O n ta rio C o lle g e A p p lic ation U s e r G u id e - 20 16 / 20 17
o n tario c o lle g e s .c a A p p ly To d ay. C hang e To m o rro w .

R E S E A R C H C O L L E G E S A N D P R O G R A MS

E x p lo re a C olle g e Go to ontariocolleges.ca/colleges Click any college name to start exploring.

E x p lo re a C olle g e L earn more about the college, its programs and student life.
Click to see college contact info and cam pus locations.
Searchable list of all programs offered by the college.

S e a r c h for P ro g ram s Go to ontariocolleges.ca/find Search by Keyword Search by College Refine your search by Program Category, Program Start Date, Credential and more.

P R E PA R E TO A P P LY

Im p o r t a n t D a te s
E arly O c t o b e r 2 0 15: O nline A pplicat io n O p e ns
• 2016 / 2017 application opens at
ontariocolle ge s .ca
.
L ate N o v e m b e r 2 0 15: C o lle g e s B e g i n R e c e iving A pplicat io ns
• 2016 / 2017 application data is sent to colleges.
F e b ruary 1, 2 0 16 : E q ual C o ns ide rat io n D ate
• Applications re ce ive d and paid for on or before this date are considered equally by the colleges. I t is critical to apply to highly com petitive program s by this date. Applications are still processed after this date, but are considered on a first-com e, first-served basis by the colleges.
F e b ruary 1, 2 0 16 : E arlie st O ffe r D ate
• February 1 st is also the first day that colleges m ay begin sending offers of adm ission.
May 1, 2 0 16 : C o nfirm at io n D e adline
• Most offers of adm ission m ust be confirm ed by this date. The colleges will determ ine the due date to confirm offers m ade after May 1. Check your offer package to find out the expiry date of your offer of adm ission.
Mid J une 2 0 16 : Tuitio n D e p o sit D ue
• The colleges require paym ent of a tuition deposit in m id-June to secure your spot in your program . Each college sets its own tuition deposit am ount and paym ent deadline. This inform ation will be com m unicated to you by the college.
* Please note that the above dates apply to programs beginning in the fall of 2016. Contact the colleges for deadlines for other start dates.

Im p o r t a n t In fo A b o u t th e A p p lic a tio n • • The application processing fee is $95 (non-refundable).
• There may be additional fees to order transcripts.
• An application allows you up to 5 program choice s , with no m ore than 3 at any one college.
• All program choices m ust start within the same academic year (August – July).
• Your usernam e is pe rm ane nt. I t will not change if you update your contact em ail address.
• Your password must be between 8 and 14 characte rs in length.
• DO NOT create m ore than one account.
• Som e inform ation will be autom atically added to your account based on the inform ation you provided when creating your account.
• You cannot change your first nam e, last nam e, date of birth, OEN num ber or academ ic data. To m ake changes to your dem ographic inform ation, contact ontariocolleges.ca. I f there are problem s with your grades, talk to your guidance counsellor.
The application works best in the following browsers: I nternet Explorer 9, 10, 11 Firefox latest version Chrom e latest version Safari 7+ & iOS 7+

Im p o r t a n t In fo A b o u t th e A p p lic a tio n
E m ail A d d re s s Provide a valid em ail address.
• ontariocolleges.ca uses email to communicate important information about your application, account activation, and usernam e / password recovery.
• The colleges use email to comm unicate with you about your application and offers of admission.
• Update your email address if it changes.
Check your em ail regu larly.
• Check your junk / spam folder • Add
noreply@ontariocolleges.ca
to your safe senders list.
P riv a c y S tate m e nt Review our com plete Privacy Statem ent.
• I t explains how we use the information provided as part of your college application.
• A link to the Privacy Statement is located in the footer of the ontariocolleges.ca website and within the college application.

Info You’ll Need to Apply
To complete your application, you’ll need: Your com plete hom e m ailing address
• I ncluding your postal code
The city where your h igh school is located
• I mportant for cities in the GTA • Example: I s your high school in Toronto OR Etobicoke?
Your Ontario Education Num ber (OEN) and Stud ent Num ber
• Found on your report card or transcript

T H E A P P L IC AT IO N

Y o u r o n ta rioc o lle g e s .c a A c c o u n t
Yo ur o ntario c o lle g e s.c a a c c o unt allo w s y o u to :
• Apply to any of Ontario’s public colleges.
• Review and update your college application.
• Request Ontario high school transcripts (from participating schools).
Note: Grades for m ost current high school students are sent autom atically by your high school.
• Request Ontario college / university transcripts.
• View and accept offers of admission.

C re a t e a n A c c o u n t Go to the ontariocolleges.ca website
N EW USERS:
If you’ve never applied through ontariocolleges.ca before, click AP P LY.
RETURN I N G USERS:
If you have an existing account, click LOG I N .

C re a t e a n A c c o u n t
F ill in th is inform ation carefu lly.
You can only make changes to your first name, last name and date of birth by contacting ontariocolleges.ca.
P lease p rovid e a valid em a il ad d ress.
ontariocolleges.ca and the colleges will use it to com municate im portant information about your application.

