The ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ collects application fees to cover ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ operations and to assist with funding university support services.
Each ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ department uses specific formulae to calculate each university’s portion of the funding. The ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ operates on a cost-recovery basis and distributes any funds it does not require to the universities. On average, the ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ distributes over 80% of the application fee revenue it collects to the universities.
¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ Expenses
¶º±ÈÖ±²¥ expenses include the following:
- Support for applicants, guidance counsellors, universities and other trading partners, including application guides, guidance counsellor handbooks, marketing materials for application services and events, and more
- Centralized application-related services for Ontario’s universities:
- Processing applications for undergraduate and professional programs and other university contracts
- Ongoing development and maintenance of secure application systems (software/hardware)
- Managing the eTranscript service hub
- Processing and distributing grades to Ontario’s universities for Ontario and out-of-province students
- Managing online referees for professional programs
- Collecting MCAT and LSAT scores
- Transcript exchange services for both Ontario university and college requests
- Financial and administrative support for the , the ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥’ Regional Fairs, the ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥â€™ Information Sessions and
- Administrative support for the ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥’ Guidance Dialogues (OUGD)
How the Universities Use the Fees
Each university will determine how it uses funds distributed by the ¶º±ÈÖ±²¥, but some of the activities funded may include:
- The OUF, Regional Fairs and Information Sessions
- Campus open houses, events and tours
- University visits to high schools and community organizations
- Application assessment and evaluation, including transcripts, document processing‎ and supplementary application evaluation
- Campus viewbooks and program-specific materials for students
- Digital communications, social media and advertising
- Customer Relationship Management systems and maintenance
- Application communications and enrollment processing
- Student portals and other online systems
- Resources for prospective students (university websites for future students and parents)
- Bilingual OUInfo database made accessible for students, parents and guidance counsellors to easily find information about university undergraduate programs, admission requirements, scholarships and additional resources