This page contains information about transfer credits allocated based on the curriculum and level of education you’ve completed.
Please note: At uOttawa, credits are referred to as “units.”
The granting of transfer credits (units) depends on several factors:
We assess what credits (units) you can transfer only after you’ve accepted your offer of admission.
Your institution must be accredited or recognized by your country’s ministry of education. If your institution isn’t on our list of recognized institutions, you must submit proof of accreditation.
To receive your bachelor’s degree, you must complete 50 percent of the credits (units) of your program at the University of Ottawa. We can only grant you transfer credits (units) for less than half the credits (units) you require for your bachelor’s.
Some programs don’t offer transfer credits (units):
We don’t grant transfer credits (units) in a bachelor’s program for graduate courses (master’s, PhD, etc.) you’ve taken.
Transfer credits (units) will be posted under Academic Advisement in uoZone, and you will receive a revised offer of admission.
Once you’ve accepted your offer of admission, the Admissions Office will make an initial assessment of your transfer credits (units).
You’ll receive a revised offer of admission. Log into your uoZone account and download the revised offer to see your transfer credits (units) and read all the information pertinent to it. You don’t have to accept our revised offer even if you accepted our original offer.
When assessing your prior learning, the Admissions Office or your school or faculty may grant you credits (units) for the following:
Optional courses count towards your elective courses. If we don’t have specific descriptions of courses you’ve taken, we’ll recognize your prior learning by granting you optional (OPT) course credits (units). If so, this will be on your offer of admission.
We grant you transfer credits (units) based on what we believe would be most advantageous in your program. Please note that you can substitute certain courses if you choose a second discipline or request a change of program. For substitution requests, contact your faculty.
Engineering students: Transfer credits (units) are normally granted for non-engineering courses. You can make a request for transfer credits (units) for specific engineering courses through the Faculty of Engineering.
The University of Ottawa doesn’t grant transfer credits (units) for high school courses except for the following curriculums:
Students entering uOttawa for first year who’ve taken courses in one of the above curriculums may be eligible for transfer credits (units). This is automatically assessed when we receive your official final grades in the summer.
The maximum number of credits (units) we grant varies depending on your program.
You can receive up to 15 credits (units) if you’ve passed 12 CEGEP courses.
If you’ve completed more than 17 CEGEP courses, you can receive up to 30 credits (units), which usually represents one year of university study.
| Faculty | Number of units |
|---|---|
Arts Sciences Social Sciences Telfer School Management | Up to 30 units |
| Engineering | For Computer Science : Up to 30 units For other disciplines: Very limited transfer credits |
| Health Sciences | For Nursing: Up to 21 units For Dietetics: Very limited transfer credits For other disciplines: Up to 30 units |
| Law (Civil Law Section) | Up to 9 units for graduates of a technical legal program |
You may be eligible for transfer credits (units):
If you’re in a bachelor’s program, see the “University transfer students” section.
If you’re applying after one year of college in a certificate or diploma program, we won’t grant you any transfer credits (units).
Faculties that grant transfer credits (units) do so based on your discipline, courses completed and length of studies
| Faculty | Number of units |
|---|---|
| Arts, Science and Social Sciences | Up to 30 units |
| Telfer School of Management | With a two or three-year non-business diploma: Up to 15 units With a two-year management diploma: Up to 30 units With a three-year management diploma: Up to 45 units |
| Engineering | For Computer Science: Up to 30 units For other disciplines: Very limited transfer credits |
| Health Sciences | For Nursing: Up to 21 units For other disciplines: Up to 30 units |
The University of Ottawa has agreements with certain colleges. If you’re applying from one of these colleges, our agreement may affect any transfer credits (units) you receive.
You must declare all studies you’ve attempted or completed on your OUAC application to qualify for transfer credits (units). Failure to do so is considered academic fraud.
If you’re seeking transfer credits (units) for a specific course, you must submit a detailed course syllabus.
You must have a minimum grade of 60% to be granted any transfer credits (units). This doesn’t apply to students transferring from Carleton University or Saint Paul University (who require 50%).
Please note that you require a minimum grade of 65% for Nutrition (NUT) and Nursing (NSG) courses.
You must submit detailed course descriptions for us to assess your application for transfer credits (units). If you don’t submit course descriptions (when required) by the end of your first term, you’ll be considered to have declined the credits (units).
Your course syllabus or outline must include the following information:
You may be eligible for up to 30 transfer credits (units) for the courses you’ve completed depending on your program requirements.
Current uOttawa students transferring from one program to another have the courses related to the new program transferred automatically.
All courses you’ve passed at uOttawa, as well as any transfer credits (units) you had received related to this program, are automatically applied towards your program requirements, subject to University and/or faculty policies.
You can explore the My Academic Requirements application in uoZone before the enrolment period.
To take one or more courses at a university with which the University of Ottawa has no formal agreement, you must have a letter of permission from your faculty. You can find more information about the general policy on credit (unit) transfers.
To receive a degree from the University of Ottawa, you must complete at least 50% of your program requirements at uOttawa. You must also meet all specific program requirements.