C re a t e a n A c c o u n t - P a s s w o r d
PASSWORD RUL ES
If your password does not meet the minim um requirements, you won’t be able to create an account.

C re a t e a n A c c o u n t – C h a lle n g e Q u e s tio n s C hoose a question from the list or create your own.
Make sure you ch oose q uestion s and answers that you’ll remember later.
You’ll need to know them if you forget your username and/or password.

A c tiv a t e Y o u r A c c o u n t An account activation email will be sent to the email address you entered when you created your account.
Click the link in the email to activate your account.

S u c c e s s fu l A c c o u n t A c tiv a tio n Once your account has been successfully activated, click the button to log in to your account.

L o g In t o Y o u r A c c o u n t Forgot your username or password? Click the links to recover them.
L og in using the username (your email address) and password you created during account sign up.

E m a il C o m m u n ic a tion s
On firs t login only, you will be as ke d to re vie w and acce pt our Em ail Com m unications .
Check the boxes to receive emails and click Su b m it.

A p p lic a n t D a s h b o a r d Start your college application from this screen.
MESSAG E C EN TRE
Im portant information about your application is found here. Check regularly.

A p p lic a n t D a s h b o a r d - M y P rofile
MY P ROF I L E
• A checkmark will appear after each section is com pleted.
• All sections (even if they don’t apply to you) m ust be com pleted, in order, when you fill out your information for the first time.
• Click Save and Continue to continue to the next step.

A p p lic a n t D a s h b o a r d - M y P rofile
MY P ROF I L E
Person al I nform a tion – basic demographic info, including legal name, date of birth, etc.
C ontact I nform ation – street address, email address, telephone numbers.
Au th orized Users– authorization to allow another individual access to your account / application (e.g. parent, guidance counsellor). (N ote: not shared with the colleges.) C itizen ship & Resid en cy – C itizenship, residency status in C anada, country of birth.
Ed u cation – schools attending / attended; marks will be posted to this section.
F inancial Sup p ort – agency sponsorship; this does not include OSAP.
Ex p erience – add em ployment or volunteer experience that relates to your area of study.

A p p lic a n t D a s h b o a r d - M y A p p lic a tio n s
MY AP P L I C ATI ON S
P rog ra m C h oices – select or update your program choices in this section.
Basis of Ad m ission – identify if you are / will be a high school graduate or enrolled in a high school course.
Paym ent Sum m a ry – listing of fees requiring payment.
AC TI VI TY H I STORY
Sum mary of application’s day -to-day activities.

P e rso n a l In fo rm a tio n Com plete all required fields (marked with *).
Click Save an d C ontin ue to N ex t Step .

C o n ta c t In fo rm a tio n Click the C lick to ad d m a ilin g ad d ress button.

A d d a n A u th o riz e d U se r F u ll Access – Authorized individuals may make payments AN D changes to your application information.
Read On ly / Pay – Authorized individuals may make payments and ONLY VIEW your application information.
Complete required fields. Click Save.

C itiz e n s h ip a n d R e s id e n c y C an adian C itizens: Select Yes if you consider yourself to be an Aboriginal person, that is, a person related to, or descended from, the original peoples of Canada.
Indicate which definition you use to describe your Aboriginal Ancestry.
Com plete the fields by selecting information from the drop-down menus.
Click Save an d C ontin ue to N ex t Step .

E d u c a tio n Com plete only the sections that apply to your education experience.

A d d H ig h S c h o o l E d u c a tio n – F in d Y o u r S c h o o l
Ontario h ig h sch ool stu d ents:
Select your C ity, then use the F in d Sch ool button to add your school.

A d d H ig h S c h o o l E d u c a tio n All Ap p licants: Enter the date you started high school.
G rad uates / F orm er Stu d ents: Enter the date you com pleted / left high school.
I m p ortant
C u rrent Stu d ents: Click the radio button.

F in a n c ia l S u p p o r t Sp on sor Agency - The agency that will be paying all or some of your expenses while you attend college.
If you’re applying for financial aid (ex. OSAP, a bursary or scholarship) you are not considered ‘sponsored’ and should select No Sponsorship.
Use the drop-down menu to select the agency and click Save an d C ontinue to N ex t Step .

E x p e rie n c e Job Ex p e rience – Previous or current paid employment.
Test I nform a tion – Standardized test scores that can be submitted to support your application (ex. GED, TOEFL , IELTS.) Oth er Activities – Past or current volunteer experience, associations, memberships, etc.
Only add information in these sections if it relates to your area of study.
C heck the N o Ex pe rien ce to add box if none of the sections apply to you.
When you’re done, click C ontin ue to N ex t Step .

