Mapped - OCAS Annual Report 2024-25

Mapped

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As we reflect on the past year, we’re proud to share the significant progress we’ve made in furthering our mission and enhancing our services. This part of the report highlights our key achievements and commitment to our partners in the Ontario college system.

Domestic Services Updates

On the domestic front, we’re proud to announce that, in calendar year 2024, OCAS processed 210,477 domestic applications – an increase of over 6% from 2023!

Here’s a look at some highlights of updates to our domestic application for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Many of these changes were made in response to feedback from our partners and college learners.

Domestic Application Updates

eTMS Enhancements

  • We updated the default order of the ‘Completed’ tab to display the most recently completed transcript requests first instead of the oldest. This makes it easier for partners to monitor their transcript requests.
  • We added an institution’s city beside its name in the ‘Source’ column to help partners distinguish between schools when viewing transcript requests.
  • We added a ‘School Name’ sub-filter below the ‘Board Name’ filter on the ‘Transcript Requests’ page to help partners better refine search results when viewing transcript requests.

Program Catalogue Enhancements

  • To give the colleges more flexibility, we added the ability to include multiple start dates in a month. This helps applicants to easily select the start date they want right from the application stage.
  • We also moved some program-level attributes – including Length, Unit of Measure, Special Codes, and URL – to the intake level.
  • And we responded to partner requests for even more customization by enabling them to set distinct availability for entry semesters within an intake.

Applicant Experience

  • We made significant efforts to simplify the copy inside the application, making it easier for a wider range of individuals to easily start and complete their applications.
  • These revisions included overhauling sections of the application cycle selection for in-progress applications and updating the wording on the ‘Documents and Transcripts’ page.
  • We also streamlined the process that enables applicants to change their legal first and last names and date of birth in their application.
  • And we added messaging to the ‘New User’ screen to remind applicants not to use their high school email address to create an account (as they may lose access once they graduate).

Applicant Experience

  • We added a note to the ‘Confirm Registration’ page to make applicants aware that their account activation link is only valid for 24 hours.
  • We updated messaging on the ‘Your Applications’ page to help applicants understand that any changes they make to an in-progress application will only be sent to the colleges after they pay the application fee.
  • We updated the instructions on the ‘Personal Information’ page to advise applicants to contact us by email – instead of by phone – if they need to change their name and/or date of birth.
  • We introduced a naming convention for transcripts and supporting documents to ensure consistency and clarity for partners. Now, each file name includes the applicant's account number and date received.

As always, we're excited to hear from our partners about how these changes support their needs, as well as those of learners. We'll continue seeking out and integrating this feedback as the domestic application evolves.

OCAS Status Page

Status page screenshot

In October, we launched the OCAS Status Page, a new tool that improves the partner experience by providing near real-time updates on the status of our key services, including the college application and ontariocolleges.ca.

The goal: ensure transparency, improve communication, and further enhance trust among our partners.

By monitoring performance data, we can identify patterns and areas for improvement, driving our commitment to excellence.

HOW IT WORKS

Overall, the OCAS Status Page provides our partners with the latest updates during incidents. You can now access the OCAS Status Page via both the ontariocolleges.ca and OCAS.ca websites.

Data Sharing

Over the past year, we continued to strengthen our commitment to data sharing and collaboration with our partners in government and the college system. These data collaboration initiatives are about standardizing important coding systems, improving our reporting capabilities, and fostering a deeper understanding of student pathways and experiences.

By working closely with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES), Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), and Colleges Ontario, OCAS has made significant strides in enhancing the data infrastructure and support available to Ontario’s post-secondary institutions – and by extension, their learners.

Collaborating with the MCURES and Colleges

OCAS has been actively collaborating with the MCURES and colleges to standardize CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) and APS (Approved Program Sequence) codes. A CIP code identifies a classification of instructional program or field of study, while an APS code is a number assigned for each approved program by the MCURES.

Consistent CIP and APS codes are crucial for accurate reporting and analysis because they ensure that every college reports their data in the same way.

Without this collaboration, it’s possible the data we use would be less useful for colleges in making critical decisions about programs, essential services, and more.

Key Data Partnerships: A Breakdown

Our ongoing partnership with ONCAT is focused on helping colleges better understand student transfer patterns between Ontario post-secondary institutions. The goal is to expand our understanding of student pathways by showing how many learners are transferring institutions, where they’re going, and what programs they’re joining.

With this data available, we can help colleges support transfers and ensure people feel satisfied about their college and program experiences.

In 2024-25, OCAS and HEQCO collaborated in three key areas of research:

  • Part-time college programs and their applicants
  • Understanding the impact of government incentives for specific college programming
  • Francophone applicants to college

This research showed that both part-time applicants and part-time college programs have been increasing in number in recent years, and that incentives designed to draw applicants to specific high-demand programs and career fields (e.g., nursing) are having the desired effect.

(Our research on Francophone applicants remains ongoing and is focused on how many applicants to French-language colleges come from French- and English-language secondary schools.)

By understanding the increasing trend of part-time applicants and programs, colleges can tailor their offerings to better meet the needs of this growing demographic. Furthermore, the success of targeted incentives in high-demand fields suggests that similar strategies could be employed to attract students to other critical areas experiencing shortages.

We also collaborated with HEQCO to include new questions in the 2024 Applicant Experience Survey to support their research initiatives focused on application and confirmation data.

OCAS works closely with Colleges Ontario – the organization dedicated to advocating for colleges in Ontario – to support new initiatives and clarify information for the MCURES. By leveraging data, we assist Colleges Ontario in promoting the needs and interests of Ontario colleges.

