Declaration of personal experience

Your marks don’t always paint a complete picture of your academic potential. That’s why at the University of Ottawa, your admission does not solely depend on your academic average. We value the life experiences that every student brings to the University. Consequently, we have made it our mission to be more inclusive by encouraging access to university while still promoting academic excellence.

Maybe your academic history is unusual or you’ve faced personal challenges. You can now improve your chances of admission by filling out a Declaration of Personal Experience if your academic average is below the minimum average listed for the program that interests you. A panel of expert faculty members will take into account experiences that reflect positively on your admission before making an admission decision.

No. A declaration of Personal Experience can only be submitted by Canadian citizens, permanent residents or those having refugee status. Moreover, declarations will only be considered in decisions for admission to undergraduate programs in one of the direct-entry faculties, and will not be considered for admission to programs leading to a Juris Doctor designation or graduate studies.

Note that the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Education, and the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law use their own processes to assess a student’s personal experience.

You don’t need to send us a Declaration of Personal Experience; you should only send us a Declaration if you do not meet the required average and you would like to tell us about specific experiences or accomplishments that set you apart.

  1. Apply for admission.
  2. Fill out the Declaration of Personal Experience in your admission file in uoZone, the University’s secure student portal.
  3. Only complete one Declaration of Personal Experience, even if you are applying for admission to several programs for the same session.
  4. Only submit a Declaration of Personal Experience if your academic average is below the posted minimum average required for admission to the program(s) of interest to you. 

Contact information

InfoAdmission

Tabaret Hall  (map)
75 Laurier Avenue East, Room 109
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5
Canada

See wait times and secure a spot in our virtual line for all services. 

Send us a request

Office hours

September 1 to May 31:
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

June 1 to August 31:
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For admission to Common Law or Medicine, contact the faculties offering these programs. For graduate studies, contact the academic unit of the faculty offering the program you are applying to.