GPA

The School of Graduate Studies mandates that all applicants must have a minimum mid-B average in their final year of study. We consider that to be your most recent 5 full course equivalents.

If you meet that minimum requirement, we will then initially rank applicants based on the GPA of their most recent 10 full course equivalents. Please note, to process GPA, ORPAS uses the Undergraduate Grading Conversion Table on the ORPAS website.

We will count the 15 half courses from third year and the fall term of fourth year, plus we will take the average from your entire second year (fall and winter terms) and use that average for the five half outstanding courses. So, if you have a 3.54 average in second year overall, and we need five half credits from your second year, it’s like you received a 3.54 in five half courses. Note that this example can be applied to any academic year – if you took a fifth year, then the above example is exactly the same, except we would be taking the average from your third year instead of your second year.

We will consider the equivalent of your last 20 half-courses (i.e. or 10 full-course equivalents) completed by December 31 of the application year, starting with the Fall session of your current academic year and working backwards. Due to the discrepancy in grade reporting across universities, in order to capture 20 half-courses, the GPA must be calculated based on yearly versus term marks. Thus, where grades must be extracted from a year to achieve the equivalent of 20 half courses, the average of that entire year (including both the fall and winter terms) will be used. All calculations are based on the Undergraduate Grading System Conversion Table provided by ORPAS. GPA calculation is explained in great depth on the ORPAS website

As long as those courses are at the undergraduate university level, in the liberal arts or sciences, these will be counted in your GPA.

We understand that some applicants have fewer educational options, particularly following completion of their undergraduate bachelor’s degree. Distance education undergraduate bachelor’s degree level courses in the liberal arts or sciences are generally acceptable and viewed as no better or worse than in-class courses. However, it is important to note that the MScOT program is offered in-class on a full-time basis only. Applicants coming from a distance education background are highly encouraged to get accustomed to in-class education in order to minimize the chances of a difficult transition to this intense graduate program.

If you took eight courses or more in the preceding fall/winter terms, summer courses are counted as their own average.

If you took seven courses or fewer in the preceding fall/winter terms, your summer courses are combined with your preceding fall/winter courses for one total average. For example, if you took seven courses in your second year, and then one course the following summer, the seven courses in second year and the one course in the summer would be added together for one weighted average. This is explained on the ORPAS website.

Not necessarily. When calculating GPA, always use the Undergraduate Grading System Conversion Table provided by ORPAS. Each grade counted within the calculation should be converted to a number on the 4.0 scale, and the average should be taken from those translated figures.

You will have access to your ORPAS GPA and sub-GPA calculations in the “Document Tracking” section of your application. You are responsible for reporting any required changes to your academic record by February. Any questions or concerns regarding your GPA should be communicated to ORPAS via SAM (Secure Applicant Messaging Tool) within your application. It is your responsibility to check this report and contact ORPAS if there are any discrepancies.

We do not have a specific “cut-off” GPA, as there are other components of the application that may warrant further consideration (e.g. strong experience). However, it is extremely difficult to get an offer of admission with a GPA of less than an “A-minus”, or a GPA of 3.50 to 3.70 (or 80%). All applications will be reviewed provided that the applicant has met the minimum GPA requirement of a “mid-B”, or 3.0 on a 4-point ORPAS GPA scale.

If you have special circumstances that have temporarily negatively affected your GPA (e.g. illness during recent exam resulting in a course incomplete notation on your transcript until the exam is re-written at a future date), please notify us by email. If you are expecting a delay in your transcript, you should contact ORPAS directly, as they have specific transcript guidelines.

We will only consider courses with a letter grade, numerical percentage grade, GPA, or convertible scale grade that were earned at the undergraduate bachelor’s degree level (see below for courses NOT considered). However, if you have a graduate degree or earned bachelor’s degree credits transferred in from a community college, you must also submit a transcript from these institutions to ORPAS.

If a course is repeated, and both the original course and the repeated course are within the last 20 half courses, then the grades from both courses will be included in the GPA calculation. If you did poorly in a course in first year and then took it again in fourth year, then only the fourth year mark would count towards your GPA.

Applicants refer to this process as “upgrading GPA”, and it is acceptable with certain restrictions. Any additional courses taken beyond the completion of a bachelor’s degree must also be at the undergraduate bachelor’s degree level, in the liberal arts or sciences. Courses do not have to be at the senior level (3rd year or 4th year), but it is recommended as senior level classes are often specialized and therefore more reflective of the sort of challenges a student would face in a graduate degree program like the MScOT.

Courses not considered: Co-op terms, Pass (i.e., no grade awarded, where courses for which a “Pass” grade is assigned are not included in the calculations, and courses for which a “Fail” grade is assigned will be included as a failure), graduate degree (i.e. Master’s and Doctoral level courses), Bachelor of Education programs, “continuing education” certificate courses, diploma courses, sports performance, visual studio courses, dramatic arts performance, musical performance, naturopathic medicine courses, chiropractic medicine courses, religious training courses, nil/zero-credit courses, community college credits (including Ontario provincial college courses), internships/placements/activity courses (even if only a portion of the course has a placement aspect), and vocations/apprenticeships. Please note this list is not comprehensive and the Admissions Committee reserves the right to refuse consideration of courses not considered eligible or comparatively equivalent to undergraduate study in the liberal arts or sciences. The ORPAS website provides an explanation on how GPA is calculated.

Graduate degree courses are graded on a different scale than undergraduate courses. In addition, these programs are often highly specialized. While we applaud your academic dedication and welcome your graduate degree transcript, please note that GPA will be based on undergraduate courses only. However, we will certainly be interested in your prior success at the graduate level and encourage you to apply.

We require at least 10 full course equivalents (equivalent to 2 years of full-time university study) completed at the university-level in order to calculate your GPA. Keep in mind these need to appear on a transcript by the end of this upcoming January to be considered (e.g. completed by December 31, appearing on a transcript by January).

Due to the volume of inquiries and the time required to individually calculate GPA, we will not assess grades or transcripts prior to a formal ORPAS application being submitted. The undergraduate registrar, academic advisor, or student services officer at your most recent university attended should be able to help you better understand how GPA is calculated. Applicants from Canadian universities can view the ORPAS Undergraduate Grading Conversion Table. The ORPAS website also provides an explanation on how GPA is calculated; you are encouraged to review this explanation. We will not calculate your GPA for you prior to applying.