Grade 12 U and M Courses Explained: What Ontario Universities Actually Require
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Admissions & Applications, Canadian Universities & Colleges
Ontario Grade 12 courses come in different tracks, and only University (U) and University/College (M) courses count toward your university admission average. College (C), Open (O) and co-op courses do not.
🎓 U courses are built for university entry, M courses work for university or college depending on the program
Universities calculate your average from your best 6 Grade 12 U or M courses
Any course your target program lists as a required prerequisite gets pulled into those 6 automatically
C, O and co-op courses never count toward a university admission average, even with a high mark
Check the exact course code your program lists, since two courses can cover similar content but only one qualifies
What the letters after your course code mean
Every Ontario high school course code ends in a letter that tells you its stream. In Grade 11 and 12, the four you need to know are U, M, C and O. Grade 9 and 10 use a different set (D, P, L, O), so this only matters once you hit Grade 11.
U (University Preparation): built to prepare you for university-level study. Examples: ENG4U (English), MHF4U (Advanced Functions), MCV4U (Calculus and Vectors), SCH4U (Chemistry), SPH4U (Physics).
M (University/College Preparation): designed to work for either university or college programs, depending on what the specific program asks for.
C (College Preparation): built for college admission and some apprenticeship routes. Universities do not count these toward your admission average.
O (Open): available to any student, not stream-specific, and not used in a university average.
You need 30 credits total to earn your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), and C, O and co-op courses count fully toward that. The distinction only matters for university admission math, not for graduating.
Why only U and M courses count
Ontario universities calculate your admission average from your best 6 Grade 12 U or M courses, according to University of Waterloo's admissions guidance , which states plainly that C, O, and co-op courses are not used when calculating your admission average for Ontario applicants. This pattern holds across Ontario university admissions generally: a 95% in a College-stream course will not appear anywhere in your calculated average, while an 80% in a University-stream course will.
This catches students off guard when they pick a course based on interest or workload rather than stream. Before you register for Grade 12 courses, check whether each one is coded U or M, not just whether the subject matches your intended major.
Required courses get pulled in first
If your program lists a specific course as a prerequisite, that course counts toward your 6 regardless of what mark you got in it. Universities fill the required slots first, then use your next-highest U or M marks to fill any remaining spots up to 6 total.
Example: if a program requires English, Biology, Chemistry and Advanced Functions, those four courses are locked into your average no matter your grades in them. The university then adds your two best remaining U or M courses to complete the six.
U versus M: does it matter which one you take
Some subjects offer both a U and an M version at the Grade 11 or 12 level, covering overlapping content at a different pace. A program that lists a specific U-level course as a prerequisite generally will not accept the M-level equivalent as a substitute, even though both count toward your admission average as electives. Read your program's prerequisite list for the exact course code, not just the subject name.
| Course type | Grade level | Counts toward university average | Counts toward OSSD credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| U (University) | 11, 12 | Yes | Yes |
| M (University/College) | 11, 12 | Yes | Yes |
| C (College) | 11, 12 | No | Yes |
| O (Open) | 9-12 | No | Yes |
| Co-op | 11, 12 | No | Yes |
What to do with this before Grade 12 course selection
Pull the admission requirements page for every program you are considering and list the exact course codes, not subject names.
Confirm each required course is U or M level. If it is C or O, it will not help your average even if you excel in it.
Build your remaining electives from U or M courses, since those are the only ones with any chance of boosting your average.
If you are unsure whether a course is U, M or C, check the course code on your timetable. The final letter before the grade number tells you the stream.