New Students

Welcome New Students of OCAD University!

Did you receive an offer of admission for fall 2023? Congratulations! We are excited to welcome you to the OCAD U community.

This page is your hub for support, deadlines, events and other important information to help you transition to OCAD U as a new undergraduate student. We're here to provide some answers and guidance to get you ready and feeling confident about joining OCAD U in September 2023. Don't forget to keep an eye out for more emails from ugadmissions [at] ocadu.ca.

Haven’t applied yet? Connect with our team and learn more about the school and what we offer.

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DATES&DEADLINES

Meet these Deadlines

RESPOND TO YOUR OFFER

Deadline: June 1, 2023

Confirm that you would like to accept your offer of admission by June 1, 2023 through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC).

Ontario Secondary School applicants (OUAC101) can find instructions on how to respond to the offer here.

All other applicants (OUAC105) can find instructions on how to respond to the offer here.

PAY THE CONFIRMATION DEPOSIT

Deadline: June 8, 2023

Ensure you pay the $500 CAD non-refundable confirmation deposit to secure your seat. There are a number of ways to pay such as online banking, cheque or money order, Western Union GlobalPay for Students.

Please check your email for more detailed information.

SUBMIT ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Recommended Deadline: July 13, 2023

Final Deadline: August 1, 2023

To satisfy the conditions of your offer of admission, you must provide all required official documents to meet the academic entrance requirements. You can review your applicant portal to see what required documents you still need to send in.

LOG INTO THE APPLICANT PORTAL

Log into the applicant portal here

With the ID number sent to you, log in to the applicant portal: https://join.ocadu.ca/application/login If your portal is not up to date, don’t fret. Please expect some delay in the upload of your documents.

COURSE REGISTRATION

Check your emails for exact registration dates/times.

We’ve created a short, self-directed tutorial to help you learn how to pick your courses and sign up for them (known as planning and registering for courses).

Enrol in Planning and Registering for Your Courses (new students)

Use our Registration & Advising support site

Once you’ve completed the tutorial, if you still have questions, try searching our Registration & Advising support site. You can also use this site to ask a question and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. You can also find this site in the my.ocadu.ca Student Portal under Tools.

SIGN UP FOR A PEER MENTOR

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: FACE2FACE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

Early-Bird Deadline: Monday July 31, 2023

Final Deadline: Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Introduce yourself to our community! Participate in our unique OCAD U orientation and welcome tradition, "face2face: virtual exhibition" and submit a self-portrait and show us who you are. Let's meet face-2-face! Learn more here.

LEARN ABOUT ORIENTATION AND WELCOME ACTIVITIES

https://www.ocadu.ca/services/campus-life/orientation

Campus Life, your OCAD Student Union, and university support and service units are currently planning O-DAYS! 2023 (orientation and welcome), mid-August to September 10, featuring informative online activities and workshops, socials and engagement. While designed with the new and first-year undergraduate students in mind, there's something for everyone, whether you are new or returning! Read on for event listings designed to support your success in getting started at OCAD U!

FrequentlyAskedQuestions

Supports and Services Admissions FAQs

Supports for English Language Learners

Apply for the EAD Program (Optional)

The English for Art and Design (EAD) program is an optional summer program for ESL students entering first year at OCAD University. As a student at OCAD University this fall, you will be speaking English constantly, in class and outside of class. You will work on group projects, discuss and debate with students and faculty, and make presentations about your work in English. English for Art and Design will help you prepare.

LEARN MORE

Additional supports & services

Financial Support

Whether it be tuition & fees, applying for OSAP, bursaries or scholarships, on-campus work-study programs, Financial Aid & Awards has information and resources available to help.

Download this helpful resource to get oriented about scholarships, bursaries and loans available to you.

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Housing

Learn more about Housing at OCAD U!

There are a variety of housing options in Toronto for new, incoming students who will be attending OCAD U. We continuously work with these partners to ensure we provide reliable information and advice for our students.

We have complied some questions you should be sure to ask our housing partners about before applying or signing any lease.

Visit our housing page for more information and for links to our housing partner websites.

Laptop Program

The Laptop Program is unique to OCAD U. It tailors software support to the program you applied to for all students. All students entering undergraduate studies at OCAD University are required to bring a recommended laptop computer with them to University.

