About
Graduation Course Requirements
What you need to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma depends on the year you started Grade 9.
If you started Grade 9 in 2023 or in prior years, you must earn:
- 18 compulsory credits
- 12 optional credits
- the literacy requirement
- at least 2 online learning credits
If you started Grade 9 in 2024 or in later years you must earn:
- 17 compulsory credits
- 13 optional credits
- the literacy requirement
- at least 2 online learning credits
Everyone needs 40 hours of community involvement activities (volunteering) to get their high school diploma.
If you started Grade 9 in 2023 or earlier, you need the following to get your OSSD.
Compulsory credits
You need the following 18 compulsory credits to get your OSSD:
- 4 credits in English (1 credit per page)
- 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
- 3 credits for group 1, 2 and 3 courses (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 arts
- 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, you must complete 1 from each of the following groups:
Group 1
- English (including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course) or French as a second language
- 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 education
- American Sign Language as a second language
Group 2
- health and physical education
- the arts
- business studies
- French as a second language
- cooperative education
- American Sign Language as a second language
Group 3
- science (Grade 11 or 12)
- technological education
- French as a second language
- computer studies
- cooperative education
- American Sign Language as a second language
The following conditions apply to compulsory credit selections from the above 3 groups.
- In groups 1, 2, and 3, you can count a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language as compulsory credits, 1 from group 1 and 1 from either group 2 or group 3.
- If you have taken Native languages in place of French as a second language in elementary school, you may use a Level 1 or 2 Native languages course to meet the compulsory credit requirement for French as a second language.
- You can count a maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education as compulsory credits from any of the above 3 groups.
Optional credits
You must earn 12 optional credits by successfully completing courses from your school’s program and course calendar.
Optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit programs.
Starting in September 2025, you must earn a new financial literacy graduation requirement as part of your compulsory Grade 10 mathematics course. You will need to achieve a mark of 70% or higher to pass this new requirement and earn your high school diploma.
If you started Grade 9 in 2024 or in later years, you need the following to get your OSSD.
Compulsory credits
You need the following 17 compulsory credits to get your OSSD:
- 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)
- 3 credits in mathematics (Grade 9, Grade 10 and 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
- 2 credits in science
- 1 credit in technological education (Grade 9 or Grade 10)
- 1 credit in Canadian history (Grade 10)
- 1 credit in Canadian geography (Grade 9)
- 1 credit in the arts
- 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
- 1 credit from the STEM-related course group
STEM-related course group
Of the 17 compulsory credits, you must complete 1 from the following group:
- business studies
- computer studies
- cooperative education
- mathematics (in addition to the 3 compulsory credits currently required)
- science (in addition to the 2 compulsory credits currently required)
- technological education (in addition to the 1 compulsory credit required)
Optional credits
You must earn 13 optional credits by successfully completing courses from your school’s program and course calendar.
Optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit programs.
Starting in September 2025, you must earn a new financial literacy graduation requirement as part of your compulsory Grade 10 mathematics course. You will need to achieve a mark of 70% or higher to pass this new requirement and earn your high school diploma.
If you started Grade 9 in 2024 or in later years, you need the following to get your OSSD.
Compulsory credits
You need the following 17 compulsory credits to get your OSSD:
- 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade, up to 3 ESL courses could count toward the 4 English)
- 3 credits in mathematics (Grade 9, Grade 10 and 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
- 2 credits in science
- 1 credit in technological education (Grade 9 or Grade 10)
- 1 credit in Canadian history (Grade 10)
- 1 credit in Canadian geography (Grade 9)
- 1 credit in the arts
- 1 credit in health and physical education
- 1 credit in French as a second language (an international student's first language could count toward the French requirement)
- 0.5 credit in career studies
- 0.5 credit in civics and citizenship
- 1 credit from the STEM-related course group
STEM-related course group
Of the 17 compulsory credits, you must complete 1 from the following group:
- business studies
- computer studies
- cooperative education
- mathematics (in addition to the 3 compulsory credits currently required)
- science (in addition to the 2 compulsory credits currently required)
- technological education (in addition to the 1 compulsory credit required)
Optional credits
You must earn 13 optional credits by successfully completing courses from your school’s program and course calendar.
Optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit programs.
Literacy Requirement
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9. Successful completion of the OSSLT is one of the requirements to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. All students across the province write this test on the same date, usually in late March each year.
Students who are receiving special education programs and services and who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will receive the accommodations set out in their IEP.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC)
Students who have written the OSSLT and were unsuccessful can enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC).
The OSSLC provides students who have been unsuccessful on the literacy test with intensive support in achieving the required reading and writing competencies, and with an alternative means of demonstrating their literacy skills. Students who have written the OSSLT and were unsuccessful can enrol in the OSSLC.
The reading and writing competencies required by the OSSLT form the instructional and assessment core of the course. Students who successfully complete this course meet the provincial literacy requirement for graduation and earn one credit.
Community Involvement Hours
All high school students must complete 40 hours of community involvement by the time they graduate from Grade 12. Students may begin to accumulate volunteer hours in the summer between Grade 8 and Grade 9.
For further details on eligible and ineligible activities review the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) Guidelines from the Ontario Ministry of Education before you begin.
Click here to download a copy of the Notification of Completion of Community Involvement Activities Tracking Form.
