What happens if you don't get into your first-choice program?
Most will consider you for something related without you asking, which is why alternate offers arrive from programs students do not remember applying to. What varies is whether the alternate is automatic, whether it costs you a separate OUAC choice, and whether your original application stays alive after the alternate lands.
Every answer below is what the university tells Ontario guidance counsellors, quoted from the OUAC guide for September 2026 entry. It isn’t published on their student pages. Rules like this change rarely; dates don’t — check any date here with the university. Where this comes from.
What each of the 23 universities says
Yes, if a student is not eligible for their program of choice, we will automatically consider them for an alternative program.
If a student applies to only 1 Brock program and does not qualify, in most cases, we automatically consider them for an alternative program.
In early May, we will give an alternate offer of admission to Ontario high school students who are not eligible for their first choice.
We will attempt to give the student an alternate offer that is as close as possible to their original program selection. https://admissions.carleton.ca/alternate-programs
If a student meets our general admission requirements but does not meet their programspecific requirements, we will automatically consider them for an alternative program.
If we do not offer a student admission to their program of choice, we will admit them to an alternative program that they meet the admission criteria for. If a student is not satisfied with the alternative offer, they can contact the Office of Admissions to discuss other program options.
Upon completion of their first year, students can apply to limited entry programs using our internal transfer process by February 1, 2026 (past).
We encourage applicants to apply to up to 3 programs. We will consider each program choice simultaneously and communicate an admission decision for each program they select in their OUAC application.
If applicants do not meet admission requirements or admission averages for the program(s) they have applied to, we will automatically consider them for an alternative program they do qualify for. Further information: www.nipissingu.ca/departments/office-registrar/ admission-requirements/undergraduate/alternate-offers.
In general, we do not make alternative offers of admission.
Applicants who do not meet the admission requirements, or whose applications we cannot accommodate due to space limitations, may receive an offer to a closely related program.
We do not make alternative offers of admission.
We admit candidates to RMC in the Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP). | www.rmc-cmr.ca/en/registrars-office/ regular-officer-training-plan-rotp
We may provide alternative offers of admission for some programs when applicants lack prerequisites or competitive entry averages for the program they selected.
We will grant alternative offers of admission to applicants who do not meet the minimum admission average for the program they are applying to. | www.trentu.ca/alternateoffer
Applicants not admissible to co-op will be considered for the regular program. (Exception: Bachelor of Engineering is co-op admission only.)
BA: Criminal Justice and Public Policy will be considered for BA: Justice and Legal Studies.
BA: Psychology will be considered for BA: Sociology.
BSc: Bio-Medical Science or Human Kinetics will be considered for BSc: Biological Science.
BSc: Animal Biology will be considered for BSc: Zoology.
www.uoguelph.ca/admission/undergraduate/apply/alternate
We do not issue alternative offers.
For some programs, we may provide an alternative offer if we do not offer a student admission to a limited enrollment program, or if the student does not have the average or prerequisites for the requested program.
If we do not admit an applicant to a co-op program or the French Immersion stream, we will automatically consider them for the corresponding regular program.
Alternative offers of admission will vary by program: o Faculty of Arts & Science: Computer Science and Rotman Commerce applicants can express interest in an alternative admission category in their JOIN U of T portal. o The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering will consider applicants consecutively for the 4 engineering programs they select on the Engineering applicant portal. The Faculty will make only 1 offer of admission. o Daniels Faculty: No alternative offers of admission. o The Faculty of Music will provide alternative offers within the Faculty.
We may consider students for an alternative, closely related program during the final round of decisions in May.
Alternative offers are automatic. We will make alternative offers of admission from late March through mid-May if a student is not eligible for their preferred program(s).
We automatically reassess applicants for their preferred program(s) as new grades are received as space permits.
We do not extend alternative offers to other programs on Main Campus.
Students who wish to be considered for more than one program should list each program as a separate choice in their OUAC application.
We automatically consider students for alternative offers of admission.
We may use a wait list for competitive programs, including Business Administration, Health Sciences and Kinesiology. Students we place on a wait list will also receive an alternative offer of admission.
Students can make requests for changes to alternative offers directly to the Admissions office, pending space availability in the program. Accessible Learning
Students should register with the Accessible Learning Centre (ALC) as soon as they accept their offer of admission. www.wlu.ca/accessible
Students should review our disability documentation requirements while preparing to register with the ALC.
GOAL: Golden Hawk's Orientation to Accessible Learning is an online program that orients students with a disability to learning at Laurier. | https://students.wlu.ca/academics/ support-and-advising/accessible-learning-centre/ registration/orientation-to-accessible-learning.html
If a student is not admitted to the program they have applied to, but is admissible to another program, we provide an alternative offer.
Other things students ask
- Do night school, summer school and online courses count for university admission?
- Do Grade 11 marks matter for Ontario university admission?
- If you repeat a course, which mark do universities use?
- Does the order you rank programs on OUAC matter?
- Which Ontario universities require a supplementary application?
- Which Ontario universities give automatic entrance scholarships?
Policies decide whether a mark counts. Your average decides where it gets you.