When do Ontario university offers come out? (2027)
Ontario universities send offers on their own schedules, from December 2026 to May 2027. Apply through OUAC (the Ontario Universities' Application Centre, the central online application) by January 15, 2027. Then every university you chose should answer you by May 28, 2027. The answer is an offer, a refusal or a decision put off until more marks arrive. No Ontario university can make you accept or pay a deposit before June 1, 2027.
Reviewed October 1, 2026 · Checked against the primary sources below · How we review guides
Key facts
- Latest date to hear
- May 28, 2027, if you're in an Ontario high school and applied by January 15.
- Earliest date to accept
- June 1, 2027. No Ontario university can make you decide sooner.
- First offers
- As early as December at Western, Waterloo, Brock and Lakehead.
- Busiest month
- May. Many schools wait for second-term midterm marks.
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Dates included (7)
- OUAC Group A deadline (Ontario high-school students)January 15, 2027
- Waterloo Engineering (except Architecture)January 15, 2027
- Waterloo, most programs other than EngineeringFebruary 1, 2027
- Western equal considerationJanuary 15, 2027
- Guelph, current Ontario high-school applicantsJanuary 15, 2027
- TMU guaranteed considerationFebruary 1, 2027
- Queen's Commerce, Health Sciences and NursingFebruary 1, 2027
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OUAC dates that shape when offers arrive
Universities decide using the marks OUAC sends them. These dates are for Ontario high school students.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| November 19, 2026 | Deadline for high schools to send OUAC the midterm or final marks they have for 4U and 4M courses.OUAC schedule of dates |
| January 15, 2027 | Deadline to submit your OUAC application. It includes your Grade 11 and 12 final marks and the courses you're taking now.OUAC schedule of dates |
| February 11, 2027 | Deadline for high schools to send first-semester final marks and current full-year marks.OUAC schedule of dates |
| April 22, 2027 | Deadline for high schools to send second-semester midterm marks and interim full-year marks.OUAC schedule of dates |
| May 28, 2027 | Latest date you can expect a response from each university, if you applied by January 15: an offer, a refusal or a deferred decision.OUAC schedule of dates |
| June 1, 2027 | Earliest date a university can require you to respond to an offer or pay a deposit.OUAC schedule of dates |
| July 8, 2027 | Deadline for high schools to send all final 4U and 4M marks, which universities use to check your offer conditions.OUAC schedule of dates |
Every row was checked against its official source on October 1, 2026. Recheck the source before you act, because dates and fees change.
When each university sends offers
What each university says today about its offer timing for Ontario high school students.
| University | When offers come out | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| Western | In rounds from December to May. The largest round is usually around mid-May, and Western says there's no disadvantage to an offer in the last round. | An email with a link to your Choose Western Offer Portal. Your status is in Student Center.Western: waiting for an admission decision |
| Waterloo | December to May. Engineering and Math send offers from January to May. Most offers come in May, and all Ontario high school offers are made by mid-May. | An email, then your Offer of Admission in the Waterloo applicant portal. OUAC also lists your status.Waterloo: when might I get an offer |
| University of Toronto | Generally from late January to late May. If you don't get a decision in one round, U of T considers you again in the next. | The Join U of T applicant portal (or the Engineering Applicant Portal), plus an email.U of T: admission decisions |
| McMaster | Typically from mid-March to early May. | Check McMaster's applicant portal for your decision.McMaster: applicant checklist |
| Toronto Metropolitan (TMU) | Rolling. Most decisions for Grades-Only programs come from February to the end of May. Grades-Plus programs have their own first rounds, such as February for Interior Design and late April for Midwifery. | The ChooseTMU Applicant Portal.TMU: fall admission decision release dates |
| Ontario Tech | On a regular basis, starting in January 2027. | Your offer letter, which gives your date to accept.Ontario Tech: Ontario high school applicants |
| Brock | A small number of early offers in December, usually for averages in the 90s. The first major round is in February and the final round is in May. | Brock asks you to check OUAC before June 1 and accept the most recent offer it issued.Brock: Ontario secondary school students |
| Lakehead | Rounds in December (Grade 11 marks), March, May and a final round in July. Nursing and some limited programs start in early February. | Lakehead contacts you directly when it's ready to make an offer.Lakehead: admission decision timelines |
| Laurentian | Rolling. Most decisions come 3 to 5 weeks after your file is complete. Programs with a portfolio or extra forms make offers after that deadline. | Check Laurentian's applicant portal and your email.Laurentian: application and admissions framework |
| York | Usually within six weeks of a complete application, once York has all your documents. | MyFile, York's applicant portal. York sends offers only online.York: admissions FAQYork: I've applied |
| Carleton | Carleton's admission period begins in October 2026 and continues through the year. | Check Carleton's applicant portal and email.Carleton: dates and deadlines |
Every row was checked against its official source on October 1, 2026. Recheck the source before you act, because dates and fees change.
Why so many offers come in May
Most Ontario universities decide using the marks OUAC sends them, and those arrive in waves: first-semester finals by February 11, 2027 and second-semester midterms by April 22, 2027. Waterloo says it may wait for May marks so it can compare students fairly. Western says its largest round is usually mid-May, so you aren't hurt by when your school offers a course.
So no offer in March isn't a no. U of T reconsiders you in each round, and Western reviews your file in every round too. Brock reassesses everyone in May who didn't get a February offer.