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Indigenous Applicants

SHE:KON, AANIIN, BOOZHOO, TANSI, TUNNGASUGIT, WACHAY, WELCOME! TO THE INDIGENOUS STUDENT CENTRE

The Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) offers a variety of services available for our diverse community of Indigenous students (Status, Non-status, Métis and Inuit). Our welcoming and friendly staff are here to provide a safe space and to support the academic, cultural, social and emotional well-being of Indigenous students at OCAD University.

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International Applicants

Apply for a Study Permit/Student Visa

Study permits are required for you to begin your studies in Canada and we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible after you have decided to accept the offer of admission to avoid processing details. For details on how to obtain the appropriate documentation visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Additional details on can be found on the Government of Canada’s website.

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Engage with International Student Services

International Student Services ensures international students, exchange students and all students wishing to make meaningful global connections have access to innovative services, programs and activities that are responsive to their needs and assist them in becoming successful practitioners in the fields of art and design.

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Transfer Applicants who previously attended college/university or completed IB/AP courses

Apply for Transfer Credit

Students who applied to first year may apply for transfer credits if they have attended an accredited post-secondary institution or have completed Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. OCAD U does not assess transfer credits automatically.

Students have 2 years from the time they are admitted to apply for transfer credits and submit only 1 request during their time at OCAD U. We will review your transcript for relevant courses that may fulfill program requirements at all year levels.

We recommend you follow the deadlines bellow to give us enough time to review your request before the start of a term. If we receive your request after the deadlines below, you might not receive your results in time to replace courses you drop based on receiving transfer credits, which could include losing tuition refund money.

August 1 for Fall term
November 15 for Winter term
March 31 for Spring/Summer term

Final Request Deadline:

For September 2023 entry students, the final deadline is August 31, 2025.

If you would like your previously completed courses considered, please review the Transfer Credit Guidelines, FAQs, and submit a Transfer Credit Request Form, and all required documents.

Applicants who may need academic or accessibility support

Contact Student Accessibility Services

Student Accessibility Services has subject matter expertise in the area of disability, accessibility and academic accommodations and oversees and coordinates the student academic accommodation process.

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Questions about academic requirements, deadlines and more...

Get in touch with our admissions team if you have any questions.

What if I have questions/how I contact the Admissions & Recruitment Office?

Email is the best way to get in touch with us at this time. Email us at admissions [at] ocadu.ca or book a 1:1 appointment here.

Outstanding Documents

Mailed-in documents continue to be delivered to us and we want to reassure you that your application is being updated as quickly as possible. If there are documents outstanding from your file that haven’t yet been sent to us by mail, we recommend that these items are submitted to us electronically. If your school, testing centre or examining body is able; they can send official documents to us by email or through e-transcript services like Parchment, Bridge-U or e-SCRIP-SAFE.

My final exams have been cancelled/school is closed/school is changing its grading system. How will this affect my application/offer of admission?

We are in close contact with schools, exam boards and testing organizations that have been working diligently to adjust their curriculum and determine new evaluation and assessment methods. We will accept adjusted assessment methods in order to meet our academic entrance requirements. Final official documents are due by August 1st, 2023 with the potential for extensions if required.

Will you accept online courses to meet academic requirements?

Yes, we will accept courses completed through accredited online schools to meet academic entrance requirements. Questions? Reach out to ugadmissions [at] ocadu.ca.

What if my English language testing centre is closed?

If you have received an offer of admission and are required to submit English language proficiency test results, you have until August 1st, 2023 to submit results that meet our minimum requirements. Full details on the tests we accept, the minimum score requirements as well as details on our language pathway partner schools are available on our English language proficiency page. Questions? Get in touch with us at admissions [at] ocadu.ca (admissions[at]ocadu[dot]ca).

OCAD U offers an English language pathway program in the summer. The English for Art and Design (EAD) Bridge to First Year is for applicants who have received an offer and who do not meet our minimum English language test scores requirements but fall within our discretionary language test score range.

What if I can't receive a study permit?

Study permits are required for you to begin your studies in Canada. For details on how to obtain the appropriate documentation visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Additional details on can be found on the Government of Canada’s website.

What resources are available to me?

Staff in our Financial Aid & Awards office can help you create a financial plan and to connect you with resources required to meet your university costs. Check out ocadu.ca/financialaid to explore financial supports and resources available to you or email .

Can I defer my offer of admission?

OCAD University will consider deferrals of the offer of admission in extenuating circumstances. To be eligible for a deferral you must first accept the offer of admission, pay the non-refundable confirmation deposit and satisfy all conditions of the offer of admission.

To request a deferral, please submit our Deferral Request form by August 15, 2023.

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