The dates that matter for September 2027

Dates from OUAC for the 2027 cycle. Ontario colleges run a separate system, ontariocolleges.ca, with an equal-consideration date of February 1.

101 or 105?

101 is for current Ontario high school students taking at least one course now, who have not been out of school for more than seven months and have not yet started post-secondary. Your school sends your grades automatically. 105 is everyone else: out-of-province, out of school for a while, international, or already in college or university. If you are reading this in Grade 12 in Ontario, you are a 101.

How many programs, and what it costs

The base fee covers three program choices at any mix of universities; each extra choice is about $50. A choice is a program, not a university, so Engineering and Computer Science at the same school count as two. Most students apply to five to eight. The fee is not refundable and it does not buy you anything but consideration, so three strong choices beats ten random ones.

What universities actually look at

• Your top six Grade 12 U or M courses, including the required ones for the program. Grade 11 marks are used for early offers at some schools, so they are not nothing.
• Required courses. Engineering wants Advanced Functions, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and English; nursing wants Biology, Chemistry, Advanced Functions and English; business usually wants Advanced Functions and English. Missing one is a closed door for that program this year, so check in November, not March.
• Supplementary applications. Waterloo (AIF), McMaster health sciences, Western Ivey, Queen's Commerce, Toronto engineering and most co-op programs ask for a form, a short video or an essay with its own deadline, often February.
• Nothing else. No interviews for most programs, no reference letters, no extracurricular checklist. The average does almost all of the work.

Before you pay the fee

Put your top three programs next to a trade and a diploma with the same columns. Engineering is about $52,000 over four years and starts around $79,100; a civil engineering technology diploma is $13,500 and three years; an electrician is paid from month one. None is the right answer for everyone. The point is that you choose with the numbers in front of you, and that the OUAC fee is spent on programs you actually want.

If you miss January 15

You are not done. OUAC accepts applications after the deadline and many programs stay open; the equal-consideration guarantee is what you lose, not the chance. If the program you wanted is full, the college route (ontariocolleges.ca, February 1 equal-consideration date, open well into summer) and the transfer agreements from college diplomas into degrees are real options that cost less.

Quick answers

When is the OUAC deadline for 2027?

January 15, 2027, for Ontario high school students (the 101 application). You can apply after that, but you lose equal consideration and some programs fill.

What is the difference between OUAC 101 and 105?

101 is for current Ontario high school students; 105 is for everyone else, including out-of-province, international, mature and transfer applicants.

How many programs can I apply to through OUAC?

As many as you like. The base fee covers three choices; each additional choice costs extra, so most students apply to five to eight.

When do Ontario universities send offers?

Early offers start in the winter for strong students; most are decided on the February marks report; the latest you will hear is May 28, 2027. Nobody can make you accept before June 1.

Do I need to apply to college separately?

Yes. Ontario colleges use ontariocolleges.ca, with an equal-consideration date of February 1, 2027.

Figures are medians and typical costs from Job Bank, Statistics Canada, provincial wage surveys and institution fee pages, verified in 2026; the data page lists every source. Your own numbers will differ by employer, region and overtime.