Sources: OUAC schedule of dates · Waterloo: when might I get an offer · Western: waiting for an admission decision · Brock: Ontario secondary school students
Early offers
A few universities make early offers in December, usually from Grade 11 marks. Brock says its early offers go to students with expected averages in the 90s, and that competitive programs such as Nursing may not make early offers. Lakehead's December round also uses Grade 11 marks.
Early offers are a bonus, not a signal. Most students hear between February and May.
Sources: Brock: Ontario secondary school students · Lakehead: admission decision timelines
What an offer looks like
Universities send offers themselves. OUAC doesn't make decisions and doesn't receive the details of your offers. Expect an email, then the offer in that university's applicant portal. Western and York, for example, don't mail offer letters.
U of T's possible decisions show the range: admitted, admitted to an alternate area (another program it thinks may fit), waitlisted, or not admitted. Other universities use similar outcomes, so read each letter closely.
Sources: OUAC: responding to an offer · U of T: admission decisions · Western: waiting for an admission decision · York: I've applied
Conditional offers
Most offers to current high school students are conditional. U of T says most of its decisions use interim marks, so most offers depend on acceptable final standing. Waterloo lists each condition and its deadline in its applicant portal, and says conditions are often completed between June and August.
Keep your marks steady after you get an offer. Brock reviews your final marks in July. If you miss a condition, it may offer an alternate program or withdraw the offer, and summer school is the only way to make up a condition.
Sources: U of T: admission decisions · Waterloo: conditional offers of admission · Brock: Ontario secondary school students
Accepting an offer and the June 1 rule
You accept in your OUAC application, not in the university's portal. You can hold only one accepted offer at a time, and accepting one doesn't affect how other universities assess you. For current Ontario high school students, June 1, 2027 is the earliest date any university can make you respond or pay a deposit. Group B applicants (everyone else) respond by the date in each offer.
A residence deposit doesn't count as accepting your offer. For the step-by-step process, see how to accept a university offer in Ontario.
Sources: OUAC: responding to an offer · OUAC schedule of dates
What to do while you wait
Waiting is the hardest part, and the next few months still count. These steps keep your options open.
- Keep your Grade 12 marks up. Most offers use interim marks, and final marks decide your conditions.
- Watch each university's portal for document requests. OUAC says to contact a university if you hear nothing within 2 to 3 weeks of applying.
- Finish any supplementary forms, portfolios or interviews by their deadlines. Some programs won't decide until they have them.
- Check your average for each program with the Top 6 average calculator.
- Keep the Ontario university application deadlines in view for scholarship and residence dates.
Sources: OUAC: after you submit · U of T: admission decisions · Laurentian: application and admissions framework
Official sources
Confirm current dates, rules, fees, and program details in these primary sources.
Written by Stellar Advisers Editorial Team · Reviewed by Official-source review desk · Last reviewed October 1, 2026
- OUAC 2026-2027 schedule of datesConfirmed for Fall 2027: grade deadlines, January 15, 2027 application deadline, May 28, 2027 latest response date and June 1, 2027 earliest response date. Page updated September 29, 2026.
- OUAC: responding to an offer of admissionConfirmed for Fall 2027: universities make offers at different times; Group A hears by the end of May; June 1, 2027 earliest response; one accepted offer at a time; OUAC doesn't make decisions.
- OUAC: after you submit your applicationCurrent: contact a university if you hear nothing after 2 to 3 weeks; accept offers in your OUAC application.
- U of T: admission decisionsCurrent: decisions generally from late January to late May, reconsidered in later rounds; decision types; most offers conditional on final standing.
- Western: waiting for an admission decisionCurrent: Group A offers in rounds from December to May, largest round around mid-May; Choose Western Offer Portal.
- Waterloo: when might I get an offer of admission?Confirmed for Fall 2027: offers December to May, Engineering and Math January to May, most in May, all Ontario high school offers by mid-May, accept by June 1, 2027.
- Waterloo: conditional offers of admissionCurrent: conditions and deadlines listed in the applicant portal, often completed between June and August.
- McMaster: applicant checklistCurrent: admission decisions typically released from mid-March to early May.
- TMU: fall admission decision release datesCurrent: rolling decisions in the ChooseTMU Applicant Portal; most Grades-Only decisions February to end of May; Grades-Plus first-round dates by program.
- Ontario Tech: Ontario high school applicantsConfirmed for Fall 2027: decisions released on a regular basis beginning in January 2027.
- Brock: Ontario secondary school studentsCurrent: early offers in December for averages in the 90s, first major round in February, final round in May, final marks reviewed in July.
- Lakehead: admission decision timelinesCurrent: rolling offers; Ontario high school rounds in December, March, May and July; limited programs from early February.
- Laurentian: application and admissions frameworkCurrent: rolling admission with decisions usually in 3 to 5 weeks; round-based offers for programs with supplemental components.
- York: admissions FAQCurrent: undergraduate applications typically assessed within six weeks of all documents arriving; decisions in MyFile.
- York: I've appliedCurrent: York sends application and admission decisions through MyFile and email, and distributes offers only electronically.
- Carleton: dates and deadlinesConfirmed for Fall 2027: admission period begins in October 2026 and continues; June 1, 2027 deadline to accept for Ontario high school students.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions applicants ask most often.
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