securely to the Application Remittance Payment Form. (3) Submit completed application form and fee envelope (contents as in subsection 2 above) to the guidance office. 12 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

13 Section B: Fee Schedule and Payment Options Returning Application Forms and Application Fees Following the completion of each paper application form, the name of the school official should be recorded and the form should be dated. School officials who wish to retain copies for their school records should photocopy both sides of the application. School officials should forward the originals, along with the fee envelopes, to the OUAC. Processing at the OUAC is expedited when each fee envelope is attached to the corresponding application form and the forms are sorted in alphabetical order. Applicants who wish to submit online additional university/program choices beyond the initial three, may pay the additional choice fee of $35 per choice by either: credit card, or cheque/money order * * Applicants who wish to pay by cheque or money order will be required to download and print the University or Program Choice Amendment Form Pay by Cheque/Money Order, which is available in PDF format on the COMPASS.101 website through the Review and Change Your Completed Application system. The form must be completed, dated, signed and then forwarded with the payment (cheque or money order) to the OUAC in order for the changes to be processed. Payment Options Cheques The OUAC strongly discourages the practice of sending one cheque for all applications from your school. A problem with one application will delay the processing of all applications. Cheques are valid only when issued by a Canadian bank and must be in Canadian funds. The full address of the bank must appear on the face of the cheque. Online applicants who select payment by cheque/money order and who remit payment to the OUAC within two weeks of submitting their application will have the application electronically date-stamped with the date on which the application was actually submitted. When payment is received after this two-week period, the application will be electronically date-stamped with the date on which payment was received at the OUAC. Applicants, whether using online or paper applications, must complete and attach the Application Remittance Payment Form with the cheque/money order. Credit Cards MasterCard and VISA are the only credit cards accepted. Online applicants must ensure that they have clicked the applicable credit card option. Credit card payments are processed and verified immediately online. Internet/telephone bill payment is not the same as payment by credit card. Note: Online applicants who submit their application without remitting the application fees will be able to pay by credit card using the Review and Change Your Completed Application system. Internet/Telephone Bill Payment Services This payment option is available only to online applicants. A bill payment account number is provided to the applicant upon submission of the completed online application. Applicants (or the person paying fees on behalf of the applicant) must be registered to pay bills through selected Canadian banks and credit unions only. Notes for Secondary Schools

14 Acknowledgement by the OUAC and Amendment Procedures Acknowledgement by the OUAC Online Applications As soon as the applicant s online application and fees have been processed, the OUAC will produce and send an Acknowledgement Letter directly to the applicant. The letter will provide information about the applicant s university and program choices and instructions concerning the online Review and Change Your Completed Application system. Applicants will be informed that they are responsible for the accuracy of the application data and that the Review and Change Your Completed Application system should be used to monitor their application data, amend the application information and respond to offers of admission from Ontario universities. Within one business day after the application is submitted to the OUAC, the authorized school official will be able to access the student s application file through Counsellors Online Services at Paper Applications As soon as the student s application has been processed, the OUAC will print two Acknowledgement/Amendment Forms (one for the student and one for the school). In all cases, a copy will be sent to the school. The Acknowledgement/Amendment Form reflects all data on the applicant s record and is identical to the data sent by the OUAC to the applicant s selected universities. The form also provides students with a PIN/password to access the online Review and Change Your Completed Application system. Access information should be kept in a safe place and will be needed to respond online to Ontario university offers of admission. Depending on the instructions received by the OUAC from the secondary school, the second copy of the form will be sent either directly to the applicant s mailing address or to the school where it should be distributed to the student by the guidance official. Schools can change the method of distribution for the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form by calling the OUAC. School officials should ensure that each applicant receives a copy of their Acknowledgement/Amendment Form and that they verify the information on the form. Because problems may occur with certain applications (with fee payments, for example), it is possible that all applications from a particular school may not be processed at the same time. Therefore, not all Acknowledgement/Amendment Forms will reach the school at the same time. Note: If a student changes schools for the second semester, the OUAC must be notified in writing of the change by the new school well in advance of the April Grades Collection Period. If the OUAC does not receive this notification, correspondence will continue to be forwarded to the original school. Please ensure that the OUAC is notified of the old and the new school MIDENT and name as well as the new SSSN (where applicable) and OEN. Ensure to include the student s name and OUAC Reference Number. Amendment Procedures Requests for amendments to data will not be accepted by telephone or . The OUAC is responsible for processing all amendments made to applicants data, and will transmit these changes to the universities selected by the applicant. /address changes: It is critical that applicants advise the OUAC of these changes since is the primary mode of communication between many of the universities and applicants, as well as between the OUAC and applicants. Universities may use this method of communication to provide an offer of admission, as well as to communicate other important university information. Applicants who are submitting amendments should allow sufficient time for the OUAC to process and transmit the amendments to the selected universities so that they can contact the applicant about additional requirements, if needed. Some university programs require interviews and assignments as part of the admissions consideration process. 14 Notes for Secondary Schools

15 Section C: Acknowledgement by the OUAC and Amendent Procedures February 6, 2009, is the recommended last date to submit all information to the OUAC, including university and program changes, as well as additional university/program choices, in order to be eligible for consideration for early admission. In mid-february, the universities begin the early adjudication process and discourage amendments to choices. Some universities may not be able to react to late amendments until much later in the admission cycle. Changes will be accepted and processed at the OUAC at any time. Online Applicants Using their OUAC Reference Number and personal password/pin, applicants may use the Review and Change Your Completed Application system to make changes to their demographic/biographical data and university/program choice data. No fees are required for changes to demographic or biographical data. Students will also respond to Ontario university offers of admission through this site. A confirmation number will immediately be given online after all successfully submitted changes/responses. One business day after making changes, applicants should log in to the Review and Change Your Completed Application system to ensure that their application information is accurate and complete. Students who have lost or forgotten their PIN should contact their guidance office. Counsellors have access to PIN information through either the Inquiry or Reports option of Counsellor s Online Services. Please note: the OUAC is unable to provide access information to the applicant via telephone or . For information regarding amendments to choice of university and program, including fee information, please see the Amending University and Program Choices section on page 16 of this publication. Applicants Using the Paper Application Applicants who submit a paper application will be given the option of accessing the online amendment system. The OUAC will provide applicants with their OUAC Reference Number and a unique password/pin on their Acknowledgement/Amendment Form that will be needed to access the online Review and Change Your Completed Application system ( See the Online Applicants section directly above for more information. Beginning in early October, as applications and fees are processed, the OUAC will print and forward the Acknowledgement/ Amendment Form to the secondary school. If information is incorrect or missing, the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form can be used to provide corrections/additions to the OUAC. The school should retain a copy of the form in case it is necessary to make corrections to the academic data. Amendments to demographic/biographical or university/program choice data on an applicant s file must be either recorded on the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form or detailed in a letter. In either case, the form or letter must be signed and dated by the applicant. Please ensure that an applicant does not submit a second application. Procedures to Follow for Amendments to the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form Applicants should: record the desired change(s) on the applicant s copy of the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form; sign and date the form; retain a copy (remember that the PIN/password information provided on the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form will be required for online responses to Ontario university offers of admission); and return the form (and any applicable additional choice fees) to the OUAC. If the school official uses the school s copy of the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form to make changes to an applicant s demographic/biographical data or university/program choice data, the applicant s signature must appear on the form. After the requested amendments have been processed by the OUAC, an updated Acknowledgement/Amendment Form will be printed and sent to the secondary school/applicant. This updated form will include all university program choices and only the data that has been changed. Notes for Secondary Schools

