New Undergraduate Application
Effective fall 2023, for the 2024 cycle, we will combine the 101 and 105 applications into a single application.
Applicants to undergraduate programs at Ontario universities will have only 1 application option:
The new Undergraduate Application.
This page provides an overview of the differences and similarities between the coming Undergraduate and the current 101 and 105 application processes.
Check back for updates as we continue to develop the Undergraduate Application throughout spring and summer 2023. Our terminology and visuals may change.
The Essentials
Added/Updated: May 16, 2023
Document Upload
Current:
Information about the types of documents the universities accept is presented in 2 large tables. It is a lot of information for applicants to read and comprehend. Applicants must determine which documents are relevant for them based on the universities they are applying to.
Unfortunately, applicants often upload documents under the incorrect document type, e.g., for proof of status in Canada, applicants often incorrectly upload their Canadian passport as Proof of Permanent Resident Status instead of as Canadian Citizen. They also upload invalid documents.
This section of the application is not mandatory.
New for fall 2023:
Information about the documents that applicants can upload is now displayed dynamically, based on what the applicant adds for citizenship and program choices. The application will display only what is relevant to the applicant; they no longer need to make that determination themselves. This ensures that applicants will not upload proof of Canadian status incorrectly. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent applicants from uploading invalid documents.
Example:
This applicant is a Canadian citizen and has added a program choice for a university that collects proof of status in Canada. Only the relevant document options are displayed for the applicant.
When the accordion tab for an option is expanded, the accepted documents are listed.
Added/Updated: May 3, 2023
Updating your Publications
Current:
You currently refer to the 101 and 105 applications on your websites, in publications and in correspondence with applicants. You might even use the blue and red 101 and 105 tile graphics from the current OUAC website.
New for fall 2023:
You need to ensure that all instances of 101 and 105 have been updated on your websites, in publications and in correspondence with applicants.
Required updates:
- All references to the 101 application and/or 105 application need to be replaced with “Undergraduate Application”.
- When identifying applicants as 101 or 105, you need to instead identify them as “current Ontario high school student” or “not current Ontario high school student”.
Replace the blue and red 101 and 105 tile graphics with our new icon for the Undergraduate Application.
To download the Undergrad website button image, right-click it and select “Save As”.
Added/Updated: April 19, 2023
1 Application for All Undergraduate Applicants
Current:
Current Ontario high school students complete the 101 Application. All other applicants complete the 105 Application.
New for fall 2023:
All applicants will complete the same Undergraduate Application. The new application will be smart and dynamic, based on the personal and education information the applicant provides.
101 and 105 Terminology
Current:
Applicants are identified as 101 (current Ontario high school students) or 105 (International or Canadian applicants not currently attending an Ontario high school). 101 and 105 applicants complete different applications.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants will no longer be identified as 101 or 105 on our websites and in the Undergraduate Application. We will continue to distinguish between the 2 on our backend for data distribution to the universities and for statistics purposes, similar to when we combined the 105D and 105F applications several years ago.
For simplicity, we expect to continue to identify applicants as:
- Current Ontario high school students
- Not current Ontario high school students
Note: This terminology may change. We will post any updates on this page.
Criteria for 101 Applicants
Current:
Criteria for 101 applicants (current Ontario high school students)
- You are taking courses during the day at an Ontario high school (this includes students returning for second semester and graduated students returning to upgrade 1 or more courses).
- You have not, at any point, been out of high school for more than 7 consecutive months.
- You will have received or expect to receive your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U/M courses at the end of the current year.
- You have not attended a postsecondary institution (university/college/career college).
- You are applying to the first year of an undergraduate degree program or diploma program at an Ontario university.
- You are under 21 years of age.
Some schools misunderstand the criteria and might advise students who graduated the previous year, but who are now upgrading courses, to apply using the 105 Application when they are eligible to apply using the 101 Application. These students can switch to the 101 Application and the schools can transmit their grades to the OUAC in their grades files or add the grades manually through COLS.
New for fall 2023:
The new application will dynamically display the fields and programs relevant to the applicant, based on the following new criteria. Applicants who meet the criteria will see the program listing specific to current Ontario high school students (the same as the current 101 program listing). Applicants who do not meet the criteria will see the program listing for applicants who are not current Ontario high school students.
We will remove the criterion of not having been out of high school for more than 7 consecutive months. The applicant will see a warning in the Review and Payment section, noting that universities may contact them about any gaps in their education.
New criteria for current Ontario high school students:
- You are taking courses at an Ontario high school (this includes students returning for second semester and graduated students returning to upgrade 1 or more courses).
- You are under 21 years of age.
- You will have received or expect to receive your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U/M courses at the end of the current year.
- You have not attended a postsecondary institution (university, college or career college).
Counsellors should contact the OUAC for assistance with students who meet all criteria except for the under 21 years of age criterion.
PINs
Current:
The OUAC creates 101 accounts and PINs for students included in Ontario high schools’ October or November file transmission. The student’s academic information, including grades, is displayed in their 101 account. The student needs the PIN to log in to their 101 Application. The PIN is a security feature to protect a student’s sensitive academic information.
New for fall 2023:
PINs will be discontinued. The new Undergraduate Application will be PIN-less.
Grades will be auto-matched with submitted applicants who have been identified as current Ontario high school students.
- Grades will be matched by Ontario Education Number (OEN), first and last name, and school MIDENT (the applicant must indicate the school reporting the grades in their application).
- The OUAC will manually process grades that error in the auto-match process and regularly query for applicants with no grades and follow up with schools to see if grades are available. If the school is not able to send grades for the student – i.e., the school doesn’t consider them as meeting the criteria for a current Ontario high school student – the OUAC will switch the student’s application to not a current Ontario high school student.
