If you have or will receive an undergraduate university degree prior to entering the program and are considering obtaining Ontario Certified Teacher designation (OCT), check the requirements below. Your eligibility depends on your degree and grade average, the prerequisite courses you need to teach each subject and other requirements. Since enrolment is limited, we make admission offers to those with the best results, based on enrolment targets for each teaching subject and division. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Undergraduate university degree

• Must be accredited by a body, such as a provincial ministry of education, or a ministry of higher education and scientific research or of national education, that has the authority to approve a university degree. Your program must have been accredited at the time you graduated.

• In Canada: a university degree of at least 90 credits or a four-year honours bachelor at an Ontario college
• Abroad: a university degree of at least 180 ECTS in the same program (e.g., licentiate, engineering degree).

Foreign degrees or diplomas we don’t accept:

• State diploma issued by an institution not authorized to grant a university degree
• So-called "university-level" degrees not provided in a university
• BAC + 3 “level” diploma from higher education establishments not accredited by a ministry of higher education and scientific research or national education
• University type court degree, even of 180 ECTS (e.g., Hautes Écoles)
• Diploma of 30, 60 or 120 ECTS (e.g., Master 1, Master 2, DESS, maîtrise of 120 ECTS)
• BT, BTS, DEUG, DEUL, DUES, DUT, DST, Gradué, Troisième Graduat
• Combined diplomas (e.g., DEUG of 120 ECTS + master of 60 ECTS)

If in doubt, feel free to contact us.

Average

Your average counts for 50% of our admission decision. Make sure that you have the required minimum average. If it is less than the minimum required, your file can be refused.

• Studies in Canada: at least 70% in your best 10 full-year or 20 one-term undergraduate university courses completed by September 1 of the year before you enrol. Courses required to satisfy a teaching subject are not included in the calculation if they are not in the top 20. However, if you have completed less than 20 courses, all those completed by that date are calculated. College, CEGEP and graduate studies are not included.
• Studies abroad: at least 70%, based on your undergraduate university annual grade point average (for example, 11/20, pass or satisfactory)

Divisions and teaching subjects

To teach a subject (e.g. French, geography, biology), you must have taken university courses on it. Make sure you have the right number of courses in that subject for the division. Note that one full-year course is equivalent to two one-term courses. If you are short of courses to meet a teaching subject when you apply, you must complete them by the August before you start the program. To avoid automatic refusal of your application, mention them in your application or in an email to [email protected].

Some teaching subjects require specific prerequisite courses. See the Teaching Subjects Chart.

Primary/Junior division (Kindergarten to Grade 6)

No prerequisite courses required. However, we recommend one one-term university course in at least four of the five subject groupings below (a 1% bonus point will be added to your admission score).

• English/Linguistics/Languages
• Mathematics/Statistics
• Physical Sciences/Life Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science)
• Social Sciences/Humanities
• Visual Arts/Music/Drama

Primary/Junior — French as a Second Language (FSL) 

See the Teaching Subjects Chart.

You require six one-term university courses in French as a second language (FSL, FREN). A 1% bonus point will be added to your score (based on the Primary/Junior subject groupings above).

Whether you are francophone, or have studied in French or in French immersion, our FSL test is mandatory for everyone, without exception. No other exam can replace it. Make sure you register and prepare for the French proficiency test. For more information, you must contact [email protected].

Junior/Intermediate (Grades 4 to 10)

You must choose one teaching subject — see the Teaching Subjects Chart.

You require six one-term university courses in the subject (a maximum of two in a related field).

• Subjects offered: English; Dramatic Arts; French as a Second Language; Geography; Health and Physical Education; History; Mathematics; Music (Instrumental); Science (General), Visual Arts.

Intermediate/Senior (Grades 7 to 12)

You must choose two different teaching subjects — see the Teaching Subjects Chart.

You require 10 one-term courses in your first subject (a maximum of four in a related field).

You require six one-term courses in your second subject (a maximum of two in a related field).

• Subjects offered: English; *Dramatic Arts; *French as a Second Language; * Geography; Health and Physical Education; History; Mathematics; Music (Instrumental); Science (Biology); Science (Chemistry); *Science (Physics); *Visual Arts. 
• *Can’t be combined with other subjects with an asterisk (*) as either a first or second teaching subject.

Experience

You must have experience and skills relevant to teaching. They are an integral part of your admission evaluation, though they can’t replace your teaching subject requirements. You must therefore submit a Statement of Experience, available through your uoZone account once you apply. It is worth 50% of the admission decision, and you must receive a minimum score of 70% on it. Your statement can’t make up for a weak academic average and vice versa.  If either is lower than the minimum required, your file may be rejected.