16 Section C: Acknowledgement by the OUAC and Amendent Procedures Authorized school officials may access Counsellors Online Services to verify that requested amendments have been made and to view the complete and current application information. Alternatively, counsellors can collect all Acknowledgement/Amendment Forms issued to an applicant in order to review their current status. Amending University and Program Choices Applicants may amend university and program choices in one of three ways: (1) Add additional university/program selections beyond those active choices noted on the submitted application (paper or online). The fee for selecting additional choices beyond the initial three is $35 per choice. A maximum of three program choices is allowed at any one university (including affiliated colleges). Certain universities may further limit the number of programs to which applicants may apply at their institution. Applicants must consult the university information sections available online or with the OUAC 101 Application Package. For details, see Section B: Fee Schedule and Payment Options. (2) Delete an active university/program choice and, if required, add a different choice in its place. No additional fee is required. (3) Change the program attributes within an existing program choice (e.g., spring to fall entry). No additional fee is required. Applicants using the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form to add new additional choices must: clearly indicate the pertinent choice information such as: program code, co-op (if applicable), university name, subject of major interest (if applicable), full-time/part-time, residence information required; and sign and date the form and return it to the OUAC with all applicable fees. Amending Academic Data Authorized school officials may make online changes to their students academic data. Alternatively, corrections to the Academic Data section of the applicant s file can be made by the secondary school official on the school s copy of the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form. If the school official must use the applicant s copy of the form to amend academic data, that school official s signature and the school seal are required. A copy of the form should be given to the student for their records. The Acknowledgement/Amendment Form must not be used to submit first semester final grades, midterm full-year course grades or second semester midterm grades. These grades will be either collected manually on the February/April Grades Collection Forms or submitted electronically by the school in February and April. For further details, please refer to Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing. Applicant Status Report The Applicant Status Report is available online through the Reports option in Counsellors Online Services. This report provides information allowing guidance counsellors to verify the status of each student s application. For details, please refer to Section H: Miscellaneous Notes. 16 Notes for Secondary Schools

17 Offers of Admission Communication from the Universities Upon receipt of the application data from the OUAC, the universities are free to contact applicants with information regarding their admission to the university, scholarships, residences, interviews, etc. Universities may commence making conditional offers of admission as soon as they determine that they have received sufficient academic and application data; offer dates will vary by university and program. The confirmed or final basis of admission will continue to be six 4U/M courses and the OSSD. Evaluation of application files and admission decisions are performed by each university. The universities will communicate offers of admission (including terms of any conditional offer) directly to applicants. The OUAC does not make any admission decisions, evaluate applicant qualifications or receive detailed information from the universities with regard to offers made to applicants. Applicant Responses to Offers of Admission Applicants can accept (or for some universities decline) offers of admission from the Ontario universities using the Review and Change Your Completed Application system on the COMPASS.101 website. The majority of the universities will expect applicants to respond online using the Review and Change Your Completed Application system; therefore it is very important that applicants become familiar with this site and, more importantly, store their access information in a safe place. When the universities have evaluated the applicant s file, an admission decision will be mailed (or ed) directly to them. If the applicant has been offered admission, they will be provided with the appropriate instructions for responding. Applicants who respond to their offer of admission online should not mail an additional paper response to the OUAC. Accepting an offer of admission from one university will not cancel applications to other universities and/or programs (including out-of-province applications). However, applicants may have only one acceptance of an offer from an Ontario university on file at a time. If applicants are worried about accepting or declining an offer of admission, guidance counsellors may contact the university s admissions office in order to discuss their needs. The university will try to accommodate applicants as much as possible. Applicants who choose to mail their response to an offer of admission to the OUAC must ensure that they have signed and dated the response form before sending it. The OUAC will date-stamp responses on the day of arrival at the OUAC. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all responses to offers of admission are received at the OUAC by the specified deadline. When two paper responses for an applicant are received at the same time, the OUAC will process the response with the most recent date. It is therefore important that both the applicant s signature and the date signed appear on the response document. Responses sent to the OUAC by fax are not normally accepted. After receiving the response, the OUAC will forward this information to the appropriate university. Note: Application for residence or any deposit cheques must not be sent to the OUAC. These should be sent directly to the university in which the applicant intends to enrol. Residence deposits/responses are not a substitute for offer of admission responses. Applicants must accept the offer of admission through the OUAC by the deadline stipulated in order to retain their offer. Amending Responses to Offers of Admission After applicants have accepted a university s offer of admission, they may amend their decision in order to accept another university s offer. Applicants accepting online must first cancel the previously accepted offer. The OUAC advises applicants submitting the paper response form to indicate on the second response that the first response (indicating university and program) should be cancelled. Subsequent paper acceptances will automatically cancel previously accepted offers. The OUAC will then alter the applicant s original decision and inform the appropriate universities of the change. Notes for Secondary Schools

18 Section D: Offers of Admission Re-Accepting a Previously Cancelled or Expired Offer Applicants who: (a) wish to attend a university that has offered them admission but whose response deadline has expired, or (b) wish to re-accept a previously cancelled offer, must contact that university s admissions office to see whether they will still be considered and, if yes, whether a new offer will be issued by the university. The OUAC will not reverse a declined response without a new response being forwarded. Remember, many university programs become full. The later an applicant wishes to change universities, the more difficult it will be. Amending Program Choices With an Accepted Offer Applicants cannot make changes to a program choice if there is an active offer of admission for that program. The only changes allowed are changes to the ranking of university selections/programs. Because policies vary from institution to institution, applicants should contact the admissions office of the university before requesting amendments to a program with an accepted offer of admission. Offers (or alternate offers) of admission where the applicant has either not indicated a response or has accepted will automatically become invalid if the applicant chooses to delete the associated program choice. If a student later decides to re-add this program choice there is no guarantee that the university will re-issue the offer. Applicants who delete a choice with an accepted offer may be risking the loss of a secure place at that university. Applicants Who Are Deferred at Early Admission Some applicants will not receive an offer of admission based on the grades collected in February or April. These students may have the admission decision deferred pending the results of their final examinations. The OUAC will receive the final grades directly from the secondary schools/boards in July and will forward these grades immediately to the universities. However, the universities may also request that the applicant have final grades sent directly to their admissions offices. Applicants Who Are Refused Admission Applicants who are refused admission to a particular university may decide to request admission consideration at other universities or in other programs. This may be done in one of two ways: (1) Add additional university/program selections beyond the current active university/program choices on the application (paper or online). For more information, see Section B: Fee Schedule and Payment Options. (2) Delete an active university/program choice and add a different choice in its place. No additional fee is required. To make these changes, applicants using the online or paper application must follow the instructions in Section C: Acknowledgement by the OUAC and Amendment Procedures. Once the universities have sent the offers of admission, applicants must be cautioned not to add program choices that are filled (that is, where no space remains available in the programs). Information on available places can be obtained by logging in to the OUAC website for the Admission Information Service which is normally activated at the beginning of June. For details, see Section G: Other Services. Verifying Receipt of a Response to an Offer of Admission Applicants can log in to Review and Change Your Completed Application in order to verify that their response to an offer of admission has been received and processed at the OUAC. The response noted under the Response column on the Choices/Offers screen should display Accepted. 18 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

