Does Carleton give you an alternative offer if you miss your first choice?
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
Carleton University, quoted from the OUAC guide for guidance counsellors, September 2026 entry.
How that compares
Carleton considers you for an alternative automatically. Only 10 of the 23 Ontario universities that answer this do, so it is worth knowing before you assume the common rule applies.
5 universities make alternative offers for some programs only
Ontario Tech, TMU, Ottawa, U of T (St. George), Waterloo
4 universities do not make alternative offers at all
OCAD, Queen's, Guelph-Humber, Western
1 university decides each of your choices separately instead
McMaster
1 university drops you from co-op to the regular program, but no further
Guelph
This is what Carleton tells Ontario guidance counsellors; it is not published on their student pages. Rules like this change rarely, but confirm anything you are about to act on.