We offer several admission categories to make our programs accessible to applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. Applications are submitted directly through our website and the $100 application fee can be paid by credit card online at the time of submission. Click on each category to learn more.
Degree Program and Certificate Programs
For students who wish to enter directly into one of our degree programs or online certificate programs.
To be eligible for the online Bachelor of Arts, or a Certificate you’ll need one of the following (whichever is most recent):
- A High School Diploma - A minimum of a 75% average with the following courses:
- + ENG4U
- + best five 4U/M courses
- A 2-year College Diploma - A minimum of 2.9 CGPA
- A 3-year College Diploma – A minimum of 2.6 CGPA
- 1 full year of university – A minimum of 2.6 CGPA
For the Bachelor of Science, you’ll need one of the following (whichever is most recent):
- A High School Diploma - A minimum of a 75% average with the following courses:
- ENG4U, SBI4U, SCH4U
- + one of: MHF4U OR MCV4U OR MDM4U
- + two additional 4U/M courses
- A 2-year College Diploma - A minimum of 2.9 CGPA plus the following high school courses:
- ENG4U, SBI4U, SCH4U
- + one of: MHF4U OR MCV4U OR MDM4U
- + two additional 4U/M courses
- A 3-year College Diploma – A minimum of 2.6 CGPA plus the following high school courses:
- ENG4U, SBI4U, SCH4U
- + one of: MHF4U OR MCV4U OR MDM4U
- + two additional 4U/M courses
- 1 full year of university – A minimum of 2.6 CGPA plus the following or equivalent courses:
- ENG4U, SBI4U, SCH4U
- + one of: MHF4U OR MCV4U OR MDM4U
- + two additional 4U/M courses
*Some first-year university courses in ENGL, MATH, CHEM, BIOL may count as equivalents to ENG4U, Chemistry (SCH4U), Biology (SBI4U), and a 4U Math Course (MCV4U, MHF4U or MDM4U). Please contact admission@queensu.ca for more info.
If you do not meet these requirements, please see our "Interest Student" category to see how you may progress into a degree program.
If you do not meet these requirements, you can explore these alternative options
Look over the Interest Student category which allows you admission to Queen’s through a supportive progression plan;
Consider taking Ontario Online High School courses through TVO ILC. This is Ontario’s largest secondary school, with nearly 20,000 students per year. All TVO ILC courses are strictly compliant with Ontario’s curriculum, and qualify toward achieving an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. These courses:
are available to both domestic and international students. Fees can be found on their website.
can also act as a refresher on any high school courses you might need, before starting your studies at Queen’s.
For more information about TVO ILC online high school please visit their website https://www.ilc.org/
Interest Student
For students who do not have the prerequisites to enter directly into a degree or certificate program.
To be eligible to apply as an Interest Student, you must be over 21 years of age in the calendar year of admission, or have already completed at minimum the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent. Please note that the Interest category is not intended as a pathway for students who wish to apply to on-campus studies, and once you begin as an Interest student, you must complete the progression plan as outlined.
Starting as a Non-Degree Interest Student
As an interest student, you are able to choose either a 3.0 unit class or a 6.0 unit class to start your first term of studies at Queen’s. If you choose a 3.0 unit class, you can take another 3.0 units the following semester. If you achieve a minimum 1.6 GPA on these first 6.0 units, we’ll automatically move you into a category called “Non-Degree Continuing” where you’ll be able to take up to 9.0 units per term. If you do not achieve a minimum 1.6 GPA on your first 6.0 units, you will not be eligible to take further classes at Queen’s.
Progressing from the Non-Degree to Degree or Certificate Category
Once you reach a total of 18.0 units at Queen’s and have achieved a minimum 1.6 GPA, we will email you to ask if you would like to be moved into one of our degree (or certificate) programs and you may continue to take up to 9.0 units per term. All courses that you have completed as an Interest Student will count towards your degree.
Moving from part-time to full-time
If you have a cumulative GPA of 2.9 after 18.0 units (or 1.9 GPA after 24.0 units), you can take up to a full-time course load of 15.0 units per term.
We'll automatically email you when you achieve either of these milestones and check in to offer help with next steps.