C re a t e a n A p p lic a tio n C lick th e b u tton with th e start d ate you wish to ap p ly to .
Selecting programs from BOTH application cycles will result in two applications and an additional application processing fee.
N ote:
Fees paid on duplicate applications are non-refundable.
P rog ram s startin g in :
• September 2016 • January 2017 • May 2017

C re a t e a n A p p lic a tio n Record your Accou nt N u m b er Click the Ad d a P rog ram button to get started.
You may apply to a maxim um of F I VE program choices with no more than TH REE at any one college.
You cannot create additional accounts to apply to more program s.
Record your Ap p lication N u m b er Received Date – the date your application fee payment is received and processed.

S e a r c h for P ro g ram s Enter the code or title of the program you wish to search for.
If you don’t know the exact program title, enter a word that you believe is part of the title.
Select the college you wish to apply to or search all colleges.
Click the Search button.

P ro g ram S e a r c h R e s u lts Make sure you select the correct P rog ra m De live ry, Start Date and C a m pu s.
Click the Ad d button to add a program to your application.

E d it P ro g ram C h o ic e Review the program details carefully to ensure you’ve selected the right program.

E d it P ro g ram C h o ic e P reviou s Year Ap p lied – If you’ve applied to this college before, select the year.
Entry L evel 1 – The first semester of the program’s first year.
N ote: Program’s with January start dates are still Entry L evel 1.
P reviou s Year Atten ded – If you’ve attended to this college before, select the year.
Click Save to return to the Program C hoices screen.

M a n a g e P ro g ram C h o ic e s C lick the Ad d a Prog ra m button to add more program choices to your application.

R a n k Y o u r P ro g ram C h o ic e s Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order of your program s.
Click Save an d C ontin ue Click Ed it to change program information.
Click Delete to remove the program from your application.

B a s is for A d m is s io n Review and answer both questions. C lick Save when done.
C u rrent h ig h sch ool stu d ents : Make sure Yes is selected for Question 2.

A p p lic a n t D a s h b o a r d – A p p lic a tio n S t a tu s Once program choices are added, the application status will be Un p aid .
After the application processing fee is received the status is updated to Paid and the application information is forwarded to your college choice(s ).

P a y m e n t S u m m a ry Review your fees.
Click P rocess Paym ent to pay your application processing fee online.

A p p lic a tio n A c tiv ity H is tory Select the application number you wish to review and click Retrieve.
G en eral – day-to-day sum m ary C ollege Tran sm ission – Sum mary of information that has been sent to your college choice(s). U pdated nightly.

A F T E R A P P LY IN G – N E X T S T E P S

A fte r Y o u A p p ly
I’ve submitted my application. W hat’s next?
• Send your transcripts. I f you’re an Ontario high school graduate, a GED holder, or have attended a school outside Ontario, you’ll need to subm it your transcript. To find out how to request transcripts and have them sent to the colleges with your application, visit our Transcripts page: ontariocolleges.ca/transcripts .
• Verify your grades. I f you’re a current Ontario high school student, you’ll need to log in to your account to verify your grades. We recom m end checking after your m id-term and final m arks for sem esters 1 and 2 have been subm itted. I f you notice an error, report it your guidance counsellor.
• Update your application. I f you need to make changes to your application, such as adding or rem oving a program , or update your account inform ation, such as your address or phone num ber, log back in to your ontariocolleges.ca account.
• Confirm an offer. Colleges begin sending out offers after February 1. The following slides explain how to view, confirm and decline offers of adm ission.
• Apply for financial aid. Once you’ve confirmed an offer, it’s time to start thinking about paying for college. There are m any financial aid options available to you including OSAP, scholarships, bursaries and grants. To find out m ore, check out our Paying for College page: ontariocolleges.ca/colleges/paying-for-college .

U p d a t e Y o u r A p p lic a tio n Remem ber to log out when you finish each session.
Clear your browser cache after you log out.
At any time you may resume your application where you left off.
Once AL L sections are com pleted (as indicated by the checkmarks), you may return to each section to view or make edits .
Make sure you save any changes before moving to the next screen or logging out.

Vie w a n d C o n fir m O ffe rs C lick View Of fe rs to see your offers of admission.
N ote: Offers can only be viewed after they are posted by the colleges.
You may accept only ON E offer at a time.
You may accept only ON E offer in a 24 hour period.
A confirmation email will be sent to your email address.
C H AN G I N G AN AC C EP TED OF F ER
If, after accepting an offer, you change your mind or receive another that you prefer, you may accept the new offer (before the expiry date). The new acceptance will cancel your previous one.

N E E D H E L P ?

N e e d H e lp?
• • • •
F o r A p p l ic atio n H e lp
Click
FAQ
to see answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Use
L ive Chat
to chat in real-tim e with a Custom er Contact Centre agent. To get started, click the Live Chat button at the bottom of the ontariocolleges.ca website.
Em ail our Custom er Contact Centre at ask-us@ontariocolleges.ca.
Call our Custom er Contact Centre at
1-888-892-2228
.
•
To C o rre c t H ig h S c ho o l G ra d e s
See your guidance counsellor.
•
F o r O ffe r o f A d m is s io n Info rm ation
Contact the college(s) you have applied to.
• • •
C o nne c t W ith U s faceb ook.com /ontariocolleges.ca
@ontariocolleges ontariocolleges.ca