About Us
The Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) is a centralized bureau that processes applications for admission to Ontario’s universities. The OUAC serves Ontario universities. The activities of the OUAC are monitored by the OUAC Budget and Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU). The OUAC also provides data processing services for some educational institutions outside Ontario. The OUAC website is www.ouac.on.ca.
Our History
In fall 1963, the Committee of Presidents of the Provincially Assisted Universities and Colleges of Ontario was concerned about multiple applications and “no shows” placing a burden on many Ontario universities. There was concern that these problems would become greater as applications increased.
The additional workload in assessing the applications at the universities was becoming problematic, as there were limited human resources in the universities. A substantial number of students were also submitting applications without accompanying documents, and annual statistics and statistical projections were almost unavailable on a system-wide basis.
Ontario universities soon became willing to discuss co-operation in the application process. As such, a committee was struck to investigate the matter.
On December 3, 1963, the newly formed Committee of University Registrars for the Study of Multiple Applications held its first meeting. In 1964, the universities represented at a Committee of Presidents of Universities of Ontario (later renamed COU) studied the formation of an application processing centre. The Ontario Universities’ Council on Admissions (OUCA), formed shortly thereafter, also recommended at its first meeting the establishment of an application centre. In addition, the provincial government was pressing the universities to improve the admission process and to enhance long term enrolment planning activities.
In February 1971, COU and OUCA authorized the appointment of Mr. Herb Pettipiere, Registrar, University of Guelph, to assess and design an application centre for Ontario universities.
By April 1971, Mr. Pettipiere submitted a report on the needs and design of an application centre to COU and OUCA. In June of the same year, COU approved the establishment of the OUAC, subject to obtaining government financial support. A seed grant of $150,000 was soon received from the Ontario government in 1971, in addition to a $65,000 grant from the universities, enabling the OUAC to begin partial operation in August 1971.