19 Secondary School Grades Processing Overview Ontario secondary schools may send academic information (courses and grades) to the OUAC electronically or manually (see page 21). The method of sending grades data does not need to correspond to the method chosen by the school to send application data; that is, a school that sends application data electronically may send grades data manually, and vice versa. The specifications for the electronic transmission of data are standardized between the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) and the OUAC. There are some differences between the OUAC and OCAS in the areas of processing and in data usage, based on the different needs of clients (colleges and universities). Information on procedures and protocols can be found in the OCAS/OUAC Secondary School Data Transmission Specification, available in PDF at School officials should inform the OUAC if their school has not, in the past, submitted electronic data to the OUAC and that they now wish to do so. School officials should contact the Secondary School Division at , extension 552, for details. For applicants who are enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at an Ontario secondary school, school officials should refer to Section F: Special Procedures and Other Entry Points for additional details and procedures. For both automated (electronic) and manual grades collection, secondary schools will be asked to provide academic data to the OUAC on the following occasions: (1) Application Submission (First Data Transmission): In October/November for the OUAC 101 Application (prior-year finals, current first semester or full-year course registrations, projected second semester course registrations); described in Section A: General Procedures. First semester midterms are not collected by the OUAC. (2) February Grades Collection (Second Data Transmission): In mid-february (midterm full-year grades, final first semester grades, second semester course registrations and prior-year finals not already submitted in the first data transmission); described further in this section. Night school and correspondence course registrations/grades (if available) and OSSD updates for January graduates should be reported to the secondary school official at this time. (3) April Grades Collection (Third Data Transmission): In April (midterm semester two grades, interim full-year grades and prior-year finals not already submitted in the first data transmission); described further in this section. Night school and correspondence course registrations and grades (if available) should be reported to the secondary school official at this time. (4) July Final Grades Collection (Fourth Data Transmission): In July (final grades and final OSSD indicator, including Community Involvement, Secondary School Literacy Test and prior-year finals not already submitted in the first data transmission). Failure to provide this information may cause the universities to rescind offers of admission made earlier in the cycle. (5) Summer Grades Collection (Fifth Data Transmission): In July and August schools or boards may submit summer school results to the OUAC in a fifth data transmission. This collection will be treated the same as the July Grades Collection. For more information please read the OCAS/OUAC Data Transmission Specifications. Note: This submission is not mandatory. If a student has completed their secondary school program in first semester, please ensure that the OSSD standing has also been updated. School officials who are sending transcripts to the OUAC for updating should send them after the student has applied and should indicate the student s OUAC Reference Number on the transcript. OUAC Reference Number File The OUAC Reference Number File is available on the web at click on the Counsellors Online Services link, and then use the Data Upload/Download function. This electronic file contains the OUAC Reference Numbers for the schools university applicants and is used to update the school or board s grades data file. The university applicants on file at the OUAC can be isolated and only grades data for students with active applications on the OUAC file can be transmitted. This file is not intended for manual updating. Counsellors who have questions about importing this file into their system should contact their software supporter. Notes for Secondary Schools

20 Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing Special Notes (1) Night School/Correspondence/Summer School Grades Marks for night school or correspondence may not be available at the time the school grades data is submitted. Authorized school officials with access to the Academic Updates option of the Counsellors Online Services may enter the marks online when they become available. Alternatively, schools submitting electronically can prepare a hardcopy list of applicants and their night school/correspondence marks. This list should include the students names, OUAC Reference Numbers, course codes, completion date, marks and all other grades-related fields from Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data. This list should be sent in advance of the data transfer to the OUAC. This will allow the OUAC to update the applicants records with both sets of grades (from the electronic file and the hardcopy list). For manual schools, the school should report such courses on the Grades Collection Form and provide data in all the applicable fields. (2) Updates to OSSD status One of the most common issues mentioned by the universities when considering early offers of admission for secondary school students is whether or not the applicant is or will be eligible for the OSSD (including completion of the Community Involvement requirement and the Provincial Secondary School English Literacy Test for OSS curriculum students). It is therefore in the applicants best interests that secondary school officials provide the most current and accurate information possible. (3) Students applying after the February Grades Collection Period (Second Data Transmission) Some students may apply for admission after their school has already submitted the February grades. For applicants using the paper application, the OUAC will mail a personalized Grades Collection Form to the school once the application has been processed. The school official should complete the form and return it to the OUAC for processing, or update online through the Academic Updates option of the Counsellors Online Services. For those schools who do not have access to Counsellors Online Services, a February Grades Report will then be printed for students who have applied using the paper application. For applicants using the online application, school officials will need to update the student s academic information through the Academic Updates option. However, if the school/board has included academic data in their electronic file for this applicant, the OUAC will populate the grades received in the November transmission once the applicant has applied. Any further updates or additions to the applicant s academic data will need to be done using the Academic Updates option in Counsellor s Online Services. (4) Courses dropped by the OUAC For guidelines, see Appendix B: Rules for Automatic Dropping of Course Records. (5) Course Completion Date In order to facilitate the processing of grades data and to avoid errors in students academic records, it is important that schools report course completion dates that are consistent between the application data and the grades collection data. Please ensure, for example, that a course reported on the application form with the completion date (February 2009) is reported with exactly the same completion date (that is, and not ) on the Second (and subsequent) Grades Collection. Exception is made for withdrawn courses, where the completion date must be changed to reflect the actual date of withdrawal. (6) Sixth Character of the Common Course Code As above, it is critical that courses reported during the February, April and July Grades Collection periods are reported with exactly the same sixth character as was reported on the application data in November. For example, a course reported as ENG4U1 on the application should be reported in all transmissions as ENG4U1 and not as ENG4U. (7) Reporting Repeated, Withdrawn and Failed Courses under Full Disclosure When a student has repeated a course, the code R is to be assigned only when final grades are available for both (all) successful attempts at a particular course. This code should not be used where a student has failed a course. The R designation should be assigned to the lower passing grade. When a student has withdrawn from a course, but the course is to remain on the student s record, the school official must change the completion date to that on which the withdrawal was processed. When a student receives a failing final grade in a course, the school official should provide that failing grade in the Mark % field. For more detailed information, see Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data. 20 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

21 Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing (8) Reporting Summer School Final Grades It is the applicant s responsibility to arrange for official transcripts (not copies) of final grades obtained in summer school to be sent directly to the OUAC, with copies to the selected universities, noting that the original has been submitted to the OUAC. The applicant should make these arrangements with the summer school well before the grades are available in August. Electronic Procedure Electronic transmission of grades will not be used for students applying to an Ontario university for Winter Entry (see Section F: Special Procedures and Other Entry Points). Spring Entry applicants grades may be submitted electronically. School officials who have registered with the OUAC for Counsellors Online Services may provide academic data online for all Grades Collection Periods rather than completing and submitting the paper Grades Collection Forms. Otherwise, manual schools must use the OUAC 102 (Grades Collection) Form. Process for Grades Collection Periods (Manual and Automated) Before each transmission, school officials may identify university applicants on the school/board files by requesting and using the OUAC Reference Number File (see page 19 for more details), available online at in the Counsellors Online Services tool. School officials should ensure that the Secondary School Student Number (SSSN), the Ministry Identification Number (MIN) and the Ontario Education Number (OEN) have been provided to the OUAC for all applicants. School officials must notify the OUAC regarding any changes to the SSSN for new students as these numbers are used as the key to match the school/board electronic file to the OUAC database. School officials must ensure that twins do not share MINs and OENs. The following chart indicates the deadlines and purpose of each Grades Collection Period. A manual Grades Collection Form will be mailed only to secondary school officials who submit their grades manually for each Grades Collection Period. February April July Due: February 17, 2009 Due: April 17, 2009 Due: July 8, 2009 (Non-semestered schools) Due: April 24, 2009 (Semestered schools) Collect final grades for first Collect midterm marks for Collect second semester final marks semester courses second semester courses Collect final marks for all current Collect midterm grades for Collect updates to midterm grades full-year courses current full-year courses for full-year courses Collect prior-year finals not yet Collect prior-year finals not Collect prior-year finals not submitted already submitted already submitted Transfer grades data to the Receive a course inventory of Transfer grades data to the universities second semester courses universities Transfer grades data to the universities For each grades collection, counsellors should submit any changes to the OSSD status (including Community Involvement and Secondary School Literacy Test, if applicable) for each applicant. Correspondence, night school and summer school intended courses (and any available grades for these) should also be reported. Notes for Secondary Schools

