As of October 27th, all Grade 12 students at STA on the university pathway should have received their OUAC letter to begin the application process for post-secondary education. If you haven’t already made an OUAC account, do so as soon as possible. OUAC is the website where you will submit all of your applications for Ontario universities. For universities that are out of the province, you can apply through their websites.
Before creating an OUAC account, first visit www.ouac.on.ca/101-vs-105/ and check to see if you meet the criteria to apply using the 101 application. Research any programs you are considering on https://www.ontariouniversitiesinfo.ca/. Here, you can find any information specific to your program. Next, create an account and log in at www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101/ and then enter your student number and temporary pin found at the top right corner of your OUAC letter. Once you have made an account, you can upload and review all your information under “application links” on the left side of the site. Follow all the instructions on the OUAC website, submit your applications and record your OUAC reference number somewhere you won’t forget. Review all your application details, make sure all of your grade information is correct, and you’re all set!
The price for three applications is $150, with each additional application costing $50. STA guidance has already uploaded your transcript with all of your grade 11 and 12 marks and the universities will review your six best marks. This year you only need 20 volunteer hours to graduate high school and apply.
All of your applications are due January 13th, 2022, but it is highly recommended that you submit them before the holidays in case there are any technical issues. Keep in mind that the earlier you submit your application and accept an offer, depending on the university, you usually will get your first choice for residencies and classes.
When applying for schools, it may be helpful to apply to a “safety school.” This is somewhere you know you will get into in case you are refused by your top choice schools. Make sure to also apply to programs that match your skill set. It is risky to apply to a program above your skill level because even if you are admitted, you may struggle once you begin your program. If you are asked to send in an optional written portion for your application, always do so. From my personal experience, I had two friends, one with a 75 average and the other with an 80 average. The one with a 75 average applied and submitted the optional written portion and received an offer, whereas the one with an 80 average was rejected for not submitting the written portion. Don’t stress about waiting for your school offers. Focus on finishing the year strong and everything will fall into place. When making a decision on your offers, it is a great idea to book some tours to get more information about your school.
You will receive all of your offers by May 27th, 2022 at the latest and you must commit to an offer by June 1st, 2022.
Here you can find any post-secondary application information you may need:
https://secondary.hcdsb.org/sta/students/post-secondary-application-information/