Transfer High School Credits to an OSSD: Complete Guide
Have previous high school studies? Learn how your completed courses and prior learning may count toward your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
If you have already completed high school courses in Ontario, another Canadian province, or another country, you may not need to start your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) from the beginning. Your previous education can be reviewed to determine what may count toward the OSSD and which graduation requirements you still need to complete.
The process depends on where you studied, the credits or credentials you already hold, your age and student status, and the requirements that apply to your individual academic record. For students transferring from outside Ontario, home schooling, or a non-inspected private school, the principal of the receiving school evaluates previous learning and determines equivalency credits and remaining OSSD requirements.
Quick Answer: Can Previous High School Credits Count Toward an OSSD?
Yes. Previous secondary school education may count toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, but the process differs depending on where the learning was completed.
- Ontario secondary school credits already earned can form part of the student’s Ontario academic record.
- Students transferring from outside Ontario, home schooling, or a non-inspected private school may receive equivalency credits for placement purposes after their previous learning is evaluated by the receiving school’s principal.
- The principal determines the student’s total credit equivalency, the compulsory and optional credits still required, and other outstanding graduation requirements.
- In some situations, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) may be used to assess previous learning for credit.
How to Transfer High School Credits to an OSSD
The term “credit transfer” is often used broadly, but Ontario policy distinguishes among different situations.
A student who already has Ontario secondary school credits may continue building on those credits when transferring schools. For students whose previous learning comes from another jurisdiction, home schooling, or a non-inspected private school, Ontario uses an equivalency assessment for placement purposes.
The receiving school’s principal reviews the student’s previous learning and determines:
- the total credit equivalency of the student’s previous education;
- how many of those credits satisfy compulsory requirements;
- the number of compulsory and optional credits still to be earned;
- which additional OSSD graduation requirements remain outstanding;
- the student’s appropriate placement and course plan.
The equivalency total and the number of compulsory credits included are recorded on the student’s Ontario Student Transcript (OST).
What Happens to My Ontario Student Record (OSR) When I Transfer Schools?
If you are transferring from another Ontario school that maintains your Ontario Student Record (OSR), your OSR will be transferred to your new Ontario school in accordance with Ministry requirements. The OSR is the official record of your educational progress in Ontario and includes your Ontario Student Transcript (OST), where applicable, along with other relevant school records.
The receiving school requests the OSR from the school that currently holds it. For transfers to an Ontario private school, this process is completed in accordance with Ontario Ministry of Education requirements, including the required written request and consent.
This is different from the assessment of studies completed outside Ontario. Students coming from another province, another country, home schooling, or a non-inspected private school may instead need their previous academic records evaluated to determine equivalency credits and remaining OSSD requirements.
Who May Need a Transcript or Previous-Learning Assessment?
An assessment may be especially important for students who:
- studied at a secondary school outside Ontario;
- attended a non-inspected private school;
- were home schooled;
- completed part of high school in another Canadian province or territory;
- completed secondary education in another country;
- are returning to secondary school after a significant break;
- are mature students working toward an OSSD.
At OIS, the purpose of the review is to understand the student’s previous education and help determine the most appropriate pathway toward the OSSD.
What Documents May Be Reviewed?
The Ministry states that placement decisions can be informed by documentation such as attendance records, report cards and other assessment materials, along with consultation with the student, family and school staff.
For an OIS assessment, students should be prepared to provide available academic documents such as:
- official or unofficial transcripts;
- report cards;
- course records;
- graduation certificates or secondary-school credentials, where applicable;
- course descriptions or supporting academic documentation if clarification is needed.
The specific documents required will depend on the student’s educational background.
What Is PLAR?
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is Ontario’s process for evaluating knowledge and skills students have acquired outside Ontario’s secondary school system against the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum.
Ontario states that PLAR has two components:
- Challenge — assessing prior learning for the purpose of granting credit for an Ontario Curriculum course.
- Equivalency — assessing credentials and previous learning from other jurisdictions.
PLAR procedures are carried out under the direction of the school principal, who grants the credits.
PLAR Equivalency for Students Transferring From Outside Ontario
For adolescent students transferring from:
- a school outside Ontario;
- home schooling; or
- a non-inspected private school,
the principal grants equivalency credits for placement purposes based on an evaluation of the student’s previous learning.
This does not mean that every course completed elsewhere is simply converted one-for-one into an Ontario course.
Instead, the principal determines the student’s overall equivalency and remaining OSSD requirements as fairly as possible based on the student’s previous education.
Transfer Students and Remaining OSSD Requirements
Receiving equivalency credits does not automatically mean all OSSD graduation requirements have been completed.
For students transferring from outside Ontario, the principal also determines the requirements that remain outstanding, including the student’s remaining compulsory and optional credits. Ontario policy also addresses the student’s literacy requirement, community involvement requirement, online-learning requirement and, where applicable, financial-literacy requirement.
Because these requirements depend on the student’s individual academic history, students should have their full record reviewed rather than relying only on the number of courses they previously completed.
How Many Credits Might a Transfer Student Still Need?