22 Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing To ensure that sufficient time is available for the universities to receive the grades from the OUAC and to adjudicate each application, it is essential that the secondary schools adhere to the specified deadline dates, in particular for limited enrolment programs. Deadlines noted in this manual have been approved by the Ontario Secondary School Principals Council, the Ontario School Counsellors Association and the Ontario universities. For details about valid codes for all fields relating to courses and grades, please refer to Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data, in this manual, and to the OCAS/OUAC Secondary School Data Transmission Specification. Verification of Grades Received Automated Once the applicants academic records have been updated, an will be sent to all counsellors with Academic Update capabilities and to applicants who have provided an address. Reports can be run, using Counsellors Online Services, to identify applicants for whom no grades data was received at the OUAC. Manual No access to Counsellors Online Services: A two-part Grades Report displaying all academic data on file for each applicant will be mailed. A two-part Grades Collection Form will be sent to the school for students for whom no grades were received. Access to Counsellors Online Services: Checklist of students for whom no grades were received. Note: The schools will not be provided with any printed reports as a result of the July Final Grades Collection. After the February and April Grades Collection an audit will be performed for all applicants to identify those applicants with fewer than six 4U/M (or equivalent) credits (February) or passing grades (April) on file. A checklist will be sent to the school and a letter will be sent directly to the student. Schools/boards will be contacted in the event of a critical error. A flag indicating the receipt of electronic grades and online academic updates for the current collection will be noted beside each student in the Academic Updates section. Should a No under the Grades File Received column appear beside a student s name for a student for whom grades were submitted, contact the Secondary School Division, extension 522. For applicants who have completed their secondary school program in first semester, school officials/applicants must check the information either online or on the February Grades Report for accuracy, particularly the OSSD status, including Community Involvement and the Secondary School Literacy Test. For the July Grades Collection, applicants taking 4U/M courses through night school, correspondence or summer school, should be informed that they are ultimately responsible for submitting grades for these courses. Unless another method has been arranged with the school or board (see page 208), an official transcript indicating the applicant s final grade(s) should be sent to the OUAC, with copies to the selected universities, as soon as the final grade(s) are available. Note: The OUAC does not accept faxed transcripts or report cards from students. Corrections to Grades Reported for Manual and Automated Schools Any discrepancies found by the applicant must be reported to their school guidance office immediately. In order to correct a previously submitted mark or to change an OSSD status indicator (including Community Involvement and Secondary School Literacy Test), school officials should use one of the following procedures: 22 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

23 Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing Manual Update Procedure School officials should use the paper February or April Grades Report to do the following: (1) Record the correction(s) on Copy 1 of the Grades Report. (2) Record the name of the school official and have this official sign and date the form. (3) Retain Copy 2 of the Grades Report for the school s records. (4) Forward Copy 1 of the Grades Report to the OUAC as soon as possible. Counsellors Online Services Procedure Authorized school officials with access to the Academic Updates option of the Counsellors Online Services should follow the procedures described in the Counsellors Online Services manual. Note: The OUAC will not issue an updated Grades Report following the processing of such changes. However, for schools not registered for SSOLA, an updated Acknowledgement/Amendment Form will be printed and mailed to the school and applicant. Applicants and authorized school officials from SSOLA schools can view changes made by logging in to Review and Change Your Completed Application (applicants) or the Counsellors Online Services (school officials). Notes for Secondary Schools

24 Special Procedures and Other Entry Points International Baccalaureate Applicants Applicants who are following the International Baccalaureate (IB) program within an Ontario secondary school should either complete their application online (SSOLA schools) or use the OUAC 101 Application Form (non-ssola schools), following the usual procedures. Although the OUAC does not record IB academic data electronically, the Grade 11 and Grade 12 data will be recorded and sent to the universities. Essays and extracts are not collected by the OUAC. Applicants who use either the paper or online application will be asked to indicate whether they are following the IB Diploma or the IB Certificate program. This information will be transferred to the universities selected by the applicant. Modifications to this field can only be made by counsellors who have access to the Academic Updates function via Counsellors Online Services. Applicants do not have access to alter this information via the Review and Change Your Completed Application system. IB Grades Collection Procedure (February) During early February, IB schools will forward an original hardcopy transcript of each student s projected grades to the OUAC. The OUAC will make sufficient copies of these documents and forward one copy to each of the applicant s selected Ontario universities. If desired, school officials may attach to the IB document a transcript of the student s OSS course work and current grades. This information will also be forwarded by the OUAC, in hardcopy format, to the student s selected universities. School officials should ensure that they record the OUAC Reference Number when forwarding transcripts to the OUAC. School officials should not send faxed copies of the transcripts. The OUAC is required to forward photocopies of the transcripts to the universities. Faxed transcripts do not photocopy well and therefore will not be accepted. Schools that offer a combination of IB and OSS course work may, if desired, continue to provide current final/midterm grades for students OSS course work to the OUAC in the normal manner (automated data file or manual Grades Collection Forms) and by the stipulated deadlines (see Appendix C: Schedule of Dates on page 37). Schools should send predicted grades no later than the April 17, 2009, OUAC deadline for grades (see Appendix C: Schedule of Dates on page 37). Hardcopies will be forwarded by the OUAC to the selected universities. Final IB grades: Schools may forward hardcopy transcripts of final IB results to the OUAC in the same manner as described above for predicted grades. However, schools are urged to transcribe IB final results into OSS (4U/M) equivalent courses and grades. Many universities require such transcriptions for scholarship and other adjudications (for example, determining successful candidates for the Ministry s Queen Elizabeth II Aiming For The Top scholarship program). Transcripts of 4U/M courses/grades may be sent to the OUAC either via the automated data file or manual Grades Collection Forms. All grades must be received at the OUAC on or before the stipulated July 8, 2009, deadline. Note: The OUAC will not forward IB transcripts to Bishop s University, Concordia University, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria or Dalhousie University. Ontario IB students who apply to one or more of these out-of-province institutions must arrange for their IB grades to be sent directly to those universities by the secondary school. However, OSS curriculum courses/grades will be transmitted under normal OUAC procedures (see Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing for details). For those Ontario secondary schools that grant both IB and OSS credentials, please note that 4U/M courses, midterm/final grades and qualification for the OSSD (including Community Involvement and Secondary School Literacy Test) may also be indicated on the application, Grades Collection Forms or in the electronic data along with the IB Diploma or IB Certificate notation. January Admission (Winter Entry) A number of universities admit qualified candidates to first-year studies in January. Normally, these are applicants who complete their university admission requirements (including the OSSD, Community Involvement requirement and Secondary School Literacy Test) at a semestered school in January. A list of universities that offer Winter Entry, as well as application deadline dates, is included in the mid-september information mailing by the OUAC to the secondary schools. 24 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

