Academic Evaluation for Ontario, Canada: Degrees, Diplomas and Transcripts

An Ontario degree evaluation explains your Ontario diploma, degree or college credential in the terms U.S. officers, employers and universities use. This guide is for anyone who studied in Ontario, from high school graduates to doctoral graduates, and for the immigration attorneys who file their petitions. It covers how Ontario's high schools, colleges and universities are organized, how each credential is usually evaluated, how transcripts and GPA are handled, which documents you need and how MotaWord prepares your report. A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

Why You May Need an Ontario Degree Evaluation

U.S. institutions usually ask for a written comparison before they accept a foreign credential, even one from Canada. Ontario graduates typically need an evaluation for:

• U.S. immigration: H-1B specialty occupation petitions, EB-2 advanced degree petitions and employment-based green cards. Evaluations follow the USCIS Policy Manual standard of a credible, logical and well-documented report; the USCIS officer makes the decision. Learn how our education evaluation for H-1B visas supports a specialty occupation petition.
• Employment: employers confirm that your degree meets the job's education requirement.
• University admissions and credit transfer: U.S. colleges compare your transcripts to their entry and transfer rules.
• Professional licensing: state boards for engineering, teaching, nursing and accounting often require course-level detail.
• Military enlistment: recruiters may ask for an evaluation of an OSSD or college credits. See how we prepare academic evaluations for U.S. military recruitment.

The Ontario Education System

Ontario is Canada's most populous province and has one of its largest education systems. The provincial government oversees schools, colleges and universities, and two bodies review program quality: the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (the Quality Council) for university programs, and the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) for degrees offered by colleges and private institutions.

High School: The OSSD

Students graduate after grade 12 with the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). It requires 30 credits, a literacy requirement and community involvement hours. Ontario transcripts list each course with a percentage grade. For U.S. use, the OSSD is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma.

Universities

Ontario has more than 20 public universities, including the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Queen's University, Western University, the University of Waterloo, York University and the University of Ottawa. They offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and professional programs in law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering and education.

Ontario bachelor's degrees come in two main forms. A three-year general (or ordinary) degree covers a field without the extra depth of an honours program. A four-year honours degree adds advanced courses and often a thesis or major project. Some programs, such as engineering with co-op, take five years. Master's degrees usually take one to two years, and doctoral degrees usually take four to six years.

Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology

Ontario's public colleges, such as Humber, Seneca, George Brown, Sheridan and Algonquin, focus on career-oriented education. They award these credentials:

• Ontario College Certificate: usually one year
• Ontario College Diploma: usually two years
• Ontario College Advanced Diploma: usually three years
• Ontario College Graduate Certificate: a short program for students who already hold a diploma or degree
• Honours bachelor's degrees: four-year applied degrees offered by some colleges and reviewed by PEQAB

French-Language Institutions

Ontario has a large French-speaking community. The University of Ottawa and Laurentian University are bilingual, Glendon College at York University teaches in both languages, and Collège Boréal and La Cité are French-language colleges. Documents from these institutions may be issued in French.

Required Documents for Ontario, Canada Degree Assessment

DOWNLOAD NOW

How Ontario Degree Evaluation Works for Each Credential

The evaluator considers the institution, the length of study, the admission requirement and the courses on your transcript. The outcomes below are typical; your evaluation report decides the result for your documents. To see what a diploma evaluation report contains and how it is prepared, read our guide to diploma evaluation.

Three-Year General vs Four-Year Honours Bachelor's Degrees

A four-year honours bachelor's degree is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. A three-year general degree is often evaluated as three years of undergraduate study instead of a full U.S. bachelor's degree. For H-1B or EB-2 petitions, a three-year degree may need to be combined with further study or work experience, so check your degree type before you file.

Master's, Doctoral and Professional Degrees

Ontario master's degrees usually map to a U.S. master's degree, and a Ph.D. usually maps to a U.S. doctorate. Ontario law schools award the JD, a second-entry program that evaluators often compare to a U.S. Juris Doctor. Medical degrees (MD) are evaluated as professional doctorates. Engineering degrees (BASc or BEng) are usually compared to a U.S. bachelor's degree in engineering. The Bachelor of Education is a two-year program taken after a first degree and is evaluated with that full path in mind.

College Credentials

A two-year Ontario College Diploma is often comparable to a U.S. associate degree, depending on the program's content and hours. A one-year certificate is often evaluated as undergraduate coursework. Three-year advanced diplomas and graduate certificates are reviewed case by case, because their level depends on admission requirements and content. A four-year honours bachelor's degree from a college is usually evaluated like a university bachelor's degree.