Ontario provides principals with a guide based on how much secondary school a transferring student has already completed.
For example, the Ministry’s transfer guide indicates minimum total credits still to be earned toward the OSSD of:
| Previous secondary school completed | Minimum credits still to be earned toward OSSD |
|---|---|
| About 1 year of secondary school | 22 |
| About 2 years | 14 |
| About 3 years | 7 |
| More than 3 years | 4 |
These figures are guidelines for determining diploma requirements, not automatic guarantees for every student. The principal still makes the final placement and equivalency decision based on the student’s individual record.
Community Involvement, Literacy and Other Graduation Requirements
Transfer students may still need to satisfy graduation requirements beyond credits.
Ontario policy requires the principal to determine the number of community involvement hours a transferring student must complete and to assess how many online-learning credits may be considered completed based on the student’s previous learning.
Students must also satisfy the applicable secondary school literacy graduation requirement and, where applicable, the Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement.
This is why a transcript review should look at the student’s complete OSSD pathway, not just the number of credits.
PLAR for Mature Students
Ontario has separate PLAR rules for mature students because they may have significant formal and informal learning from education, employment, training, volunteer work and life experience.
Under Ontario’s mature-student PLAR framework, equivalent-credit allowances may be used to recognize previous learning, but mature students must still meet specified OSSD requirements. Ontario policy also requires mature students to earn at least four Ontario credits after becoming a mature student before they can be awarded the OSSD.
The mature-student process differs from the adolescent transfer process and should be assessed individually.
Important: Mature-student PLAR should not be assumed to work the same way as equivalency assessment for an adolescent international transfer student.
Who Makes the Final Credit and Placement Decision?
The principal of the receiving school makes the final decision regarding placement and equivalency credits.
Ontario policy says that the principal:
- evaluates the student’s previous learning;
- determines the total credit equivalency;
- determines remaining compulsory and optional credits;
- makes the final placement decision in consultation with the student, staff and family;
- records the assessment results and rationale in the student’s Ontario Student Record.
How OIS Can Help With Previous High School Studies
Students who have studied elsewhere can begin with an academic record review to help understand their potential OSSD pathway.
An OIS assessment can help identify:
- previous education that may be relevant to the OSSD;
- possible transfer or equivalency credits;
- compulsory and optional credits that may remain;
- outstanding graduation requirements;
- courses that may be needed for a student’s intended university or college pathway.
The final determination of equivalency credits and OSSD requirements is made by the OIS principal in accordance with Ontario Ministry of Education requirements.
Transfer Credits vs. PLAR: What Is the Difference?
| Term | What it generally means |
|---|---|
| Ontario credit transfer | Continuing to use Ontario secondary school credits already earned when moving between Ontario schools |
| Equivalency assessment | Principal evaluates previous education from another jurisdiction, home schooling or a non-inspected private school to determine equivalency credits and placement |
| PLAR | Ontario’s broader process for assessing and recognizing prior learning; includes both challenge and equivalency |
| PLAR challenge | Student demonstrates prior learning against expectations of an Ontario Curriculum course |
| PLAR equivalency | Previous credentials/learning from another jurisdiction are assessed for equivalency |
Ontario specifically describes equivalency as one component of PLAR.
See How Your Previous Studies May Count
Every student’s academic history is different. An academic record review can help determine how previous secondary school studies may apply toward the OSSD and identify the credits and graduation requirements that may remain.
Request a Free OSSD AssessmentSpeak with an Academic AdvisorFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Potentially. Students transferring from a school outside Ontario can have their previous learning evaluated by the receiving school’s principal. The principal determines the student’s equivalency credits for placement purposes and the OSSD requirements that still need to be completed.
Not necessarily. For students transferring from outside Ontario, the principal determines the total credit equivalency of the student’s previous learning and the compulsory and optional credits that remain. The process is not simply an automatic one-for-one conversion of every previous course.
Not exactly. A transcript or academic record review is part of understanding a student’s previous education. PLAR is the Ontario process used to formally assess and recognize prior learning for credit in applicable circumstances. Equivalency assessment for students transferring from another jurisdiction is one component of PLAR.
The principal of the receiving Ontario secondary school makes the final equivalency and placement decision based on the student’s previous learning and applicable Ontario policy.
Yes. The principal determines which credit and additional graduation requirements remain outstanding. These may include compulsory and optional credits, literacy, community involvement, online learning and financial literacy requirements where applicable.
Yes. Ontario has a separate PLAR framework for mature students that recognizes previous education and other forms of prior learning. The requirements differ from the adolescent PLAR process.
No. A transcript assessment helps the school evaluate your previous education, but the principal makes the final decision about equivalency credits, placement and remaining OSSD requirements according to Ontario policy.
References
1. Ontario Ministry of Education — Secondary School Courses and Related Procedures
Covers PLAR, challenge and equivalency processes, including requirements for adolescent and mature students.
2. Ontario Ministry of Education — Student Records, Attendance and Transfers
Covers transfer students, equivalency credits, placement decisions, Ontario Student Transcript records, and remaining OSSD requirements.