25 Section F: Special Procedures and Other Entry Points Application Procedure: SSOLA and non-ssola Schools SSOLA Schools Applicants who are interested in applying to a university for entry to a winter session will be able to do so online. Authorized school officials who have access to Counsellors Online Services will be required to Create a PIN for applicants. Once the account has been created, a PIN Access Letter will be generated and forwarded to the secondary school, allowing the student to access the online application. The online application will be available at the beginning of October, giving ample time for applications to be completed before the deadline dates specified by the universities. Applicants must list at least one university choice for January entry, but may select spring and/or fall entry choices at the same time. All demographic/biographical data must be completed by the applicant. Once the OUAC has processed the applicant s online application for January entry, the OUAC will mail an Acknowledgement Letter to the applicant. After one business day, the applicant may log in to the Review and Change Your Completed Application system to view their application information for accuracy. Non-SSOLA Schools Authorized school officials who have access to Counsellors Online Services may Create a PIN for applicants interested in January entry programs, and also provide the academic data online rather than completing and submitting the paper application. However, if the applicant wishes to complete a paper application, the following steps should be taken: (1) Applicants and school officials should complete the OUAC 101 Application in the normal manner (see Section A: General Procedures) and forward the application to the OUAC by the applicable universities published deadline dates. (2) The school official should attach a transcript to the completed OUAC 101 Application, along with current first semester courses. Current-year first semester courses will then be reported on the Grades Collection Form (See Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing). (3) Applicants should list at least one university choice for Winter Entry, but may also indicate spring and/or fall entry choices. To ensure that Winter Entry applications are identified and given processing priority at the OUAC (thereby meeting the stipulated university deadlines), it is important that the school separate the January entry applications from the fall applications. The January applications should be mailed separately, in an envelope clearly labelled January Entry. The OUAC will process the January applications and will then forward both a Grades Collection Form and an Acknowledgement/Amendment Form for each January applicant to the secondary school in the normal manner. Reporting Grades for January Admission If the application was completed online, academic information must then be added to the application record. Once the application has been submitted and processed by the OUAC, authorized school officials who have access to the Academic Updates option of Counsellors Online Services can update the student s academic record, or submit the student s official transcript, including current-year courses and OUAC Reference Number, to the OUAC for input. If necessary, please use the OUAC Form for Current Registered Courses, sent in the September mailing or found online under Important Documentation, to record any current-year data. Counsellors are advised not to send Counselling Summaries as these documents are more difficult for the OUAC staff to interpret than official transcripts. School officials who do not have access to the Counsellors Online Services, and who wish to manually report the grades on the Grades Collection Form, should: (1) record the first semester midterm grades on Copy 1 of the Grades Collection Form and return it to the OUAC as early as possible to allow the selected universities to adjudicate the applicant immediately and; (2) at the end of the first semester, when final grades are available, record the final grades on the retained Copy 2 of the Grades Collection Form and return this copy to the OUAC. For details, please review Section E: Secondary School Grades Processing. Notes for Secondary Schools

26 Section F: Special Procedures and Other Entry Points Notes: (a) The normal February and April Grades Collection Forms will still be issued to non-ssola secondary schools for their Winter (January) Entry applicants. These forms are issued in the event that such applicants are not admitted or choose not to attend university for the winter semester and wish to still be considered for a later entry point. (b) Online applicants who wish to amend choices should use the Review and Change Your Completed Application system. Applicants using the paper application can either use the Acknowledgement/Amendment Form or Review and Change Your Completed Application system to amend their choices. In no case should a second OUAC 101 Application (online or paper) be submitted. April/May Admission (Spring Entry) Applicants who wish to apply for Spring Entry should complete the COMPASS.101 online application if they are from a SSOLA school, or submit the OUAC 101 paper application following the usual procedures. The February Grades Collection procedure will be carried out in the normal manner. Grades may be submitted either manually or electronically. Authorized school officials who have access to the Academic Updates option of the Counsellors Online Services may provide the academic data online for Spring Entry applicants rather than completing and submitting the paper Grades Collection Form. Discretionary Period for Fall Entry Under exceptional circumstances, a special procedure is in place to expedite the application process late in the fall entrance cycle. Universities have the option of accepting (directly from the applicants) either new applications or amendments to existing applications (along with the base application fee and additional choice fees, where applicable). The universities then forward the application data to the OUAC. Applicants must have all official academic documents available for the universities at that time. Applying to Universities Outside Ontario The OUAC assists Bishop s University, Concordia University, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and Dalhousie University to collect academic data for Ontario secondary school students who have applied through the OUAC for the 2009 application cycle and are applying to these out-of-province institutions. Students who complete the form provided by these out-of-province universities will then have authorized the OUAC to electronically transfer their academic data to these out-of-province institutions. This automated process greatly reduces the workload in the secondary schools by eliminating the need to prepare and mail hardcopy transcripts. In the future, the OUAC expects that other out-of-province universities may choose to use this data collection option. Applicants to all out of province institutions (as listed above) will note that they are required to provide to the university an 11-digit OUAC Reference Number. The eleventh digit in all cases should be 0. Contingency Plan in Case of Mail Disruption When mail disruption is imminent or in effect, the universities and the OUAC will communicate with the applicant or the secondary school by courier. Applicants or secondary school officials may communicate with the universities or the OUAC either by courier or by depositing the mail in the Office of the Registrar or Admissions Office of any Ontario university. The Schedule of Dates approved by the Ontario Universities Council on Admissions will not normally be altered during a mail disruption. When mail disruption is imminent, the universities will notify the applicants of the communication procedure to be followed. Registering for the Secondary School Online Application Process (SSOLA) When a School Is Not Automated Schools may register for SSOLA whether or not their school provides data electronically. The Create a PIN option in the Counsellors Online Services allows authorized school officials to input student information, creating a skeleton record. This record will then be used to assign access codes that will be returned to the school in confidential letters. The student can then use these 26 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

27 Section F: Special Procedures and Other Entry Points access codes to apply online. The applicant must complete all of the demographic information. Once the application has been submitted and processed by the OUAC (within one business day), academic information must be added to the application record in one of the two methods: (1) A school official with Academic Updates authority must log in to Counsellors Online Services, select the Academic Updates option and input the courses/grades for the applicant. (2) A school official must send an official transcript along with a list of current courses (noted on the OUAC Form for Current Registered Courses, found at under Important Documentation ) to the OUAC for data input. This procedure is recommended for schools that do not have a large number of university applicants or for SSOLA schools in which a new student enrols at the school after the data transmission in November (see New/Late Applicants on page 10). Do not send Counselling Summaries. Note: If the school/board has included academic data in their electronic file for this applicant, the OUAC will populate the grades received in the November transmission, once the applicant has applied. Any further updates or additions to the applicant s academic data will need to be done using the Counsellor s Online Services Academic Updates option. For additional details, please contact the Secondary School Division at , extension 552. Notes for Secondary Schools

28 Other Services Admission Information Service The OUAC operates an information service for qualified applicants who have not received an offer of admission by May 25, Such applicants may call the OUAC to determine which universities still have program vacancies for which they are still considering applications. The Admission Information Service provides information for qualified applicants only. In May, an announcement is made providing the exact date and times when the service will be available. The service commences at the beginning of June, at which time the universities provide accurate information on spaces available. The telephone number for the service is , extension 10. Applicants may also access this service on the OUAC s website at Other Publications The OUAC prepares and distributes three different documents for use by Ontario secondary school students. All are forwarded to the secondary school guidance offices for distribution to students. (1) einfo: einfo is a comprehensive web resource prepared by the OUAC in partnership with the Standing Committee on Secondary School Liaison (a committee of the Ontario University Registrars Association). einfo provides information about programs, admission requirements and more, for all the 20 Ontario universities and the Royal Military College of Canada. It is designed as a starting point for prospective applicants to research their university options. A companion newsletter that directs students and counsellors to the important resources available on the einfo website and is distributed to all graduating Grade 12 students. (2) The OUAC 101 Application Package This publication is meant to accompany the OUAC 101 Application Form available in mid-september. Along with instructions about completing the application form, and a list of university and program codes, the package provides other information about each institution, answers to frequently asked questions and a calendar of important dates for students. (3) The COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet The OUAC will be providing SSOLA schools (registered for the online application process) a small quantity of the COMPASS.101 Companion Booklet to be retained in the guidance office for reference. The booklet will also be available online in PDF and searchable HTML formats in mid-september. The booklet contains instructions about the online application and a list of university and program codes. Students should be aware that changes to information can occur throughout the cycle and they should be advised to refer to any addenda noted online. Online Tutorial The OUAC has developed online presentations for guidance staff and students that describes how to apply to university online using COMPASS.101 and also how to use Review and Change Your Completed Application for online amendments and responses to university offers of admission. The links can be found at or Use of the Internet Sending Files Using the Counsellors Online Services The OUAC encourages secondary schools and school boards to use the internet to provide data to the OUAC. In 2008, most Ontario secondary schools provided application and grades data in this manner using the Data Upload/Download option. For information about how to send files to the OUAC, please contact the Secondary School Department at , extension 552, or at [email protected]. 28 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