Non-Degree Continuing
For students with previous post-secondary education who wish to take a few classes but who don’t intend to work toward a degree.
To be eligible for the online Non-Degree Continuing category you’ll need one of the following (whichever is most recent):
- A High School Diploma - A minimum of a 75% average with the following courses:
- + ENG4U
- + best five 4U/M courses
- A 2-year College Diploma - A minimum of 2.9 CGPA
- A 3-year College Diploma – A minimum of 2.6 CGPA
- 1 full year of university – A minimum of 2.6 CGPA
As a Non-Degree Continuing student, you’ll be able to use your previous education as a basis to allow you to take upper year courses, without pursuing a degree.
Current Queen's Student
As a current Queen's Student, you do not need to apply to take online courses. You can simply enrol for one of our online courses in SOLUS. When you search for a class in the "Class Search" screen, change the "Course Career" to "Undergraduate Online", which will then display only the online courses available. For more detailed instructions on how to enrol, go to our Course Enrolment webpage.
Please note that some seats in classes are reserved for students in the Online Undergraduate career. This may be why you get a "class full" error while enrolling even though the class appears to have seats available. You may want to add yourself to the waitlist or keep trying to get a spot throughout the open enrolment period in SOLUS.
To complete a certificate in addition to your degree:
Current On-Campus Queen's Arts and Science students: If you are already an Arts and Science student attending classes on-campus at Queen’s and wish to complete a certificate program in addition to your degree, please email asc.registration@queensu.ca with your request. Please note that the Certificate in Academic Writing is not available to on-campus Queen's students.
Current Queen's Engineering, Business, Health Science students: If you are a Queen's student in a faculty other than Arts and Science and wish to complete a certificate program in addition to your degree, please complete this web form with your request.
Current Arts and Science Online students: If you are already an online student at Queen’s in an online degree program and wish to be added into one of the certificate programs, please email asc.online@queensu.ca with your request. Students currently in the Interest Category must complete 18.0 units at a 1.6 cumulative GPA to be eligible to request enrolment in one of the online certificate programs.
Note: Students who are concurrently in a degree program can apply some units (not all) from the certificate towards their degree (or vice-versa). Visit each each certificate page under "program plan" for further information about how many units can be double-counted for that specific certificate.
Past Queen's student
As a returning Queen's Student, you may not need to apply to return to Queen’s. If you have been away from your studies for more than a year, you’ll need to fill out this return to studies form. There is no fee for this form. Click on Registration Related Forms, then choose the "Return to Studies Form".
Please allow a minimum of 48 hours for the form to be processed after you submit it. Once it has been processed, you will be able to log into SOLUS using your Queen’s NET ID and password and enrol in classes during the next open enrolment period.
You may call the number on the Return to Studies form for more information about enrolment.
Transferring to On-Campus Studies
Currently, Arts & Science Online is unable to offer 4-year Online Honours degree programs.
Once you've completed 24.0 units online at Queen's (not including transfer credits you may be granted), you may be eligible to apply to transfer into on-campus degree programs, provided that there are spaces available, and you meet the minimum GPA requirements for the department you are applying to.
Keep in mind that some on-campus programs have limited spaces and fill quickly, and some programs are closed to transfer students such as the Psychology program. Please note that the Psychology program will NOT allow ASO students to transfer to their on-campus program due to space limitations in their campus-based program.
Space and GPA thresholds vary by department and from year to year. Applications are available each February at www.ouac.on.ca for the upcoming Fall intake. If this is something that you are considering, we strongly recommend that you call us at (613) 533-2470 or email us to book an appointment with an Academic Advisor before you apply.
**Note about ASO 3-year online 90.0-units General Degree
Arts and Science Online currently offers 5 General Bachelor of Arts degree programs and 1 General Bachelor of Science degree program. For more details about each program visit our Programs webpage.
While a highly marketable credential, a General degree is not aimed at providing students with direct access to graduate level studies. Depending on the program, many graduate level programs require a 4-year 120.0-unit Honours degree. If you are considering continuing your education at the graduate level, it is strongly recommended that you research the programs you are interested in to determine if a 3-year General degree is acceptable for admission.