Applying to Ontario Universities and Colleges for Fall 2027: OUAC and Ontario Colleges Fees and Deadlines

Applying to university in Ontario for fall 2027 costs $159 through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) for your first three program choices, plus $51 for each extra choice, as of 1 October 2026. Some programs add their own fee, such as $60 for University of Waterloo Engineering. Applying to Ontario colleges through Ontario Colleges costs $150 for up to five program choices. All of these fees are non-refundable. For current Ontario high school students, the OUAC deadline is 15 January 2027, and the college equal consideration date is 1 February 2027. Choosing programs deliberately, and knowing which extra fees apply, can keep a family's application bill in Canada to a few hundred dollars instead of much more.

OUAC fees for fall 2027

The OUAC undergraduate application is the single application for first-year undergraduate programs at Ontario universities. Its fee page, updated 1 October 2026, lists these amounts in Canadian dollars:

A few rules matter for cost. Replacing a program choice with another program at the same university is free. Withdrawing a choice at one university and adding a choice at a different university costs $51 for the new choice. You can apply to as many Ontario universities as you like, but no more than three program choices at any one university, and fees are not refunded for choices you later withdraw.

Program fees at selected faculties

Some faculties charge their own fee for their admission process. OUAC's list as of 1 October 2026 includes:

These are only admission fees. Many of these programs also ask for supplementary applications, essays, video interviews or portfolios with their own deadlines, which are separate from the OUAC deadline. Each university's admissions page lists them.

Group A or Group B

OUAC sorts applicants automatically. You are a Group A applicant if you are currently taking at least one Ontario high school course, are under 21 on or before 31 December 2026, and have or are working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma with six 4U or 4M courses. Everyone else is Group B, including Canadians outside Ontario, transfer students and mature applicants. The group affects deadlines and whether document evaluation fees apply. Group B deadlines vary by university.

Key OUAC dates for fall 2027

Applying earlier does not cost more, and some universities make early offers based on Grade 11 and early Grade 12 marks. Submitting well before 15 January also leaves time for supplementary applications, which often have deadlines in January or February.

Ontario Colleges fees and dates

Ontario's public colleges use a separate application through Ontario Colleges. The fee is $150, non-refundable, for up to five program choices, with no more than three at any one college. There is also a $5 transcript processing fee and transcript request fees from some institutions. The application for fall 2027 opened on 26 September 2026.

After 1 February, colleges consider applicants first-come, first-served while programs have space, and many programs stay open until classes start. For competitive programs, though, applying by 1 February is what matters.

How families end up paying more than they planned

• Adding choices late. Each extra university choice is $51, and a choice withdrawn later is not refunded.
• Program fees that are easy to miss. A single engineering or commerce choice can add $45 to $60 or more.
• Applying to both systems without a plan. A university and a college application together start at $309 before extras.
• Supplementary applications and tests. Some programs have their own costs outside OUAC.
• Deposits. Accepting an offer often means a deposit that may be non-refundable; read the terms before paying.

A plan to keep the cost reasonable

1. List programs first, then universities. Three choices at the same university cost the same as three choices at three universities.
2. Check which choices carry program fees and add them to your total before you submit.
3. Use the free swap rule: replacing a program with another at the same university costs nothing.
4. Decide early whether a college application is part of the plan, so you are not paying for one at the last minute.
5. Set aside money now for the deposit in June 2027, and for residence deposits, which universities set separately.
6. Apply for scholarships at the same time; many entrance awards are considered automatically with your application, and others need a separate form.

Example with made-up inputs: one student's applications

These numbers are an example with made-up inputs about the number of choices; the fees are OUAC's and Ontario Colleges' published amounts as of 1 October 2026. A Group A student applies to six university programs, one of which is University of Waterloo Engineering, and also applies to one college program as a backup.

If the student drops one extra university choice that they would not attend anyway, the total falls by $51 to $471. If the college backup is applied to only after university responses arrive, there is a risk that a competitive college program is already full, so that saving needs to be weighed against the 1 February equal consideration date.

After the application: costs to plan for

The application fee is the smallest cost. Once offers arrive, a family faces acceptance deposits, residence deposits, first-term tuition and the cost of moving. Ontario tuition at public institutions may rise by up to 2% a year from 2026-27, and Ontario's student aid now gives at least 75% of its provincial portion as loans, so planning ahead matters more than it did a few years ago. The first-year university budget covers the full list, and RESP withdrawals are explained in the EAP and PSE guide.

Common mistakes

• Missing a supplementary application deadline because only the OUAC date was on the calendar.
• Paying for a seventh or eighth choice the student would never accept.
• Forgetting that fees for withdrawn choices are not refunded.
• Assuming college and university applications share one fee; they are separate systems.
• Leaving no money aside for a June deposit.