29 Section G: Other Services Counsellors Online Services Authorized school officials may log in to Counsellors Online Services to access their school s applicant records. This service provides the most timely, accurate and complete application data for all applicants. The options available through these online services are: Inquiry Allows users to view all application information for university applicants at their school, including the dates this information was forwarded to the selected universities. Academic Updates Allows users to update all academic information for university applicants at their school, including all courses/grades, OSSD indicator, Secondary School Literacy Test and Community Involvement indicators. Counsellors may use the Academic Updates function to add academic data for initialized applicants once the applicant has submitted their online application and the OUAC has processed the application. Create a PIN Allows users to set up a preliminary data record for applicants who did not appear on the November data file so that a PIN can be assigned. This feature will also be used for students applying to Winter Entry programs. Academic history must be added using Academic Updates. Data Upload/Download Allows users to transfer the demographic and grades data for potential university applicants to the OUAC. Reports Currently, four report options are available: Applicant Status Report, Choices by University Report, print-version Grades Reports, and a print-version PIN checklist (a current PIN checklist of all OUAC applicants at your school). Registration Procedure In early September, a set of registration forms for Counsellors Online Services will be sent to each school, along with the usual information mailing. All personnel at each school who wish to obtain authorization for either inquiry-only, inquiry/update or submit electronic data submission capability must complete a registration form (even if one was completed the previous year). The registration form must then be authorized with the signature of either the school principal or vice-principal. When these completed forms are returned to the OUAC, a user ID and password will be assigned to each authorized school official. This system-access information will be mailed in confidence to each authorized school official. Each school must have one person designated as the Administrator. Note that the OUAC will automatically designate an Administrator if one is not assigned by the school. Counsellors who require additional user access or changes to this information during the year may download the registration form, available within the Important Documentation link on the guidance website, and fax it to the OUAC. Communication will mainly be through for any issues related to electronic processing, making it essential that the administrator and counsellors with academic update capabilities provide a valid address. The inquiry-only option will be available from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week. The Academic Updates option will be available to school officials from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week, once the submitted applications have been received and processed by the OUAC. Manual schools will be able to access the Academic Updates option after they have received their initial Acknowledgment/Amendment Forms. Counsellors should contact the Secondary School Division at , extension 552, if they have any questions. OUAC Website The OUAC website can be accessed at (OUAC home page) and at (counsellors home page). These sites feature information about the OUAC and the application process. In addition, counsellors can access the websites for any Ontario university from the OUAC site. Notes for Secondary Schools

30 Miscellaneous Notes Applying to the Royal Military College of Canada The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), located in Kingston, is not part of the OUAC s processing service. A separate form along with additional application materials must be obtained from a Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre. Call the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre at Also see the RMC website at Reporting Extenuating Circumstances/Disabilities to the Universities All universities offer exceptional services for individuals with disabilities. This may include special admission practices. Applicants are asked to communicate directly, in writing, with each university that they have selected, concerning any special circumstances that may have adversely affected their admission status. Applicants should remember to include their OUAC Reference Number on all correspondence in this regard. Applicants may request that their secondary school provide supplementary documentation. All communications should be directed to the admissions office of the university to which the applicant has applied or, where specified, to the office responsible for students with disabilities to discuss the services or consideration that may be required. These steps should be taken early in the application procedure so that individual needs can be adequately addressed. A number of the universities also provide special residence accommodation for students with physical disabilities, including wheelchair access. Students are advised to contact the appropriate residence administrator when seeking special residence accommodations. OUAC Communication with Secondary Schools School Database/Data Collection Sheets The OUAC maintains a database of Ontario secondary schools so that all correspondence and materials (electronic and paper) are addressed to the correct person at each school. The Data Collection Sheet is sent to all secondary schools in mid-september and each school is requested to update their information. The information collected on the Data Collection Sheets is also shared with the universities. It is very important that schools complete and return these forms to the OUAC by the stipulated September deadline. School officials should contact the OUAC in writing if changes to the school s mailing address or contact person occur after returning the Data Collection Sheet. Applicant Status Report In September, the OUAC prints and sends a final Applicant Status Report for the application cycle just completed to each secondary school. The report is for information only. It lists all applicants from the school in alphabetical surname sequence, and includes the items noted below: University Program Choices The applicant s choices appear (OUAC program code only). Fee Paid If a valid service fee payment was received, this field is blank. Otherwise, NO appears in this field. Grades Received: February/April/July If the grades for a particular collection period were received and processed at the OUAC, this field is blank. Otherwise, NO appears in this field. Program Confirmed This field identifies the university, program and entry point for which the applicant has accepted an offer of admission. This is not verification of registration at that institution. Interim Applicant Status Reports are available throughout the current application cycle in electronic format only. Authorized school officials can log in to Counsellors Online Services and select the Reports option. 30 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

31 Section H: Miscellaneous Notes Courier Deliveries to the OUAC It is the OUAC s policy not to accept collect deliveries (CODs). Courier deliveries must be prepaid. Faxing Information to the OUAC The OUAC will accept a faxed document only as a temporary substitute for an original document when there is some urgency in having the information processed expediently. The fax must be followed by the original document for inclusion in the OUAC files. When mailing a previously faxed document, please write Previously Faxed and the date faxed clearly at the top of the document. The OUAC s fax number is For applicants who are unable to respond to their university offer of admission using the online service, and are responding through paper, faxed responses will be accepted in rare circumstances. Applicants should be encouraged to send their offer responses by mail in ample time to reach the OUAC on or before the stipulated response deadline date. The conventions noted here will be used for reporting courses and grades at the time of application and all subsequent Grades Collections, both automated and manual. However, systems personnel at automated schools/boards must refer to the OCAS/OUAC Secondary School Data Transmission Specification for additional details. This document is available online in PDF at under the link Important Documentation. Notes for Secondary Schools

32 Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data COURSE TITLE The written description or name of the course (e.g., Geography, Calculus). COURSE CODE A unique code to identify an Ontario secondary school course. Must be a common course code approved by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Sixth Character of the Common Course Code In order to facilitate the processing of academic information at the OUAC, it is critical that courses reported during the February, April and July Grades Collections (Second, Third and Fourth Data Transmissions) are reported with the same sixth character as was reported in the application data in November. For example, a course reported as ENG4U1 on the application should be reported in all transmissions as ENG4U1 and not as ENG4U. COMPLETION DATE The date that the course was completed or is expected to be completed. The format is YYYYMM. Duplicate entries for the same course code are possible provided that the completion date is different for each entry. Example: ENG4U completed last year would have a completion date of ENG4U to be upgraded in second semester this year would have a completion date of Special Note Regarding Course Completion Date In order to facilitate processing of grades data and to avoid errors in students academic records, it is important that schools report course completion dates that are consistent between the application data and the grades collection data. Please ensure that, for example, a course reported on the application with the completion date (February 2009) is reported with exactly the same completion date (that is, and not ) on the Second (and subsequent) Data Transmissions. CREDIT VALUE The Ministry-assigned weight or credit value of a specific course. On the forms submitted manually, record this information only if it is different than 1.0 (a blank in this field will default to 1.0). On data submitted electronically, no default is allowed. Example: 1.0 in table is 0100 ; 1.5 in table is 0150 ;.5 in table Valid Credit Values U/M courses (OSS) must always carry a credit value of 1.0 or higher. COURSE STATUS Three alphabetic characters are valid codes in the CREDIT VALUE field: R (repeated), W (withdrawn) and X (not applicable). These values are reported by manual schools in the CREDIT VALUE column. Automated schools report these values in the COURSE STATUS field. For Repeated Courses The Repeat designation is assigned to one of the successful course attempts, but only when final grades are available for both (all) successful attempts of the course. The R designation should be placed against the course with the lower passing grade. This code should not be used for failing attempts. 32 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