Note: We do not evaluate letters of reference, resumes, business cards and such.

English proficiency

If you have studied in a country where English is not an official language AND have not completed at least three consecutive years of full-time studies in English (or have not completed an English 4U course in Ontario), you must pass one of the following tests (within the two years prior to enrolling in the program) with the minimum score below:

• TOEFL: Internet-based test with a minimum of 24 in each of the four skills
• IELTS: minimum of 7.0 in each of the four skills
• PTE TEST: minimum of 65 in each of the four skills

Good to know

• Accessibility and equity: Places are reserved for the following groups: 2% for Indigenous peoples, 3% for persons with disabilities and 9% for members of visible minorities. You must self-identify at the end of your Statement of Experience.
• University of Ottawa second language teaching graduates (or current students): 20 spaces are reserved (10 in the Primary/Junior division and 10 in the Junior/Intermediate and Intermediate/Senior divisions).
• University of Ottawa graduates (or current students) (Intermediate/Senior division): 10 places are reserved for University of Ottawa applicants from the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts, Mathematics, Physics. No self-identification required.
• Algonquin College ECE graduates (or current students): 10 spaces are reserved in the Primary/Junior division for Algonquin College Early Childhood Education graduates. You must have a university degree or a four-year honours bachelor at an Ontario College. You must submit also an Algonquin College transcript or proof of registration.
• Internationally-trained teachers: 20 spaces are reserved for internationally-trained teachers.

Apply online through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), by completing form TEAS.

• Please prioritize your choices — you can only receive one offer of admission.

You must report all of your current and past postsecondary education. If you have a master’s or a PhD, you must still include your undergraduate studies (e.g., bachelor’s, licentiate, engineering degree).

• You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application within two weeks of applying. Keep an eye on your junk mail just in case. If two weeks go by and you don’t receive an email, email us.
• Be sure to save the acknowledgement of receipt email. It tells you how to log into the uoZone student portal to track the progress of your application. It also includes your student number, user ID and password. You are responsible for checking your uoZone account for missing documents.

Log in to uoZone and see the list of required documents. You are responsible for uploading them in uoDoc by the Canadian applicant deadline or International applicant deadline. Check your account regularly to see if you are missing documents or if a decision has been posted. We may also add comments or documents to your file if we require additional information from you.

If you apply for the FSL teaching subject, the results of your language proficiency examination will be sent to us by the Faculty.  With this exception, if your file remains incomplete after the deadline, your application may be cancelled without notice.

Remember:

University undergraduate degree: You can’t be admitted based on a master’s, DESS or PhD.

• Studies in Canada or USA: If your transcript indicates that you have graduated, you don’t have to submit it.
• Studies abroad: You must submit a copy of your undergraduate diploma or certificate of success.

Transcripts: Upload transcripts for all your years undergraduate studies in uoDoc via uoZone into a single PDF file (for example, studies abroad: DEUG 1 and 2 + licentiate; licentiate 1 + 2 + 3). Note that these transcripts are not considered official.

• You do not have to submit University of Ottawa transcripts.
• Those submitted by OUAC (Ontario Universities) must be sent "immediately". Do not wait for your final marks, as they will not be counted in the admission average.
• You must submit transcripts from Saint Paul University (Ontario) if you attended that institution.
• A World Education Services evaluation (WES), an Évaluation comparative des études effectuées hors du Québec or any other evaluation can’t replace an official diploma or transcript and does not replace the University’s assessment of your file for the purposes of you obtaining teacher certification.
• If you are admitted, you must provide an official transcript with an official seal issued by the institution in question or a copy certified by a notary, lawyer or commissioner of oaths.
• Graduate and postdoctoral transcripts are not required.

Algonquin College ECE protected corridor (Ontario): you must submit an official transcript or proof of registration in the program.

Statement of Experience: Complete the statement online through your uoZone account. We only accept this form.

• If you have applied previously and submitted a statement, you must still submit a new one, including your more recent experience.
• Only ONE Statement of Experience is required, regardless of the number of program choices you make.

The University of Ottawa may request any other document necessary to evaluate your file. All documents become property of the University and are not returned to applicants. You are responsible for ensuring that we receive all the requested documents by the deadline.

Although the deadline for submitting documents is February 15, 2023, we begin sending out decisions in early February and will continue until we reach our targets by division and teaching subject. Therefore, to increase your chances of admission, you should complete your file before December 19. We send you an email once we make a decision, but you are still responsible for checking your uoZone account regularly.

You must accept or decline the offer before the deadline. If you accept, a $250 non-refundable deposit is required by the deadline indicated in your offer. If you’re on a waiting list and wish to remain on it, make sure you also respond before the deadline. Information concerning the waiting list can be found in our FAQ below.