Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) Requirements
Students in Grades 9-12 are subject to the Diploma Requirements of the Ministry of Education, as described in the section for these grades.
Great care has been taken in editing this website content but errors do occur and provincial policies can change.
The most authoritative source for descriptions, course prerequisites and
graduation requirements is the Ministry Of Education Website.
Graduation Requirements
Students must successfully complete the following requirements to earn the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
What you need to graduate
Graduation requirements depend on the year that a student began Grade 9 with the HWCDSB.
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Diploma Requirements |
Started Grade 9 in 2023 or earlier: |
Started Grade 9 in 2024 or after: |
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Credits |
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Other Requirements |
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Credits
A credit is granted in recognition of the successful completion of a course that has been scheduled for a minimum of 110 hours. Normally, students in Grades 9-12 will be able to earn 8 in each year towards the 30 credits they will require to obtain a diploma.
Online Learning
Students are now required to earn two online learning (eLearning) credits to graduate from secondary school, beginning with every student who entered Grade 9 in the 2020-2021 school year. Families wanting to opt out of this requirement must complete the Online Learning opt-out form.
Credit Substitution
In order to ensure that all students can qualify for the OSSD or the Certificate of
Education, principals may substitute among the compulsory credits as follows:
- Up to three compulsory credits may be replaced by additional course from the remainder of those listed as compulsory.
- A maximum of one credit earned for a learning strategies course maybe used through substitution to meet a compulsory credit requirement.
- Parental approval of such substitution shall be provided in writing.
- Each substitution shall be noted on the Ontario Student Transcript.
