For parents and students
What to do after high school in Ontario
University, college, apprenticeship, trades, the military, straight to work, a gap year, or starting something — what each path costs, how long it takes, and how to change your mind. For Ontario students and parents.
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Start from the job, not the school
The question most families argue about is “college or university?” It is the wrong first question. Almost every career has a specific route in — a degree, a diploma, a licence, a portfolio, or simply getting hired — and once you know the job, the route usually picks itself. So the useful order is: what kind of work, then which route, then which school.
If “what kind of work” is the part that's stuck, that is normal, and it is what the rest of this site is for. Ten minutes on Future Finder is a reasonable place to start; a conversation with someone doing the work is a better one.
University
Who it fits. Someone who likes the subject for its own sake, reads without being made to, and is heading for a career that requires a degree — engineering, nursing, teaching, law, medicine, most of the sciences.
What it costs. The most expensive option up front: four years of tuition and, usually, living away. OSAP grants and loans cover a lot for lower-income families, and the amount depends on income, so check the estimator before assuming it's out of reach.
How long. Four years for most degrees; longer with co-op or a professional program after.
Changing your mind. Easier than people think in first year — switching majors inside a faculty is routine. Switching to college after a year is common and nothing to be ashamed of; some college programs give advanced standing for university credits.
What to do this year. Grade 11: get the prerequisites right for the programs you might want — 4U math, sciences, English. Grade 12: applications go through OUAC in the winter; the deadline is typically mid-January.
College
Who it fits. Someone who wants a job at the end and learns by doing: technology, trades-adjacent programs, health (PSW, dental hygiene, paramedic), business, early childhood, design, media, policing.
What it costs. Cheaper than university per year and shorter. OSAP applies. Many programs have a paid co-op or placement built in.
How long. One to three years for a certificate, diploma or advanced diploma; some colleges now offer four-year degrees.
Changing your mind. Programs are modular and many share a common first semester, so moving between related programs is straightforward. College-to-university transfer agreements exist for a lot of diplomas.
What to do this year. Grade 11: look at the actual program pages, not the college. Grade 12: applications go through OCAS; most programs open in the fall and the equal-consideration date is February 1.
Apprenticeship and the skilled trades
Who it fits. Someone who is good with their hands and their head, wants to be paid from day one, and doesn't want four more years of classrooms. Electrician, plumber, millwright, carpenter, automotive, welder, cook, hairstylist and a hundred more.
What it costs. You earn instead of pay. In-school blocks have modest fees and there are grants and loans for apprentices. The real cost is the effort of finding a sponsor.
How long. Usually three to five years to a Certificate of Qualification — a 9,000-hour trade like electrician is about five.
Changing your mind. Hours in a related trade can sometimes be credited, and a journeyperson can later add a college diploma or move into supervision, estimating or teaching. Leaving mid-apprenticeship costs you nothing but time.
What to do this year. Grade 11: co-op with an employer in the trade, and ask about OYAP by name. Grade 12: register with the co-op employer if they'll sponsor, or apply to a free pre-apprenticeship program.
Straight to work
Who it fits. Someone with a job they actually want, or who needs income now, or who wants a year of real work before choosing. Not a lesser path — the question is only whether it leads somewhere.
What it costs. Nothing up front. The risk is drift: a job with no next step can quietly become the plan.
How long. Open-ended, which is the point and the danger.
Changing your mind. Every other option on this page is available to a 19- or 22-year-old. College and university admit mature students; apprenticeships have no age limit.
What to do this year. Write down, before graduating, what the job is for — money for a program, a foot in an industry, a year to think — and a date to check whether it's doing that.
The Canadian Armed Forces
Who it fits. Someone who wants structure, training with a certificate at the end, and to be paid while getting it. Many CAF trades are civilian trades — vehicle technician, electrician, cook, medical — and the Forces will pay for a degree or a college program in return for service.
What it costs. Nothing; you are paid from basic training. The cost is the commitment, which is real and should be read carefully.
How long. Initial contracts vary by trade and entry plan. Reserve service can start at 16 with a parent's consent while still in school.
Changing your mind. The Reserves are the low-commitment way to find out. Paid education plans carry an obligatory service period after.
What to do this year. Talk to a recruiter with the exact trade or education plan in mind, and read the terms of service before signing anything. A parent should be in the room for a minor.
A gap year
Who it fits. Someone who is genuinely undecided, burned out, or needs money — but only if the year has a shape. Work, travel, volunteering, a course, a business.
What it costs. Depends entirely on what fills it. A working gap year can fund the year after it.
How long. One year. Two is a pattern.
Changing your mind. Most universities and colleges will defer an accepted offer for a year if you ask; check the policy before turning anything down.
What to do this year. Apply anyway in Grade 12, then defer. It's much easier to hold an offer than to reapply from a job.
Starting something of your own
Who it fits. Someone who has already made money on their own — mowing, tutoring, reselling, a service — and wants to see how far it goes. Almost never as the only plan at 18; often as the plan that runs alongside another.
What it costs. Whatever the business costs, which for a service business is close to nothing. Ontario's Summer Company gives students 15 to 29 a grant and mentoring to run a business over the summer.
How long. A summer is a real test. A year tells you whether it's a living.
Changing your mind. Nothing on this page is closed to someone who tried a business first. Employers and admissions officers both like it.
What to do this year. Run it while you're still in school. Launch League's free program takes a student from an idea to a first paying customer, with a plan and a province-wide competition at the end.
Source: Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) and Ontario College Application Service (OCAS)
The thing that actually decides it
Every option above becomes obvious the moment your teenager has spent time near the work. A student who has done a co-op in a dental office knows whether dental hygiene is for them in a way no website can tell them. So whatever the leaning, the best move in Grade 10 and 11 is the same: get them in front of people who do the job. The parent's guide is about how to do that without it turning into a fight.
Questions people ask
Straight answers
- Is it bad to not know what to do after high school?
- No. Most 17-year-olds don't, and a lot of the ones who say they do change their minds by 20. The mistake isn't not knowing — it's not doing anything to find out. A job shadow, a co-op placement, a summer job in the field, or twenty minutes with someone doing the work teaches more than any amount of thinking.
- College or university — which is better?
- Neither. They lead to different jobs. If the career needs a degree (engineering, nursing, teaching, law), it's university. If it needs a diploma or certificate (most technology, health support, police, early childhood, design), it's college. If it needs a licence (electrician, plumber), it's an apprenticeship. Start from the job, not the institution.
- Can you take a year off and still go to university in Ontario?
- Usually, yes. Most Ontario universities and colleges will defer an accepted offer for one year on request — but each has its own policy, so accept the offer and ask about deferral before you decline anything.
- What are the deadlines for applying in Ontario?
- University applications go through OUAC, with the deadline for Ontario high school students typically in mid-January of Grade 12. College applications go through OCAS, with February 1 as the equal-consideration date for most programs. Both open in the fall; guidance has the exact dates each year.
- What if my teenager wants a trade but the school doesn't offer co-op in it?
- Ask the school board's OYAP coordinator directly — boards often have employers that a single school's guidance office doesn't. Failing that, a free pre-apprenticeship program after graduation is built for exactly this.
Two ways to take the next step
Start with ten minutes. Or start with a person.
General information for Ontario, checked on 2026-09-25. Application dates, fees and eligibility change every year — the school's guidance office, OUAC, OCAS, OSAP and ontario.ca are the authorities.
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