33 Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data Electronic grades data must contain code R in COURSE STATUS and 0000 in CREDIT VALUE. For manual (paper) grades reporting and online academic updates, CREDIT VALUE must contain code R (which will convert CREDIT VALUE to 0000 ). For Withdrawn Courses (those which must remain on the student s record) COMPLETION DATE must be changed to the year/month in which the student withdrew from the course (this requires that the current course record be dropped and the new course record be added). Electronic grades data must contain code W in COURSE STATUS and 0000 in CREDIT VALUE. For manual (paper) grades reporting and online academic updates, CREDIT VALUE must contain code W (which will convert CREDIT VALUE to 0000 ). A final GRADE must be reported for the withdrawn course. (Courses reported with a midterm mark will be automatically dropped. See Appendix B: Rules for Automatic Drops of Course Records for more details.) For Deleted Courses (those which do not need to remain on the student s record) Grade Type must be either P = Projected or C = Current with a credit value of 0 MARK % Numeric grade for the course. Use whole numbers only, with no decimal places. See also GRADE TYPE. GRADE TYPE A code identifying the point in time that the grade was reported for a particular course code. No default value is permitted. See also MARK %. Valid entries P Projected (to be taken next semester) C Currently Enrolled M Midterm F Final Notes: (1) If GRADE TYPE is P or C, just blanks may be recorded in the MARK % field. (2) If GRADE TYPE is F, a numeric grade must be submitted. (3) If GRADE TYPE is M, a numeric grade must be submitted. (4) A GRADE TYPE of F (Final) cannot be reported before the COMPLETION DATE of the course. Conversely, after the completion date of the course has passed, only a GRADE TYPE of F (Final) can be reported. FR (Language of Instruction) The language in which the course was taught. On application forms submitted manually, a blank in this field will default to E (English). On electronic submissions, no default is allowed. Valid entries F The course is/was taught in the French language (e.g., histoire, géographie, mathématiques). Do not enter F for core French courses. E The course is/was taught in the English language. B The course is/was taught in both English and French languages. COURSE DELIVERY A method to define whether a student is enrolled in day school, night school, summer school, correspondence or other. A blank in this field will default to D (day school). Valid entries D Day School N Night School S Summer School C Correspondence O Other Notes for Secondary Schools

34 Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data COURSE TYPE A method to define the type of course in which a student is enrolled. A blank in this field will default to R. Valid entries R Regular (including virtual learning, independent/private study courses) O Co-op out-of-school component. Where Course Type is O, NOTE must contain C Please also ensure that the credit value for non-co-op courses at the 4U/M level is 1.0 only (other than for the few Ministry-approved exceptions). NOTE A special circumstance indicator for a course. Valid entries C Co-operative education F Course taught in French Core, Extended, or Immersion program M Modified curriculum expectations that do not lead to a credit I Interdisciplinary studies S Extraordinary circumstances A Alternative expectations that do not lead to a credit H Specialist High Skills major X Substitution for a compulsory credit course B Credit count adjusted, combined courses exceed maximum credit value Notes: (1) H, X, B values received will default to blank. (2) Where course note is A or M, credit value must be 0. COURSE MIDENT The MIDENT number will be collected at the course code level. If no value is chosen, the field will automatically be changed to the home school MIDENT by the OUAC. If the MIDENT number for the course is unknown, either provide the default value or enter the home school MIDENT. Notes: (1) The MIDENT number must be six characters in length. (2) The MIDENT number must be numeric. (3) The default value is all zeroes. (4) Only MIDENTS for schools that exist on the OUAC secondary school file can be collected. GRAD STATUS CODE Identifies the OSSD status of the applicant. No default allowed. Valid entries 1 The applicant has earned the OSSD (OS:IS) 4 The applicant has earned the OSSD (OSS) 2 Upon completion of the current program, the applicant will qualify for the OSSD (OS:IS) 5 Upon completion of the current program, the applicant will qualify for the OSSD (OSS) 3 The applicant will not qualify for the OSSD in either curriculum. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT For applicants studying under the new (OSS) curriculum. Valid entries Yes Completed (automated data use code 1 ) No Not completed (automated data use code 2 ) For applicants studying under the old (OS:IS) curriculum, manual reporting leaves this field blank. Automated reporting uses code Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

35 Appendix A: Valid Codes for Reporting Academic Data SECONDARY SCHOOL LITERACY TEST For applicants studying under the new (OSS) curriculum. Valid entries Passed the literacy test in English (automated data use code E ) Passed the literacy test in French (automated data use code F ) Passed the literacy test in English and French (automated data use code B ) Not completed (automated data use blank) For applicants studying under the old (OS:IS) curriculum, manual reporting leaves this field blank. Automated reporting uses code X. Notes for Secondary Schools

36 Appendix B: Rules for Automatic Drops of Course Records Appendix B: Rules for Automatic Dropping of Course Records February Grades Collection (Second Data Transmission) Courses dropped by the OUAC In February, if the school does not provide an update for a current-year course that was submitted on the application, and the grade type is not F (Final), the course will automatically be dropped by the OUAC from the applicant s file. Course deliveries N, C, S and O will remain on file. Physical education courses with course status X and credit value 0.00 will be dropped by the OUAC. April Grades Collection (Third Data Transmission) Second semester courses on the applicant s file at this stage, for which no updates are reported in April and Grade Type is not F (Final) or M (Midterm), will be automatically dropped by the OUAC where: the Completion Date of the course is June or earlier (i.e., month = 06 or less); and course delivery is D (day school) only (i.e., N, C, S and O will remain on file); and grade type is C (Current) or P (Projected) and Mark % is NMR or blank ; OR grade type is M (Midterm) with W in either the Credit Value field (manual or online grades reporting) or the Course Status field (electronic grades reporting); or physical education course is listed with course status X and credit value July Final Grades Collection (Fourth Data Transmission) There are no automatic drops of course data processed during the Fourth Data Transmission. Special Notes (1) Courses that have been changed or added through the Academic Updates option in Counsellors Online Services will not be automatically dropped. (2) Courses will not be automatically dropped if a subsequent data file is sent for the same collection period. (3) To reinstate a dropped course, the school must re-add it, with the applicable grade in one of the following ways: Academic Updates option of the Counsellors Online Services Grades Report Acknowledgement/Amendment Form (4) Electronic academic data will override course updates done the Academic Updates option in Counsellors Online Services. (5) Courses will not be automatically dropped if the first file processed for a collection period is received from a school other than the home school. 36 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