OCAS offers data to high schools – including aggregated college application data showing where students applied to college – free of charge to help guidance counsellors support high school students preparing their college applications. As for school boards, they can access more comprehensive information for a fee, providing them with valuable insights for student research.

Conclusion

Through these collaborative efforts, OCAS has reinforced our role as a key supporter of Ontario's post-secondary education system. By standardizing codes, enhancing reporting capabilities, and fostering partnerships, we’re committed to providing robust data support that drives informed decision-making and promotes student success across the province.

Ontario Attestation Letter Service

On January 22, 2024, the federal government announced – via its Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) agency – an intake cap on international study permit applications. This announcement included a new requirement that every study permit application must be accompanied by an attestation letter from the province or territory where the student plans to study.

In response, OCAS offered to build a solution that helps Ontario colleges process these new provincial attestation letters (PALs) in collaboration with the provincial government’s Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES).

That solution took the form of OCAS’ Ontario Attestation Letter Service, which includes dedicated portals for college and MCURES users. It’s designed to help colleges easily request and download attestation letters for their international applicants.

Launch

With the MCURES releasing cap allocations on March 27, 2024, OCAS launched the Ontario Attestation Letter Service the following day, on March 28.

Since its launch in early 2024, we’ve continued refining the Ontario Attestation Letter Service in partnership with colleges and the MCURES. This included training and feedback collection from our college partners.

The Ontario Attestation Letter Service also includes the following data reporting:

  • Portal Report – An operational report that provides PAL Portal users with a detailed list of every PAL they’ve submitted and filters to help them narrow down applicants by date or residency.
  • Benchmark Report – A report to help colleges see how their PAL usage aligns with those of other colleges.

Allocations for 2025

Our team made several changes to the Ontario Attestation Letter Service to prepare for the 2025 allocations, which officially launched on January 24, 2025.

These changes involved accommodating several new mandatory fields required with each PAL request.

  • The introduction of these mandatory fields is a significant step towards a more streamlined and transparent PAL process. Institutions will benefit from clearer communication and more precise program allocations by specifying the Program Title, Level of Study, and Approved Program Sequence (APS) code.
  • The changes also allow the MCURES, colleges, and OCAS to monitor usage at the program level, helping us understand what programs receive the most PAL allocations.
  • The changes will help us see how PALs are being used as part of the Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) program, through which international students in high-demand fields (like nursing and dental hygiene) can stay and work in Canada after completing their studies.

If you’d like to read more about Ontario Attestation Letter Service, and PALs in general, check out our coverage on the OCAS Help Centre.

International Services Updates

The 2024-25 fiscal year was a challenging one for international education in Ontario. Since the federal government's decision to restrict the number of new international students in January 2024, virtually all post-secondary institutions have seen a steep decline in international applicants.

It's a trend that's deeply impacted our International Application Service (IAS), which is used by more than half of Ontario's colleges.

Updating International in 2024-25

We spent much of the past fiscal year updating the Ontario Attestation Letter Service, the solution we built in 2024 to help manage provincial attestation letters (PALs) for our post-secondary partners. A separate platform from the IAS, we'll continue to update and oversee the Ontario Attestation Letter Service for the foreseeable future.

In fact, in terms of the many updates the OCAS team made in the international space in 2024-25, much of our focus was on continuously enhancing the Ontario Attestation Letter Service.

The July 2024 release included enhancements to better support the new PAL process, working in tandem with OCAS’ Ontario Attestation Letter Service. As you can see below, all these features are about making, submitting, and processing PALs faster and easier for our partners.

New features included:

  • Automatic upload of PALs to applicant profiles – Once the MCURES approves a batch of PALs, the letters are automatically sent back to the IAS and uploaded to the appropriate applicant profiles.
  • Automatic PAL data loading - The expiry date and ID number for each PAL is automatically added to an applicant’s profile.
  • New email notification to applicants and agents – Applicants and agents receive an email notification when a PAL is available for download.

The new automated PAL process provides several key benefits for colleges, applicants, and agents, including:

  • Improved operational efficiencies – We eliminated the manual effort of downloading each PAL from the Ontario Attestation Letter Service and uploading it to the IAS.
  • Faster response times – We provided applicants and agents access to their PAL within minutes of it being approved by the MCURES, allowing applicants to proceed with their study permit application sooner.

This release further expanded our support of the PAL process by integrating IAS workflows with OCAS' Ontario Attestation Letter Service:

  • On-demand PAL requests – College users can now request PALs from the Offer Details page of the IAS. After a request is submitted, the information will be sent automatically to the Ontario Attestation Letter Service for review and approval by the MCURES.
  • Better visibility of PAL information – We added a new PAL section to the bottom of the Offer Details page in the IAS to help colleges easily view the status of new PAL requests, access approved PALs, and see PAL details.

The last release of 2024 included new and updated features that improved the OCAS IAS experience for all users. Below are some highlights of the new functionality.

For institutions:

  • We expanded program details to support CIP codes and Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility status.
  • We added CIP codes and PGWP eligibility status to the Export Programs and Export Intakes feature to help colleges manage this new information.
  • We expanded the “Needs More Information” list for personal information to include specific options for the applicant’s name, gender, or passport number to match their passport. This gives applicants and agents more clarity on what needs to be corrected on their applications.

For applicants and agents:

  • We added a new option for applicants or agents to withdraw an acceptance or decline an offer for PGWP eligibility reasons.

The first release of 2025 focused on supporting colleges in meeting the MCURES’s new requirements for PAL requests:

  • Updated validation for PAL requests – To help colleges ensure they include the information necessary for reporting to the MCURES, PAL requests are required to have a valid APS Code and MCURES Code. If these fields are incorrect, the validation will stop the request from being submitted.