Credit Transfer Between Institutions

Ontario makes it fairly easy to transfer credits between colleges and universities, and many students switch programs along the way. That flexibility can make transcripts more complex. Send transcripts from every institution you attended, because the evaluator needs to see where each credit came from.

Each Canadian province sets its own rules within the national system. See how Canadian degrees are assessed for U.S. immigration. Ontario's neighbor Quebec uses a very different path to university. See how Quebec's CEGEP, DEC and university degrees compare to U.S. standards. If you studied in both provinces, one order can cover all of your records.

Transcripts, Grade Conversion and GPA

Ontario high schools use percentage grades. Universities use different scales: some report letter grades on a 4.0 scale, while others use 9-point, 10-point or 12-point scales or percentages. Because the scales vary, the evaluator converts each grade using the scale printed on your transcript and calculates a U.S. GPA when the report needs one.

• General evaluation: states the U.S. equivalent of each credential. It is usually enough for USCIS and most employers.
• Course-by-course evaluation: lists every course with U.S. credits and grades and calculates your GPA. U.S. universities, transfer offices and licensing boards often require it. See how a course-by-course evaluation converts your credits and grades to U.S. terms.

If you are applying to a U.S. college, ask the admissions office which type it accepts. Learn how we prepare academic evaluations for U.S. university and college admissions.

Documents You Need

• Your diploma or degree for each credential you want evaluated
• Official transcripts from every institution, with all courses, grades and the conferral date
• The grading scale, usually printed on the back of the transcript
• For college programs, the credential name (certificate, diploma, advanced diploma) as shown on the transcript
• Proof of any name change if your documents show a different name

Most Ontario documents are in English. If your records come from a French-language institution, you will need a certified translation. It can be added to your evaluation order at the quote stage, where the system detects non-English documents, and costs $24.50 per page. For more on keeping transcript records complete and readable, see our guide to transcript translation services. Send clear scans of every page, front and back.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Ontario Credentials

1. Upload your documents: start a quote online, choose academic evaluation and upload your diplomas and transcripts.
2. Document check: our team reviews your files and asks for anything missing, such as a grading scale.
3. Evaluation: the evaluator researches your institution and program and states the U.S. equivalent of each credential, with credits and GPA for course-by-course orders.
4. Download: your report is delivered to your MotaWord client dashboard, where you can follow your order and download invoices. See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard.

A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours, or $115 same-day when ordered before 3 PM ET on a weekday. A course-by-course evaluation costs $120, or $200 same-day. Live chat is available 24/7 for support.

If you need the report for a job offer, it states your degree in the terms U.S. employers expect. Learn how we prepare academic evaluations for employment in the U.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an Ontario bachelor's degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree?

A four-year honours bachelor's degree is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. A three-year general degree is often evaluated as three years of undergraduate study. Your evaluation report states the result for your degree.

What is an Ontario College Diploma equivalent to in the U.S.?

A two-year Ontario College Diploma is often comparable to a U.S. associate degree. The outcome depends on the program's content and hours.

Is the OSSD equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma?

Usually, yes. The Ontario Secondary School Diploma is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma.

Do I need a course-by-course evaluation for USCIS?

Usually not. A general evaluation stating the U.S. equivalent of your degree is enough for most USCIS petitions. Universities and licensing boards are more likely to ask for course-by-course detail.

My transcript uses a 9-point or 12-point scale. Can it be converted to a U.S. GPA?

Yes. The evaluator uses the grading scale printed on your transcript to convert each grade to the U.S. 4.0 scale.

How much does an Ontario degree evaluation cost?

A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours. A course-by-course evaluation costs $120.

Get Your Ontario Education Recognized in the U.S.

Whether you hold an OSSD, a college diploma, an honours degree or a doctorate from Ontario, a clear report helps U.S. officers, employers and schools understand your education. If you also studied in another province, include those records in the same order. MotaWord's academic evaluation services can evaluate your Ontario diplomas, degrees and transcripts for U.S. use.

Evren Ay - CEO & Founder at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Evren Ay, CEO & Founder at MotaWord, drawing on the team's experience with Canadian degrees and transcripts. MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified and a corporate member of the ATA and ITI, providing academic evaluations and certified translations in 120+ languages. Every evaluation report explains how your education compares to U.S. standards in plain, documented terms. See our diploma evaluation services →