Compiling the Undergraduate Academic Record
The medical schools receive applications from applicants who attended universities with various grading systems. The admission committees at the medical schools attempt to give each applicant equal consideration.
OMSAS uses the Undergraduate Grade Conversion Table to compile academic records in a uniform manner and equate the various grading systems.
We include only university undergraduate credit courses from Canadian and American universities in the OMSAS grade point average (GPA). We usually do not include diploma or certificate programs.
Calculating Your GPA
The Postsecondary Education Undergraduate Academic Record and the Undergraduate Grade Conversion Table display applicants’ academic records in a uniform manner and equate the various grading systems.
OMSAS uses a 4.0 scale. We will convert your grades using the Undergraduate Grade Conversion Table and the scale noted for your university in the table. Do not attempt to reconcile alpha grades to any of the percentage scales.
Each medical school may use a different GPA than OMSAS calculates, based on its own admission criteria. Each medical school reserves the right to determine whether degrees granted are suitable for admission to their medical program.
We include the following in the GPA calculations:
- Repeated courses. We will include the original and repeated grade in the OMSAS GPA if both grades appear on your official transcript.
- Where both letter and percentage grades are reported on the transcript, we will use the percentage grade, except for the University of British Columbia, where we will use letter grades.
- All courses and grades, including failed, incomplete and supplementary courses, and courses extra to degree requirements.
The following are not normally included in the OMSAS GPA:
- Naturopathic and chiropractic medicine
- Consecutive Bachelor of Education programs
- College courses (even if transfer credit is granted)
- Challenge for credit courses
- Continuing Education programs
- Graduate courses
- Undergraduate courses taken as part of a graduate program
- Doctor of Medicine programs
- Courses assigned with a “Pass” grade. We include courses assigned with a “Fail” grade as failures.
The undergraduate academic record will include all information relating to undergraduate studies you undertake.
We process international transcripts as non‑convertible; therefore, we do not calculate a GPA for universities outside of Canada and the US.
Do not use a GPA to report grades for individual courses.
Calculating the Cumulative Average
We calculate the cumulative average by adding all the course weights and all the converted grades, then dividing the total course weights into the total converted grades.
Note: The cumulative average is not an “average of the averages”.
Verifying the Application Data
Beginning in November, you will have access to your OMSAS GPA calculations in the Document Tracking section of your application. You are responsible for reporting any required changes to your academic record by December 2, 2024.
Communicate any questions or concerns about your GPA to us via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) within your application.
Course Weight
Courses are weighted according to the length of study:
- Full-year course: 2
- Half-year or semester course: 1
- Three-quarter course: 1.5
- Lab course: 0.5
Course Durations
- Duration F: Used when you have the equivalent of a minimum of 3 full-time courses or 6 half courses. Two consecutive semesters are grouped together as “full-time”.
- Duration H: Used for attendance in a single semester, a minimum of 3 half courses is required.
- Duration S: Used to group all courses taken as part-time, in summer school and/or in intersession in a particular calendar year.
Providing Transcripts for Graduate Studies
Transcripts are required for all graduate study work, although individual courses are not recorded on the academic record.
If you recently started graduate studies that a transcript is not available for, arrange for a statement of registration to be sent from the registrar’s office to OMSAS.
The deadline for OMSAS to receive your transcripts is October 1, 2024.
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