OCAS reserves the right to modify these OCAS Portals Terms of Use from time to time. It is our practice to post any changes we make to the OCAS Portals Terms of Use and the changes will be effective upon the publication of the updated OCAS Portals Terms of Use. Your continued use of the websites and the services expressly indicates your acceptance of OCAS’ then-current OCAS Portals Terms of Use and OCAS Website Terms of Use. If you do not agree to the OCAS Portals Terms of Use and the OCAS Website Terms of Use, you should not use the OCAS Portals. The date the OCAS Portals Terms of Use was last revised is identified at the bottom of the page.
OCAS created the OCAS Portals to allow approved colleges, school boards, and international agencies (collectively the “Approved Organizations”) to query and update the OCAS database. These terms govern the use of OCAS Portals by Approved Organizations and their authorized designees using OCAS services.
Last updated: January 2024
Authorized Use
OCAS authorizes Approved Organizations to use the OCAS Portals only for the purpose of administering college applications and providing support to applicants (the “Purpose”).
Using OCAS systems, Approved Organizations with institutional accounts may:
- View application data, which includes demographics, grades, education, experience, program choices, offers, and supporting documents only for applicants who have applied to their college.
- View and update individual existing offers of admission only for applicants who have applied to their college.
- Monitor, administer, and view applicants who have made a college transcript request for their college. The request view will include demographics, contact, and (former) education information.
- Access summary reports about the status of applicant transcript requests from their college.
- View and acknowledge the receipt of Ontario college and Ontario university applicant electronic transcripts for applicants to their college.
- View the details of their college programs, make updates to existing programs as required and add new programs as necessary.
- View and download supporting documents (as defined by a document matrix) in the OCAS system for applicants to their college through Document Access.
- Access aggregated applicant, enrolment and graduation data within the reporting and analytics in the Data Warehouse.
- Download datasets of Ontario high schools and boards.
- View management reports on operational statistics (e.g. college reports) and focused analysis (e.g. program comparisons).
- Facilitate the authorized activities of agencies and agents for their college.
Using OCAS systems, Approved Organizations with a school board account may:
- Create accounts for their own high school’s students who have been advised in writing that OCAS will collect, use, and disclose student data in accordance with its Privacy Policy, who have been provided or directed to a copy of the Policy, and who have consented to the terms and conditions contained therein.
- View application data, which includes demographics, grades, education, experience, program choices offer, and supporting documents for their own high school’s students who have applied to college.
- Add / edit / delete / view Ontario high school academic-related data and grades for their own high school’s students who have become applicants and are in OCAS’ system. Upload data transmissions, including demographics and grades information from their school, into the OCAS system.
Using OCAS systems, Approved Organizations with an international agency account may:
- Create accounts for students represented by their agency who have been advised in writing that OCAS will collect, use, and disclose student data in accordance with its Privacy Policy, who have been provided or directed to a copy of the Policy, and who have consented to the terms and conditions contained therein.
- Add / edit / delete / view application data, which includes demographics, grades, education, experience, and supporting documents for the students represented by their agency who have applied to college.
Authorized User Terms
All users must be sponsored by an Approved Organization and be authorized by OCAS.
Authorized users shall:
- Understand and accept that the data accessed via the OCAS Portals is owned by OCAS and is confidential.
- Access the OCAS Portals only as strictly as necessary for the Purpose and in the proper course of their employment/work.
- Access, use, download, disclose, and retain the data accessed via the OCAS Portals strictly as necessary for the Purpose and in the proper course of their employment/work.
- Not share access to the OCAS Portals (including by password-sharing and otherwise), shall keep their passwords safe from loss, theft, and unauthorized access, and shall keep all computers and devices used to connect to the OCAS Portal reasonably safe from compromise (g., by employing up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware software and timely software updates and being vigilant in addressing the risk of phishing).
- Use reasonable care in using the OCAS Portals so data that is entered is accurate, so that data is not deleted or amended or deleted erroneously, and, more generally, so that records in the OCAS Portals are accurate and have integrity.
Authorization to access the OCAS Portals terminates immediately when an authorized user’s employment with an Approved Organization ends, when an authorized user’s job duties change such that access to the OCAS Portals is no longer needed in the proper course of their employment / work, or, as applicable, when students request an authorized user’s access be revoked. Access by such users is strictly prohibited.
Authorization Terms
Approved Organizations shall:
- Only authorize employees who have a need to access the OCAS Portals in the proper course of their employment/ work;
- Advise authorized employees in writing of their duty to comply with these terms, supervise authorized employees’ compliance with these terms, and enforce these terms;
- Immediately advise OCAS in writing (by e-mail to privacyofficer@ocas.ca when an authorized user’s employment ends or when an authorized user’s job duties change such that access to the OCAS Portals is no longer needed in the proper course of the user’s employment / work;
- Employ reasonable measures to protect the OCAS Portals from a compromise that arises out of access by employees and, in particular, the uploading of data, including by employing measures to protect against unauthorized interception and / or infection by malware including viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, ransomware and rootkits; and
- Immediately advise OCAS in writing (by e-mail to privacyofficer@ocas.ca) of any unauthorized access or use of the OCAS Portals or OCAS Portals’ data and any other security problem relating to the OCAS Portals.
OCAS Rights
OCAS may:
- Terminate privileges to access the OCAS Portals or authorized users at any time for any reason, including any failure to comply with these terms;
- Monitor use of the OCAS Portals and conduct audits for compliance with these terms by Approved Organizations; and
- Amend these terms at any time.
Governing Law/Disputes
These OCAS Portals Terms of Use are governed by the same law that governs the OCAS Website Terms of Use. All disputes arising under or in relation to these OCAS Portals Terms of Use will be resolved using the dispute resolution procedure set out in the OCAS Website Terms of Use, and you hereby irrevocably submit and attorn to the exclusive jurisdiction of those courts regarding those matters.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding these terms, please contact privacyofficer@ocas.ca.
