These questions were last updated on February 3, 2009.

To view the answer, click on the question.

Show/Hide All

Application Process

1. I have a student who graduated with their OSSD last year but is returning to secondary school to upgrade some of their courses. Do they apply through the 101 division? If so, will they receive new PIN access codes?

• If the student has graduated with their OSSD and is planning to return to secondary school during the day, they may complete the 101 application as long as they are attending your secondary school during the day and do not have one or more years of postsecondary education. Once the OUAC receives the November data file with all potential university-bound students' information, the OUAC will create and print access codes for students to complete the online application. These PIN Access Letters will be sent directly to the school officials.

2. I have a student who will be attending secondary school in second semester. Should they apply using the 101 application or the 105 application?

• The student can use the 101 application if: he/she has already graduated and is returning to secondary school to upgrade some courses; or, he/she will be graduating with their OSSD and six 4U/M courses at the end of the school year. To allow the student to access the online application, you may log in to Counsellors' Online Services and select the "Create a PIN" function to have the OUAC generate a PIN Access Letter. One business day after the student has applied, the guidance counsellor can log in to Counsellors' Online Services, Academic Updates option, to enter the student's academic data.

3. I have a student who was not enrolled in school for the first semester, and therefore completed a 105 application. The student registered at our school for second semester, but they have just now come to us, in April, to ask whether they should transfer their 105 application over to a 101 application. Is it too late to do this?

• Normally, if a student completes a 105 application and then registers for second semester, he or she should complete the 101 online application prior to February 1, and select "cheque or money order" as the form of payment. By selecting this form of payment, the applicant will avoid duplicate payment and a potential refund. The applicant should also log in to "Review & Change Your Completed Application" and drop all choices from the 105 application.
  
  After completing the online steps above, the applicant must also submit a written request to the OUAC's 105 Non-Secondary School Division. In the written request, they should ask for a cancellation of the 105 application as well as a transfer of the monies to the 101 application. The letter must include the OUAC Reference Number from both the 105 application as well as the 101 application and, if applicable, must be accompanied by a cheque or money order for the difference in fees between the two applications. Once the letter is received, OUAC staff will delete the 105 application and transfer all monies to the 101 application.
  
  After February 1, the OUAC no longer transfers applications from one division to the other, as some universities have early deadlines and transferring could jeopardize the student's application. Therefore, if the student has not requested a transfer by February 1, the OUAC advises that the student stay on the 105 application. A transcript, plus midterm and final marks for the second semester, must be sent directly to the applicant's university choices.
  
  The same process would apply if the applicant is transferring from a 101 application to a 105 application.

4. Please tell me the process we should follow when students transfer to our school from other schools and they applied to university online from the other school.

• Only the OUAC can change the school MIDENT (BSID) number on an applicant's file. It is very important that the new school notify the OUAC in writing of the change in the student's school. This should be done before 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 name of the new school, the old and the new MIDENT numbers, the new SSSN (where applicable), and the OEN.
  
  Students transferring from a SSOLA school to a non-SSOLA school: These students will retain their access codes for "Review and Change Your Completed Application" and can continue to make online changes. However, as soon as the school change is made at the OUAC, the non-SSOLA school will begin to receive Acknowledgement/Amendment Forms and other hardcopy reports for this student, the same as for all other students at this school.

PIN Information

5. I have a student who attended another school and received a PIN, but did not apply. The student has now transferred to our school. Should I "Create a PIN" to receive a new PIN for them?

• The applicant should apply using the original PIN from their previous school. After the student has completed and submitted their application, you should inform the OUAC in writing of the change in the student's school. Please ensure that you indicate the student's OUAC Reference Number, the name of the new school, your school MIDENT number, the new SSSN (where applicable), and the OEN.

6. I have several students who were "missed" in our school's November data transmission, so they did not receive PIN Access Letters. Do these students have to complete a paper application or can they also be provided with access codes for the online application?

