Do Grade 11 marks matter for Ontario universities?
Updated August 22, 2026
For final decisions, almost never: Ontario universities admit on Grade 12 marks. Where Grade 11 matters is early — several universities use it to make conditional offers in the fall, before any Grade 12 marks exist, and a few look at it when a Grade 12 prerequisite is still in progress. Which ones do what is below, verbatim.
Three different questions hiding in one
“Do Grade 11 marks matter” is really three questions, and the answer to each is different. Does Grade 11 count toward your admission average? No — nowhere in Ontario. The average is built from Grade 12 U and M courses, six of them. Does Grade 11 affect whether you get an early offer? At several universities, yes, because in November there are no Grade 12 marks yet and Grade 11 is all they have. Does Grade 11 matter if a prerequisite is still in progress? At some, yes — they use the Grade 11 equivalent to decide whether to make a conditional offer.
The people telling you “Grade 11 doesn’t matter at all” are answering the first question. The people telling you “it matters a lot” are answering the second. Both are right about their own question.
What the 23 universities actually do
This comes from the guide OUAC writes for guidance counsellors, not from the admissions pages students see. Grouped by what each answer amounts to:
12 universities use Grade 11 for early or conditional offers
Algoma · Brock · Carleton · Lakehead · Laurentian · Nipissing · Queen's · Trent · U of T (St. George) · Waterloo · Windsor · Laurier (Waterloo)
3 universities do look at Grade 11
OCAD · Ottawa · Western
1 university decides on Grade 12 marks only
McMaster
- 7 answers are worded too loosely to classify — read them in full below.
Why early offers exist, and what that means for you
Ontario high schools send their first batch of marks to the OUAC in November — Grade 11 finals and whatever Grade 12 first-semester midterms exist by then. Universities that make early offers in December or February are deciding on that batch. If your Grade 12 courses are mostly second-semester, an early decision is almost entirely a Grade 11 decision.
If your Grade 11 year was weak, the practical consequence is not rejection — it is that you will hear later. The universities that decide on Grade 12 only will see your first-semester Grade 12 finals in February and your full set by May 28, the latest date universities can send a response. That is the same timeline the early-offer universities eventually land on for everyone they did not admit in the first round.
The one case where Grade 11 is in the average
If a program requires a course you are still taking when a decision is made — Calculus in second semester, say — some universities will look at the Grade 11 version (Functions, MCR3U) as a stand-in for whether you are likely to pass. That is not the mark going into your average; it is a university deciding whether to extend a conditional offer at all. Which universities say so is in the answers below, usually phrased as “if the Grade 12 prerequisite is not yet available.”
What to actually do with this
Work out which of your target programs sits with which group. If a target uses Grade 11 for early offers and your Grade 11 is strong, get your application in the week OUAC opens — early decisions go to complete applications. If your Grade 11 is weak, pick a mix that includes universities from the “Grade 12 only” group, and know that your second-semester finals carry the weight. Either way, the number that decides it is the one the calculator computes: your six Grade 12 courses, the program’s required ones forced in.
Every university’s answer, verbatim
12 use Grade 11 for early or conditional offers
Applicants may receive early offers of admission based on Grade 11 grades.
Early offers of admission may be based on final 3U/M and 4U/M grades, when available. All offers are conditional until we receive final 4U/M grades.
We use Grade 11 grades as part of the calculation for early offers, in combination with available Grade 12 grades.
We may extend early offers of admission based on exceptional Grade 11 academic grades, conditional upon the student meeting all requirements, as outlined in their offer.
We consider 3U/M grades from qualifying students for early offers of admission to open and limited enrollment programs, as long as they are registered in the required 4U/M courses.
Some applicants may receive conditional offers based on Grade 11 grades.
We will consider Grade 11 grades if grades in required Grade 12 courses are unavailable.
We will consider Grade 11 grades for early offers of admission.
University of Toronto — St. George
We will make conditional offers of admission based on available Grade 11 and Grade 12 grades, provided the OUAC record indicates enrollment in all required Grade 12 courses, including ENG4U. If a Grade 12 grade in a prerequisite subject is not available, we will use the grade in the corresponding Grade 11 course.
For the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, we always take Grade 11 results into consideration.
Applicants who are currently finishing high school in Ontario but completed Grade 11 outside the province are encouraged to apply by November 7 and follow the instructions on the Join U of T applicant portal to submit their Grade 11 results, along with any other required documents.
We may consider 3U/M grades for early offers to some programs.
Architecture: In early March, we will review both 3U/M and 4U/M grades to determine selection for the Architecture interview process. Grade 11 grades are used when we are missing a Grade 12 required course grade. | www.uwaterloo.ca/architecture/ future-undergraduate-students
Depending on the program, we may provide early offers based on a minimum of 80% in final Grade 11 U/M grades and registration in 6 Grade 12 U/M courses, including prerequisites.
We do not make offers based on Grade 11 grades for limited enrollment programs, such as Nursing, VABE and Concurrent Education.
Wilfrid Laurier University — Waterloo
We consider Grade 11 U/M grades for early offers for qualified students.
3 do look at Grade 11
In general, we do not consider Grade 11 grades in admission decisions.
We consider final Grade 11 grades in the first 2 rounds of admission and for automatic admission scholarships.
We will consider students' overall Grade 11 performance.
1 decide on Grade 12 marks only
All programs will make offers of admission using Grade 12 grades only.
Midwifery may review Grade 11 Biology, Chemistry and English grades for applicants to the Midwifery program if the mandatory Grade 12 prerequisite courses are in progress at the time of application.
Worded their own way
Ontario Tech University
We will use Grade 11 grades in your average calculation early in the admission cycle so long as you are enrolled in the required number of Grade 12 prerequisites.
Royal Military College of Canada
We offer conditional admission using Grade 11 grades.
Applicants must successfully complete Grade 12 prerequisites for their intended degree (at 75% or higher). www.rmc-cmr.ca/en/registrars-office/academic-prerequisites
Saint Paul University
Considered for early admission.
Toronto Metropolitan University
We release offers for Grades-Only programs starting in November based on final Grade 11 averages and registration in the required Grade 12 courses.
All offers based on Grade 11 final marks and Grade 12 course registration or interim results are conditional.
University of Guelph
We will use final Grade 11 U/M grades where midterm or final Grade 12 U/M grades are not available to fulfill required courses.
To fulfill conditions of an offer of admission, students must complete 6 Grade 12 and/or 4U/M courses, including required subjects.
Note: Students applying to a program that requires two 4U maths (e.g., Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Mathematics) must present a midterm or final grade in at least one 4U math course to be considered for admission.
University of Guelph-Humber
We will use the top 6 completed 4U/M (or equivalent) courses, including subject requirements. Where six 4U/M courses are not available, we will use completed or in-progress 4U/M and completed 3U/M courses, as needed.
To fulfill the conditions of an offer of admission, students must complete six 4U/M courses (or equivalent), including required subjects.
York University
We use Grade 11 grades for early consideration for many programs.
All offers based on Grade 11 grades are conditional on Grade 12 final grades, including prerequisites and completion of the OSSD.
Quoted from the OUAC guide for guidance counsellors, September 2026 entry. Structural policies like these change rarely, but confirm anything you are about to act on with the university.