🇨🇦 How to apply to university in Canada

Applications go through OUAC (Ontario Universities' Application Centre) — Ontario only. Programmes usually start: September (main); some programmes also start in January.

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: OUAC (Ontario Universities' Application Centre) — Ontario onlyOUAC handles applications to Ontario's universities. In the other provinces you apply to each institution as it directs.
When programmes start: September (main); some programmes also start in January.
International applicants: International applicants use the same routes as Canadians — OUAC for Ontario universities, the institution's own application elsewhere — and then need a study permit, which usually requires a provincial attestation letter (a CAQ in Quebec).
Language: IELTS, TOEFL or another accepted English test (or a French test for French-language programmes) unless your schooling was in that language.

Key dates

Add all these dates to my calendar (.ics)

Ontario universities set their own deadlines within the OUAC cycle — check each programme. Outside Ontario each institution publishes its own dates.

Date	What	Who	Intake	Source	Calendar
7 November 2026	Recommended early application date (University of Toronto Scarborough)	Applicants to U of T Scarborough through OUAC — applying early leaves time for the study permit	Fall 2027 entry	University of Toronto Scarborough — Dates and deadlines (fall 2027)
15 January 2027	OUAC application deadline (University of Toronto Scarborough; many Ontario universities use the same date)	Applicants to U of T Scarborough through OUAC; some programmes stay open longer, others close earlier	Fall 2027 entry	University of Toronto Scarborough — Dates and deadlines (fall 2027)

A window shows its opening date above its closing date. Individual universities and programmes can set earlier dates of their own — always confirm on the official page before you rely on a date. The calendar file adds each date as an all-day event with a reminder a week before.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in Canada, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Choose programmes and check each institution's admission requirements for your school-leaving qualification.
2.Take an English (or French, for French-language programmes) test if your schooling wasn't in that language.
3.Apply — through OUAC for Ontario universities, or to the institution directly elsewhere — before its deadline, and pay the fee.
4.Send transcripts and any supplementary forms by the institution's document deadline.
5.Accept an offer and pay the deposit; you then get a letter of acceptance.
6.Get a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) from your school — or a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) if you'll study in Quebec.
7.Apply to IRCC for a study permit with the letter of acceptance, the PAL/TAL or CAQ, proof of identity and proof of funds.
8.Arrange housing and travel once the study permit is approved.

0 of 8 done · ticks are saved in this browser only

Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.