• Yes, these students can be set up with access codes for the online application. School officials can provide the OUAC with basic information for such students by logging on to the Counsellors' Online Services and selecting the "Create a PIN" option. This option allows the school official to provide the OUAC with the students' SSSN, OEN, first name and last name. Within one business day, the OUAC can then issue PINs and mail the PIN Access Letters to the school. However, please note that the students for which this method was used to create a PIN will not see their academic history when they log in to prepare their online applications. The school official must add the academic history after the students have submitted their applications to the OUAC. Academic history can be submitted through Counsellors' Online Services, by selecting the "Academic Updates" option.

7. Our school has received all the PINs for our students to apply online. When I log in to Counsellors' Online Services and click on "Inquiry" or "Academic Updates" I do not see any of our students' names listed. Can you tell me why they do not appear?

• Only the names of the students who have completed and submitted their online application will be listed under, "Inquiry" and "Academic Updates".

8. One of my students has lost their PIN Access Letter with the online access codes. What should we or the student do?

• If the student has not submitted the online application yet, the PIN cannot have been changed to a personal password. Therefore, the student can still log in to the online application with the following three pieces of information, all of which you, the counsellor, can provide:
  School Number: Your school's six-digit MIDENT (BSID)
  Student Number: The twelve-digit number assigned by your board that is unique for each student
  PIN: The four-character PIN also appears on your school's PIN checklist (hardcopy) or the "PIN checklist" which can be accessed online by logging in to Counsellors' Online Services and clicking on "Reports"
  
  To access the "Review and Change Your Completed Application" system, the student requires the OUAC Reference Number (available in Counsellors' Online Services) and the original PIN (from your school's PIN checklist). If the PIN has been changed to a personal password through the "Review and Change Your Completed Application" system and the applicant has forgotten their password, the applicant may select the "Forgot your Password?" link within this system and enter their OUAC Reference Number and original PIN to reset the password to something they can remember.

Grades

9. I received a PIN for an applicant for whom I created a PIN. I went to the Guidance website, logged in to COLS, and clicked on "Academic Updates", but the applicant's name does not appear. How can I add the applicant's academic data?

• The applicant must complete and submit their online application first. Once the application has been successfully submitted and processed at the OUAC (usually within one business day), you will be able to log in to Counsellors' Online Services, and select "Academic Updates" to enter the student's academic history and current registered courses.

10. A former student has taken a year off school and is applying to university this year (using the 105 application). The student has asked us to send transcripts. Where do we send the transcripts?

• The transcripts must be sent directly to the admissions offices at the universities the student has selected on their application. Please make sure that you indicate the student's OUAC Reference Number on the transcripts. This number will assist the universities in matching the transcripts with the student's application. Please do not send these transcripts to the OUAC. We cannot forward these documents on to the universities nor return them to the secondary school.

11. One of my students has applied to Ontario universities but there are extenuating circumstances which have affected his/her academic performance. How do I notify the universities selected by this student that special admission consideration is requested?

• Applicants are asked to communicate directly, in writing, with each university they have selected concerning any special circumstances which may have adversely affected their admission status. Applicants should remember to include their OUAC Reference Number on all correspondence. The applicant may request that secondary school officials provide supplementary documentation. All communications should be directed to the admissions office of the university to which the applicant has applied for admission or, where specified, to the office responsible for students with disabilities to discuss the services or consideration that may be needed. 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.

12. The Grade 12 students at my school will be making timetable changes for second semester by the end of January. Am I also required to make these changes to their academic data (through "Academic Updates") prior to our board's February grades transmission to OUAC?

• No, you do not need to make these changes through Counsellors' Online Services. Any timetable changes for students on your school's data system will usually be sent to the OUAC on the February grades transmission. The OUAC will update the students' files with any additions, deletions and changes which are on this transmission. The same updates occur with changes sent on the April and July grades transmissions.

13. We have just sent in our February grades submission file and have been notified that it has been processed. We now have a student who has decided to apply to university. The student's academic data was included in the February grades submission file. Will the February marks be included on the applicant's academic record even though the student applied after the transmission was sent or should I add the marks manually through Counsellors' Online Services?

• If the applicant applied online, only grades received in the November transmission will be included on the applicant's academic record. School officials must log in to COLS and select the "Academic Updates" option to update the student's academic information.

