How to Report Grades and Diploma Details

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Adding Grades for Part-time Students

Add and update courses for your part-time students through COLS, following the same process you use for your full-time students.

Note: You can only view and update the courses entered under your MIDENT for your part-time students. You do not have access to their full academic data.

Your part-time students must add your school to the Academic Background section of their Undergraduate Application for you to be able to maintain the courses they are taking at your school.

The school the student is registered at full-time can add and update all courses showing on the student’s OUAC record. This includes courses added and updated by the school where the student is registered part-time.

We have added “Student Status” as a search parameter in Academic Information to allow you to search for your full-time and/or part-time students.

We will send an email to the COLS Administrator of the student’s home school when the school where the student is registered part-time reports their courses and/or grades.

How to View and Change Academic Info video

Community Involvement

Option Description Action
Yes Completed Automated data, use code “1”
No Not completed Automated data, use code “2”

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 if the completion date and/or course type is different for each entry.

Example: ENG4U completed in June 2023 would have a completion date of “202306”. ENG4U to be upgraded in June 2024 would have a completion date of “202406”.

If the completion date and course codes are the same, then the sixth character of the course code must be different to ensure the universities receive it correctly.

For us to process grades data and to avoid errors in students’ academic records, you must report course completion dates that are consistent between the application data and the grades collection data.

For example, a course reported on the application with the completion date “202302” (February 2023) must be reported with exactly the same completion date (that is, 202302 and not 202301) on subsequent data transmissions.

Course Code

A unique code to identify an Ontario high school course. It must be a common course code approved by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Sixth Character of the Common Course Code

To facilitate academic information processing at the OUAC, the courses you report during the February, April and July grades collections (2nd, 3rd and 4th data transmissions) must be reported with the same sixth character as you reported in the application data in November.

For example, a course you reported as ENG4U1 in the application data should be reported in all subsequent transmissions as ENG4U1 and not as ENG4U.

If a student is taking a particular course simultaneously (e.g., in both day school and night school), the sixth character of the course code must be different for each course to ensure that the universities store the student’s academic information correctly.

E.g., ENG4U1 202306 (day) and ENG4U 202306 (night).

Course Delivery

Defines whether a student is enrolled in day, night or summer school courses, correspondence courses or another type of course delivery (virtual learning, e-learning or private school). A blank in this field will default to “D” (day school).

Valid Code Description
D Day School
N Night School
S Summer School
C Correspondence
O Other

Course MIDENT Number

The MIDENT number will be collected at the course code level. If “blank” or “000000” is entered, we automatically change the field to the MIDENT of the school that submitted the grades file.

If the MIDENT number for the course is unknown, provide the default value of 000002 for “other high school/not home school”.

Notes:

  • The MIDENT number must be numeric and 6 characters in length.
  • The default MIDENT value is “000000”.
  • Only MIDENTs for schools that exist in the OUAC secondary school file can be collected.

Course Note

Indicates a special circumstance for a course.

Valid Code Description
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
P Course taken at an inspected private school
T Team taught dual credit
Where course note is “M” or “A”, credit value must be “0000” and course status must be “X”.

Course Status

Valid Code Description
D Delete
R Repeated
W Withdrawn
X Not applicable

Deleted Courses

  • Electronic reporting must contain code “D”.
  • Manual reporting: Leave this field blank and select “drop” beside the course.

Repeated Courses

  • Use the “Repeat” designation for 1 of the successful course attempts, but only when the final grades for all successful course attempts are available. Use the “R” designation for the course with the lower passing grade.
  • Do not use code “R” for failed attempts.
  • Electronic and manual reporting must contain code “R” in Course Status and “0000” in Credit Value.

Withdrawn Courses (Those That Must Remain on the Student’s Record)

  • Change the Completion Date to the year and month the student withdrew from the course. (This requires that the current course record be dropped, and the new course record be added.)
  • Electronic and manual reporting must contain code “W” in Course Status and “0000” in Credit Value.
  • Report a Final Grade for the withdrawn course.

Course Title

The description or name of the course (e.g., Music, Biology).

Course Type

Defines the type of course a student is enrolled in. A blank in this field will default to “R”.

Valid Code Description
R Regular (including virtual learning and independent/private study courses)
O Co-op out-of-school component. Where Course Type is “O”, Course Note must contain “C”
Ensure that the credit value for non-co-op courses at the 4U/M level is 1.0 only (other than the few Ministry-approved exceptions).

Credit Value

The Ministry-assigned weight or credit value of a specific course.

  • On the manually submitted forms, record this information only if it is different than 1.0. (Note: A blank in this field will default to 1.0.)
  • On electronically submitted data, no default is allowed.
Valid Credit Values
0000 0025 0030 0033 0034 0050 0066 0067
0075 0100 0120 0125 0130 0133 0137 0150
0167 0175 0200 0233 0250 0266 0267 0300
0333 0367 0400 0433 0467 0500 0533 0567
0600 0633 0667          
  • 1.0 in the table is “0100”; 1.5 in the table is “0150”; 0.5 in the table is “0050”.
  • 4U/M courses must always carry a credit value of 1.0 or higher.

Grad Status Code

Identifies the applicant’s Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) status. No default allowed.

Valid Code Description
1 The applicant has earned the OSSD (OS:IS). (Defaults to 4.)
2 Upon completing the current program, the applicant will qualify for the OSSD (OS:IS). (Defaults to 5.)
3 The applicant will not qualify for the OSSD in either the OSS or OS:IS curriculum.
4 The applicant has earned the OSSD (OSS).
5 Upon completing the current program, the applicant will qualify for the OSSD (OSS).

Grade Type and Mark %

Grade Type is a code identifying when a grade was reported for a particular course code. No default value is permitted.

Valid Code Description
P Projected
All courses that will be taken during the second semester time frame.
C Currently Enrolled
All courses taken during the current semester time frame.
M Midterm
F Final

Notes:

  • If the Grade Type is “P” or “C”, record only blanks in the Mark % field.
  • If the Grade Type is “M” or “F”, you must submit a numeric grade.
  • If the Grade Type is “F” (Final), you cannot report the grade before the Completion Date of the course. After the completion date has passed, you can only report a Grade Type of “F” (Final).

Mark % is the numeric grade for the course. Use whole numbers only; do not use decimal places.

Language of Instruction

The language in which the course was taught.

  • On manually submitted application forms, a blank in this field will default to “E” (English).
  • On electronic submissions, no default is allowed.
Valid Code Description
F The course is or was taught in the French language (e.g., histoire, géographie, mathématiques). Do not enter “F” for French Core courses.
E The course is or was taught in the English language.
B The course is or was taught in both the English and French languages.

OSSD Issue Date

The date the applicant achieved their OSSD (graduated).

This date can be transmitted only if the applicant graduated (i.e., Grad Status Code = “1” or “4”) and the date cannot be in the future.

Secondary School Literacy Requirement

Valid Code Description Action
E Completed the literacy requirement in English Automated data, use code “E”
F Completed the literacy requirement in French Automated data, use code “F”
B Completed the literacy requirement in English and French Automated data, use code “B”
– Not completed Automated data, use blank

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Completion

Completed all requirements of the SHSM at the time the OSSD is granted.

Valid Code Description
(space) Not reported
Y Yes
N No
If the SHSM completion is “Y”, then the Grad Status Code must be “1” or “4”, since SHSM completion is granted only when a student achieves the OSSD.

SHSM Program Code

A code identifying the current SHSM program a student is enrolled in or has completed.

If the SHSM completion is “Y”, then you must provide the SHSM Program Code, which should reflect the completed program.