University of Ottawa School of Music admission requirements: ENG4U, 75% minimum and a BMus audition

uOttawa's Ontario requirements list one course for both music degrees: English 4U (ENG4U) or Français 4U (FRA4U). uOttawa also accepts EAE4U, EAL4U, ETS4U, EAC4U, EWC4U and FLO4U as the language course. You need an Ontario diploma with at least six 4U, 4M or DU courses.

uOttawa works out your average from your top six 4U, 4M or DU grades, including the language course. Grade 12 co-op courses don't count. Plan your six in our course planner.

uOttawa lists a minimum admission average of 75% for both the BMus (OME) and the Honours BA in Music (OVH). uOttawa says these are minimums only, they can change, and meeting them doesn't guarantee admission. It doesn't publish the average of admitted music students.

For the BMus, the audition matters as much as your grades. uOttawa makes offers in three rounds, so strong Grade 11 and early Grade 12 marks help. Work out your top six with our Top 6 average calculator, and see our uOttawa acceptance rate page for school-wide data.

The BMus and the combined BMus and BSc need an audition on your main instrument. Steps: apply on OUAC, pay the $65 non-refundable audition fee, then fill in the audition form with your student number and fee receipt. The School of Music doesn't provide accompanists, so you find your own.

Live auditions run February 15 to 20, 2027, and you get your time slot by email in early February. Video auditions go on YouTube as an unlisted link, in one video, with each piece in one take. Each instrument has its own list. Pianists, for example, prepare a Baroque piece, two movements of a Classical sonata, and a Romantic, 20th century or contemporary piece, at about RCM Grade 10.

uOttawa's pages don't state a rule on outside help. The playing on your audition must be your own.

The OUAC deadline for the BMus is January 15, 2027, with documents due February 15, 2027. On the auditions page, in-person audition applications are due January 19, and video applications by February 22, 2027. uOttawa says late applications are still considered if spots remain.

The auditions page has two lines that don't match. One says 2027 dates are still to come. The next says in-person auditions run February 15 to 20, 2027, and the table of dates by instrument is still blank. Plan for February, and confirm your day with the School of Music.

The pages also differ on level. The program page and catalogue say you must show an intermediate or advanced level. The auditions page says BMus applicants must show an advanced level of technical proficiency. Prepare for the higher bar. Compare all dates on our Ontario deadlines page.

There's no theory placement test to get into the BMus. uOttawa says that evaluation happens at the start of the fall term. A written test at the start of MUS 1191 decides if you need an extra weekly lab. A test at the start of MUS 2306 decides if you also take MUS 1303.

The School of Music offers sample theory and aural skills placement tests if you ask the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Non-keyboard players also write a piano proficiency exam at the end of second year.

The BMus is 120 units. First-year courses include ENG 1100 Workshop in Essay Writing, MUS 1032 Applied Music I: Performance BMUS, and MUS 1191 or 1194 Sight-Singing and Dictation I. Later years add MUS 2306 and 2307 Theory and Analysis, MUS 2365 and 2366 Music: The Big Questions, and 12 units of ensembles.

If you fail an applied music course, the School of Music will ask you to leave the BMus. The degree is offered in English and French, and you take 3 units of French as a second language unless you're exempt.

Music is not on uOttawa's list of co-op programs. The Faculty of Arts co-op options include English, History and Communication, but no music program. If paid work terms matter to you, ask the School of Music about other work experience before you apply.

uOttawa's 2026-2027 fee tool lists full-time Music tuition at CA$3,104.96 per term for Canadians living in Ontario, at every progress level. International first-year students pay CA$21,667.54 per term. uOttawa says Ontario student tuition rose 2% for 2026-2027 in most programs.

Our estimate: two terms come to about $6,209.92 for an Ontario student and $43,335.08 for an international student. That's our math, not a uOttawa figure. Ancillary fees, housing and books are extra.

The University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship is automatic. For 2027-2028 entry, an average of 85% to 89.9% earns $1,000, 90% to 94.9% earns $2,000, and 95% to 100% earns $3,000.

The Faculty of Arts also gives 10 Dean's Merit Scholarships worth $4,000 each, or $1,000 a year, to new students with at least 90%. There's no application. Students taking enough courses in French may get the French Studies Bursary. See our scholarship finder for more.

uOttawa says the BMus is designed for students who want to become career musicians. Pick it if you want private lessons and performance training. Pick the Honours BA in Music if you want music with no audition and a later deadline. The BA also offers a French Immersion Stream, and it admits in winter too, with an October 17, 2026 deadline. The BMus has no winter or spring entry.

uOttawa also has a combined BMus and BSc with physics, math, computer science and other sciences, which needs the same audition. Compare with U of T Music and McGill Music.

Budget for the $65 audition fee and an accompanist, since uOttawa doesn't provide one. The audition form is a separate step after OUAC.

Read our uOttawa guide for campus and residence context.