14. I have a student attending our school who previously attended a secondary school outside the province of Ontario. The student will be taking fewer than six 4U/M courses, so we instructed him/her to complete the 105 application. Can we still submit his/her marks to the OUAC electronically with the rest of our university-bound applicants?

• Unfortunately not. All applicants who have completed a 105 application must send their transcripts, and any marks obtained from your school, directly to their university choices.

15. I have a student who has taken a course at another school. When adding the course on Counsellors' Online Services, I enter the MIDENT number, but it comes up invalid. Why is that, when the MIDENT number is correct?

• The OUAC and the universities can only accept MIDENT numbers for schools that exist on the OUAC secondary school file. Many night schools with valid MIDENT numbers may not be on our secondary school file and therefore will not be accepted. In these cases, please use your own school MIDENT number.

16. I have a student who has repeated a course and received a higher final mark. When I try to add the course on Counsellors' Online Services and select "repeat" under the credit value, I get an error message. What am I doing wrong?

• When an applicant has repeated the same course and received a higher mark, the credit value should be greater than 0000 credit. The "repeat" designation should be placed against the course with the lower passing final grade. However, do not use the "repeat" designation for failed attempts.

17. I have a student with a number of out-of-province/international courses. How do I indicate these equivalences on the academic record?

• Where a student has been granted equivalency credits for course work outside of the Ontario school system, there are two ways in which the school official can notify the universities of these equivalencies. However, in either of the two methods below, please note that some universities do not take note of the "SS Comment" when it is transmitted by the OUAC. Where the school official believes that this information will affect the student's admission decision, a hardcopy transcript of the out-of-province academic record should be forwarded directly to the admissions offices at the Ontario universities to which the student has applied.
  
  Paper applications only: The school official can provide, in the Academic Record section on the front of the 101 application form, the number of out-of-province credits which have been granted. This comment is transmitted by the OUAC to the universities as a "Secondary School Comment".
  
  Online or paper applications: The school official can log in to Counsellors' Online Services and select the "Academic Updates" option. In the section which lists the SS Diploma, Community Involvement, SS Literacy Test and Comments, click the "Edit" button. A short comment may be entered in the Comments field (maximum 50 characters).

Payment

18. A student tried to make an online additional university/program selection in "Review and Change Your Completed Application", but the system did not accept this additional choice. What happened?

• Remember that additional university/program selections beyond what the student has already paid for require payment of an additional $38 per choice. Also, in "Review and Change Your Completed Application", additional choices that have required fees will be accepted only when the student provides credit card (VISA or MasterCard) information in the final "Submit" section. If payment by credit card is not successful, the additional choices will not be processed. The student making the additional choices with required fees can elect to pay by cheque or money order; however, in this situation, the additional university/program selections must be submitted to the OUAC in writing. Students are advised to download and print a PDF document to do this. The downloaded form should be completed, the cheque or money order should be attached to the form and all should be mailed to the OUAC. The form can be found on the login screen of "Review and Change Your Completed Application".

19. My students are confused about payment by "online banking". What is this and how is it different from payment by credit card?

• Online banking, also sometimes called "internet/telephone bill payment services", allows applicants to pay their application fees through their financial institutions' online or telelphone bill payment services. To use this option, applicants (or their parents) must have a Canadian bank or credit union account, and that account must be registered for internet or telephone banking. To make an internet bill payment, applicants must select "internet/telephone bill payment" on the online application, and then submit the completed application. The OUAC will provide applicants with their unique bill payment account number upon submission of their completed application. Applicants must then go to their bank's or credit union's website and use this bill payment account number to submit payment to the OUAC. The OUAC's bill payment name is "Ontario Universities' Application Centre" or an abbreviated version of this name.

General

20. I previously completed and returned a Counsellors' Online Services registration form and checked off "Inquiry" only. How can I change my access level from "Inquiry" to "Inquiry and Update"?

• A new registration form can be downloaded from the Guidance website. Print the form for access to Counsellors' Online Services 2009–2010. Simply fax the form back to the OUAC and after one business day your access level will be changed to "Inquiry and Update". Your USER ID and password will remain the same.

21. Where can I find the Schedule of Dates for this cycle?

• The Schedule of Dates can be found in the back of the "Notes for Secondary Schools'" manual and also on the Guidance website.