Application Start-up Dates
Current:
The 105 Application opens in mid-September. The 101 application opens the first week of October but students cannot start their application until they receive their PIN.
New for fall 2023:
The target date for the new Undergraduate Application to open is September 21, 2023. Current Ontario high school students and all other applicants will be able to create and submit their application as of the target date.
The Application
Added/Updated: May 3, 2023
Academic Information
Current:
When students access their 101 application, they can view the academic information their school(s) has/have transmitted to the OUAC, both before and after they submit their application. Their academic information is displayed in Current High School Information and Grades.
New for fall 2023:
Current Ontario high school students can view the academic information their school(s) has/have transmitted to the OUAC after they submit and pay for their application and the grades auto-match process has run.
Note: Academic information transmitted to the OUAC will be held until the student submits their application. At that time, the grades will be auto-matched to the student’s application. Students who have submitted their application and whose grades have been auto-matched will find their academic information displayed in Academic Information. Students who have not submitted their application will find a message that their grades are not yet available.
Added/Updated: April 19, 2023
Accessing the Application
Current:
Applicants select whether they are a 101 or a 105 applicant on our home page. This directs them to a 101- or 105-specific web page where they can access the application.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants will click the “Apply Now” button on our home page. This will direct them to a single Log In or Create Account page, and then to a page where they can select the Undergraduate Application.
Navigating the Application
Current:
Applicants can complete the sections of the 101 and 105 applications in any order they choose.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants will be led through the application. They will complete the sections of the application in a specific order.
Look and Feel of the Application
Current:
The current 101 and 105 applications are text heavy, requiring scrolling, and are not mobile-friendly.
New for fall 2023:
The application will be divided into 5 main sections. The pages will be shorter with more focused information and require less scrolling. We will remove some sections and instead group like fields together:
- Other Academic Information questions will be in the Education section.
- Additional University Details questions will be in the Choices section.
- Current High School Information and Grades Information will be called Academic Information and be included in the Transcripts section.
The Undergraduate Application will be mobile-friendly.
OSSD Status and OEN
Current:
Current Ontario high school students are not required to add their OEN in the 101 application.
New for fall 2023:
Current Ontario high school students will be required to indicate if they will have completed their OSSD by the end of the current school year in the Education section. If they answer yes, they will be required to add their OEN. Both the OSSD status and OEN fields will be mandatory for applicants whom our smart application has identified as current Ontario high school students. The OEN is required for the grades auto-matching process.
Important: Schools need to educate students on what their OEN is and where to find it, as they need their OEN to navigate past the Education section.
Academic Background
Current:
101 applicants are not required to include their current Ontario high school in Academic Background.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants must include all institutions attended, including their current Ontario high school, in the Education section. This is necessary for the grades auto-matching process.
Browse Programs
Current:
Applicants can browse programs anonymously through the Browse Programs section in the 101 or 105 application.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants will be able to browse programs anonymously through the OUAC website.
Selecting a University
Current:
Applicants select a university choice from a long list of university names.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants will be able to select a university choice from a colourful display of university logos.
Ordering Choices
Current:
Applicants use a drop-down menu to order their choices.
New for fall 2023:
There will be 2 ways applicants can order their choices:
- Drop-down menu
- Drag-and-drop feature
After the Application is Submitted
Added/Updated: April 19, 2023
Submitted Amendments
Current:
Once an applicant submits an amendment, they cannot undo it. This is problematic if an applicant makes a mistake when they respond to an offer of admission.
New for fall 2023:
Applicants will be able to undo some types of submitted amendments as long as they have not been distributed to the universities. If an applicant realizes immediately that they made a mistake when responding to an offer, they can undo the amendment before it is distributed to the university.
Amendments can be undone until approximately midnight of the same day the applicant submits them, except for weekends where they have until approximately midnight on Sunday to undo amendments submitted since Friday.
Application Data Sent to the Universities
Current:
Applicants are not notified when their submitted application information is sent to the universities.
New for fall 2023:
The Complete page will indicate to applicants when the next scheduled distribution of data to the universities is. This will give them an approximate idea of when the universities will receive their application. The date application data was sent to the universities will be displayed in the Hub.
Added/Updated: May 30, 2023
Choices and Offers
Program choices and offers will no longer be combined in the same section of the application.
There will be 2 separate sections: 1 for Choices and 1 for Offers.
Added/Updated: April 19, 2023
The Hub
When applicants create a new account, they will be introduced to the Hub. This is a summary page that changes depending on what stage of the application process the applicant is in. It will display a summary of their application information and indicate if they have an offer. The Hub also houses the new Message Centre and the applicant’s Profile information.
Application Status Bar
On the right side of the application, there will be an Application Status bar that will show the sections of the application and whether they are in progress, complete or not started.
Added/Updated: May 16, 2023
Application URL
The URL that we currently use for the 101 and 105 applications will be used for the new Undergraduate Application: https://www.ouac.on.ca/apply/undergraduate.
The URL takes applicants to the Log In/Create Account page.
Current:
New for fall 2023:
Added/Updated: April 19, 2023
Grades Collection
The new Undergraduate Application will not affect the grades file process or grades deadlines. Schools will continue to send the following electronic files as per the published Schedule of Dates:
- October or November – demographic file
- Mid-November – first-semester midterms or interim full-year grades
- February – first-semester final grades or interim full-year grades
- April – second-semester midterm grades or interim full-year grades
- July – all final grades
Note: The grades file process is independent of the application process. There are no negative repercussions if a student submits their application before the OUAC receives their grades.
Both home schools and non-home schools will still be able to update grades manually through COLS, as required.
Added/Updated: April 19, 2023
NEW: Life of a File Flowchart (Updated for Cycle 2024) [PDF]
