The Ontario Secondary School Diploma, or OSSD is the certification high school students in Ontario receive after completing 30 credits, 40 volunteer hours and the literacy exam. The OSSD is a requirement to apply to and enroll in Canadian Universities as a local student. It allows you to enter your post-secondary pathway (either University or College) with the necessary prior…
A credit consists of 110 hours spent in a course to learn, complete assessments and a final culminating unit. In order to attain the OSSD, students are required to complete 30 credits with a wide range of foci. The 30 credits required to achieve the OSSD are comprised of 18 compulsory credits, 12 elective credits and 2 additional requirements. Students should plan to earn a maximum of 34 credits in their regular high school career.
| 4 | Credits in English (1 credit per grade) | 0.5 | Credit in Career Studies |
| 3 | Cedits in Mathematics (1 credit in Grade 11 or 12) | 0.5 | Credit in Civics |
| 2 | Credits in Science | 1 | Group 1 Credit * |
| 1 | Credit in Canadian History | 1 | Group 2 Credit ** |
| 1 | Credit in Canadian Geography | 1 | Group 3 Credit *** |
| 1 | Credit in the Arts | 12 | Optional/elective credits |
| 1 | Credit in Health and Physical Education | 40 | Hours of community involvement |
| 1 | Credit in French as a Second Language | provincial literacy requirement |
* a Group 1 Credit consists of the following: additional English or French, or Native language, or a classical or an international language, or social sciences and humanities, or Canadian and world studies, or guidance and career education, or cooperative education (maximum of 2 overall)
**a Group 2 Credit consists of the following: additional health and physical education, the arts, or business studies, or French as a second language, or cooperative education (maximum of 2 overall)
*** a Group 3 Credit consists of the following: additional credit in science (grade 11 or 12), or technological education, or French as a second language, or computer studies, or cooperative education (maximum of 2 overall)
