Ontario Secondary School Diploma Requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma Requirements
The following requirements must be successfully completed in order to obtain an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD):

  • 30 credits including 18 compulsory credits and 12 optional credits
  • Earn at least two online learning credits
  • Literacy graduation requirement: Successful completion of either the EQAO Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) or the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC)
  • 40 hours of community involvement activities

Compulsory Credits
Students must earn the following 18 compulsory credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma:

  • 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)1
  • 3 credits in Mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
  • 3 credits in Group 1, 2 and 3 (1 credit in each group)
  • 2 credits in Science
  • 1 credit in Canadian History (Grade 10)
  • 1 credit in Canadian Geography (Grade 9)
  • 1 credit in the Arts2
  • 1 credit in Health and Physical Education
  • 1 credit in French as a Second Language
  • 0.5 credit in Career Studies
  • 0.5 credit in Civics and Citizenship

Group 1, 2 and 3 compulsory credits:
Of the 18 compulsory credits, students must earn one from each of the following groups:

Group 1:

  • 1 additional credit in English (including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course), or French as a Second Language3
  • Native languages
  • First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
  • Classical Studies and International Languages
  • Social Sciences and the Humanities
  • Canadian and World Studies
  • Guidance and Career Education
  • Cooperative Education4
  • American Sign Language as a Second Language
  • Langue des signes québecoise langue seconde5

Group 2:

  • 1 additional credit in Health and Physical Education
  • 1 additional credit in the Arts
  • Business Studies
  • 1 additional credit in French as a Second Language3
  • Cooperative Education4
  • American Sign Language as a Second Language
  • Langue des signes québecoise langue seconde5

Group 3:

  • 1 additional credit in Science (Grade 11 or 12)
  • Technological Education
  • 1 additional credit in French as a Second Language3
  • Computer Studies
  • Cooperative Education4
  • American Sign Language as a Second Language
  • Langue des signes québecoise langue seconde5

The following conditions apply to compulsory credit selections from the above three groups:

  • 1 A maximum of 3 credits in English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Literacy Development (ELD) may be counted towards the 4 compulsory credits in English, but the fourth must be a credit earned for a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
  • 2 The Grade 9 Expressions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Cultures course may be used to meet the compulsory credit requirement in the Arts.
  • 3 In Groups 1, 2 and 3, a maximum of 2 credits in French as a Second Language can count as compulsory credits, one from Group 1 and one from either Group 2 or Group 3.
    • Students who have taken Native Languages in place of French as a Second Language in elementary school may use a Level 1 or 2 Native Languages course to meet the compulsory credit requirement for French as a Second Language.         
  • 4 A maximum of 2 credits in Cooperative Education can count as compulsory credits, selected from any of the above three groups

Optional Credits
In addition to the compulsory credits, 12 optional credits are required. Optional credits are selected by the student based on individual interests and goals.

Optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved Dual Credit programs.

Online Learning Graduation Requirement
Beginning with students that entered Grade 9 in the 2020-2021 school year, students must earn at least two online learning credits to obtain their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

The online learning graduation requirement also applies to adult learners that will be entering the Ontario secondary school system starting in the 2023-2024 school year.

Credits Earned During COVID-19
Students can count 1 secondary school credit that was earned during the province-wide school closures (from April 2021 to June 2021) towards the two online learning credits that they need to graduate. This applies to all Grade 9 students who were learning remotely due to the province wide school closures.

Opting Out
Parents who wish to opt out or exempt their child from the online graduation requirement must complete the opt-out for. (If you wish to access the PDF fillable printable form, please choose this form: Opt-Out Form - Electronic Submission) Exemption from the online learning graduation requirements may be requested by:

  • the parent or guardian of the student
  • students who are 18 years of age or older
  • students who are 16 or 17 years of age and have withdrawn from parental control

Literacy Graduation Requirement
The Ontario Ministry of Education has mandated that students must meet the secondary school literacy requirement to earn their high school diploma.  Students can meet this requirement either through the successful completion of the EQAO Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), or by successfully completing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC).

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is administered to grade 10 students province-wide to determine if they can successfully demonstrate the reading and writing skills that apply to all subject areas in the provincial curriculum up to the end of grade 9.  The OSSLT is administered annually in the spring and is 2.5 hours in length. The OSSLT is designed, and its implementation is supervised, by the Ontario Education and Accountability Office (EQAO).

Students who are not successful on the OSSLT are able to attempt it again, in a future administration, or enroll in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC).*

Students with special needs may be permitted accommodations provided they have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Students enrolled in ESL/ELD programs may be permitted special provisions or they may be deferred so that they write the OSSLT once they have a reasonable chance of success. Policies and guidelines regarding accommodations, deferrals, and exemptions are established and provided by EQAO.

*Note: Enrolment in the OSSLC is limited to students who have written and have been unsuccessful on the OSSLT at least once.

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC)
Students who have written the OSSLT at least once and have not been successful may take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC). Upon successful completion of the course, a student is deemed to have met the literacy requirements necessary to achieve an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Community Involvement Activities
As part of the high school diploma requirements, each student must make a positive contribution to the well-being of the community. The community involvement consists of student self-directed activities of at least 40 hours which must be completed before graduation. The activities must occur outside normal instructional hours.

The purpose of the community involvement is to promote community values by:

  • helping students understand how they can make a positive difference in their environment
  • having students contribute to their community
  • increasing student awareness of community needs
  • discovering the role students can play in making their communities better places in which to live and work
  • developing a positive self-image and a greater sense of identity in the community
  • providing a possibility for exploring career opportunities

Students are eligible to start accumulating community involvement hours in the summer before they enter grade 9. In order to ensure that activities are on the OCDSB list of eligible activities, the student should consult the following websites to ensure that chosen activity conforms to the OCDSB guidelines for suitable and acceptable community involvement.

For further information, please visit the Community Involvement Hours webpage

Certificate Requirements

The Ontario Secondary School Certificate
The Ontario Secondary School Certificate will be granted on request to students who leave school before earning the Ontario Secondary School Diploma provided that they have earned a minimum of 14 credits distributed as follows:

Compulsory Credits (total of 7)

  • 2 credits in English
  • 1 credit in Canadian Geography or Canadian History
  • 1 credit in Mathematics
  • 1 credit in Science
  • 1 credit in Health and Physical Education
  • 1 credit in the Arts or Technological Education

Optional Credits (total of 7)
7 credits selected by the student from available courses The provisions for making substitutions for compulsory credits also apply to the Ontario Secondary School Certificate.

The Certificate of Accomplishment
Students who leave school before fulfilling the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or the Ontario Secondary School Certificate may be granted a Certificate of Accomplishment. The Certificate of Accomplishment may be a useful means of recognizing achievement for students who plan to take certain adaptive programs, or other kinds of additional training, or who plan to find employment after leaving school.


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