37 Appendix C: Schedule of Dates Late August, 2008 The OUAC circulates einfo newsletters and launches the einfo site: September 4, 2008 The OUAC commences distribution of OUAC 101 application materials to secondary schools and school boards. November 14, 2008 All electronic student data files (from Ontario secondary schools) for both hardcopy and online applications should be received by this date. January 14, 2009 Deadline for Ontario secondary school students to submit completed hardcopy and online applications to the OUAC. Note: Applications received after this date will still be processed by the OUAC and distributed to the universities. However, specific institutional deadlines will apply. Note that for Winter Entry (January/February), earlier deadlines have been established. The original application procedure will include the collection of all final grades from previously completed Grade 11 and 12 courses and a list of all current-year courses in progress. January 29, 2009 Target date for Ontario universities to receive (from the OUAC) all application data and grades for all applications submitted by January 14, February 6, 2009 RECOMMENDED last date for students to submit all information to the OUAC, including university and program changes as well as additional active choices to be eligible for consideration for early admission. Please note: This is not a deadline date. Changes will be accepted and processed by the OUAC at any time. February 17, 2009 Deadline for receipt (by the OUAC), from Ontario secondary schools, of all final first-semester grades and current full-year midterm grades for 4U/M courses. March 12, 2009 Target date for Ontario universities to receive (from the OUAC) all final first-semester grades and current full-year midterm grades for 4U/M courses. April 17, 2009 Non-semestered Schools: Deadline date for non-semestered schools to report interim grades for full-year courses to the OUAC. (Grades received earlier will be transmitted to Ontario universities when received.) Appendix C: Schedule of Dates April 24, 2009 Semestered Schools: Deadline date for semestered schools to report midterm grades for second-semester courses to the OUAC. (Grades received earlier will be transmitted to Ontario universities when received.) May 5, 2009 Target date for the Ontario universities to receive secondsemester midterm grades and interim grades for full-year courses from the OUAC. Grades received earlier will be transmitted to Ontario universities when received. May 25, 2009 The latest date by which all secondary school applicants shall expect a response from an Ontario university. Such a response will be one of: 1) an offer of admission, 2) a refusal, or 3) a deferral pending the receipt of specific additional information. May 28, 2009 The earliest date by which Ontario universities may require a response to an offer of admission and a financial commitment of any kind (e.g., registration deposit, residence deposit) from an Ontario secondary school student. All other admissions-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 prior to May 28, 2009, but Ontario universities shall not compel a student in any way to make an earlier decision. July 8, 2009 Deadline for receipt (by the OUAC) of final grades for current semester/year courses from Ontario secondary schools. July 23, 2009 Target date for the OUAC to transmit all remaining final grades to the universities. (By this date, the OUAC will have attempted to contact all schools that have not provided their grades.) August Grades from summer school courses are never sent directly from the secondary school. Some district school boards, however, are now submitting summer school marks. Verify with the summer school whether the district school board will be sending the marks directly to the OUAC on the applicant s behalf. If this is not the case, the applicant must arrange for original, official final grades to be sent to the OUAC and for photocopies of these grades to be sent to each of the universities to which the applicant has applied. Indicate on the photocopies that the original was sent to the OUAC. When the universities receive these final grades, they will determine whether the applicant s final standing meets their conditions of the offer of admission given earlier. Notes for Secondary Schools

38 Appendix D: University Contacts Appendix D: University Contacts Algoma University Jennifer Reid Prospective Student Advisor 1520 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie ON P6A 2G4 Tel.: ALGOMA U or , ext [email protected] Brock University Ms. Michelle Lea Director, Admissions Brock University 500 Glenridge Avenue St. Catharines ON L2S 3A1 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] Carleton University Ms. Jean Mullan Director, Undergraduate Recruiting Office Carleton University 315 Robertson Hall 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa ON K1S 5B6 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] University of Guelph Ms. Deanna Plexman Associate Registrar, Office of Registrarial Services University of Guelph Level 3, University Centre Guelph ON N1G 2W1 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] Lakehead University Mr. Robert Perrier Manager of Undergraduate Recruitment Office of Admissions and Recruitment Lakehead University 955 Oliver Road Thunder Bay ON P7B 5E1 Tel.: / Fax: Laurentian University Ms. Diane Roy Manager, Applicant Services Laurentian University Ramsey Lake Road Sudbury ON P3E 2C6 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] McMaster University Ms. Rebecca Hamilton Assistant Registrar, Undergraduate Admissions McMaster University Gilmour Hall, Room 108 Hamilton ON L8S 4L8 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] Nipissing University Ms. Heather Brown Assistant Registrar, Liaison Nipissing University 100 College Drive P.O. Box 5002 North Bay ON P1B 8L7 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] Ontario College of Art & Design Ms. Jan Sage Director, Admissions and Recruitment 100 McCaul Street Toronto ON M5T 1W1 Tel.: , ext. 236 Fax: [email protected] University of Ottawa Ms. Sonia Cadieux Manager of Undergraduate Admissions University of Ottawa 550 Cumberland Street Ottawa ON K1N 6N5 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] 38 Notes for Secondary Schools 2009

39 Appendix D: University Contacts Queen s University Mr. Stuart Pinchin Associate University Registrar Undergraduate Admission Queen s University Kingston ON K7L 3N6 Tel.: Fax: [email protected] Royal Military College of Canada Mr. Marc Merizzi Royal Military College of Canada P.O. Box Station Forces Kingston ON K7K 7B4 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] Ryerson University Ms. Charmaine Hack Associate Registrar and Director of Admissions & Recruitment Ryerson University 350 Victoria Street Toronto ON M5B 2K3 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] University of Toronto Ms. Ellen Dubelt Manager, Ontario Secondary School Admissions University of Toronto 315 Bloor Street West Toronto ON M5S 1A3 Tel.: [email protected] Trent University Mr. Darryl Papke Admissions and Recruitment Trent University Peterborough ON K9J 7B8 Tel.: Fax: [email protected] University of Waterloo Ms. Nancy Weiner Associate Registrar, Admissions 200 University Avenue West University of Waterloo Waterloo ON N2L 3G1 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] The University of Western Ontario Ms. Lori Gribbon Director, Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions The University of Western Ontario London ON N6A 5B8 Tel.: Fax: [email protected] Wilfrid Laurier University Ms. Lois Wood Associate Registrar, Admissions Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West Waterloo ON N2L 3C5 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] University of Windsor Ms. Charlene Yates Manager Undergraduate Admissions & Senior Policy Advisor University of Windsor Windsor ON N9B 3P4 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] York University Office of Admissions York University 4700 Keele Street Toronto ON M3J 1P3 Tel.: Fax: University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Mr. Joe Stokes Assistant Registrar, Recruitment and Admissions University of Ontario Institute of Technology 2000 Simcoe Street North Oshawa ON L1H 7K4 Tel.: , ext Fax: [email protected] Notes for Secondary Schools

40 SPECIAL NOTICE Updates to Publications Changes to the secondary school curriculum admission requirements are not only becoming more complex, but also continuing to evolve as the universities address institutional, systemic and educational challenges, and their attendant decisions and changes. Since the OUAC and university publications are finalized many months ahead of the application cycle, it is common to find that some information becomes outdated, that omissions and errors have occurred and that changes need to be made after the documents have gone to press and are distributed. To address this issue the OUAC will be providing updates on our website as necessary. We urge counsellors to advise students to consult the website and to visit university websites to obtain updated information on the programs to which they intend to apply. We wish you the best in the upcoming year and look forward to serving you. CONTACTING THE ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES APPLICATION CENTRE 170 Research Lane Guelph ON N1G 5E2 Telephone: Website: Counsellor website: OUAC 101 Application Process website: Application Processing Secondary School Division, ext. 552 Processing of OUAC 101 Applications Isabelle Cudney Catherine Martin Pauline Gledhill (bilingual services) Manager of Processing Undergraduate Programs Jennifer Paradise-McCurdy, ext Assistant Manager of Processing Undergraduate Programs Nadia Barone, ext Research Lane Guelph ON N1G 5E2 Notes for Secondary Schools 4M 08/08