Applications who don’t meet the regular admission criteria are assessed on a case-by-case basis according to educational background, professional experience and personal experience, to determine your ability to succeed at university.
To be admitted as a mature applicant, you must meet all the following requirements:
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- Not have studied full time in a structured program in the three years preceding your admission application.
- Meet the prerequisites for your chosen program as well as any other admission requirements. All prerequisite courses must be equivalent to recognized Grade 12 courses. You must confirm the applicable prerequisites based on the province or territory where you’ve studied.
- Submit an up-to-date resumé.
- Submit a letter of intent that demonstrates you’re prepared and able to succeed. It should discuss:
- your motivation for starting university studies
- your goals and how your program will help you move forward
- the experience you’ve gained since your previous full-time studies (if applicable), with concrete examples
- relevant work or personal experience that shows you’re ready for studies
Admission decisions are based on the consistency, relevance and strength of your file as a whole, as well as the requirements of your intended program.
Important
- We don’t provide advance assessment of your file. You must formally apply for us to assess it.
- If you’ve already attended a university or college full time, you can’t apply as a mature student. You’re considered a student coming from another institution who must meet the usual admission criteria.
These are the minimum requirements. They can change for future admission cycles. Please note that meeting the requirements doesn’t guarantee admission.
Some programs may require additional documents, an audition or an exam. You must check the requirements for the program you’re interested in before applying.
If you’ve studied in Canada for less than three years (whether at high school, college or university), you might have to submit your official results in a language proficiency test recognized by uOttawa. The University reserves the right to ask for proof of language proficiency at any time when assessing your application.
While most programs accept applications for admission until June 1, some have earlier deadlines. You must check the deadlines for your chosen program. We also reserve the right to stop accepting applications before the deadline.
