Photo Credit: University of British Columbia
University applications are currently at the epicentre of many senior students’ lives. Universities are the selective stage that high school students undertake to distinguish themselves as future engineers, aspiring policy-makers, or artists shaping culture.
However, many students, both at Hamber and across Canada, are struggling in an unfair education system that disadvantages certain students. An over-reliance on academic grades to assess applicant suitability at certain universities intensifies the impacts of grade inflation on students’ futures, since a teacher’s approach to grading in certain classes can significantly boost or lower students’ grades.
Across the globe, universities have developed and continue to experiment with a diverse range of approaches to assess their applicants’ capabilities. Many of these strategies could be applied to Canadian schools to make the selective admissions process less dependent on factors outside students’ control.
What Universities Currently Consider
It’s difficult to generalize about post-secondary admissions in Canada, given the sheer number of universities, as well as the independence in admissions among these schools. However, we can take a look at some commonalities.
Besides submitting a high transcript, there are no steps in the application process for Canadian universities that are universal to all students and programs. Canada doesn’t have major standardized tests such as the SAT or a common application process template such as the Common App, which are both aspects of the American application process that serve as unifying markers for all students.
Generally speaking, Canadian universities put a heavy emphasis on applicants’ grade 11 and 12 marks.
At McGill, one of Canada’s top universities, the admissions process focuses on applicants’ top five academic marks and does not take into account any personal essays or extracurriculars. And at the University of Toronto, students applying to study humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and mathematical and physical sciences do not submit any other information besides their transcripts and basic demographic information.
However, US universities often place a greater emphasis on extracurriculars, personal essays, and standardized testing than Canadian schools.
Many US universities, including all eight Ivy League schools, use the Common App as an application platform, standardizing a large portion of US university applications and enabling prospective students to submit much of the same information to multiple institutions.
The Common App is a college application platform that allows applicants to describe their activities, responsibilities, circumstances, languages, test scores, and an essay of up to 650 words on a topic of choice.
In addition to the Common App information, many universities require additional supplemental materials, such as letters of recommendation and interviews. Using the Common App allows many US universities to examine a comprehensive application package beyond grades and standardized test scores without forcing applicants to complete a separate application for each university.
According to a 2026 report by the Common App, the platform has 1,146 member institutions, including 20 countries across Europe and Asia, and the number of registered institutions continues to grow annually. A handful of Canadian universities use the Common App, including Queen’s University, the University of Guelph, and Bishop’s University.
Some universities have chosen to retain distinct applications, including globally renowned institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Juilliard. MIT’s Maker Portfolio is a unique, optional supplemental application in which science and engineering applicants showcase original and creative projects of their own design for evaluation by MIT faculty and alumni. Meanwhile, depending on the intended discipline of study, Juilliard requires pre-screenings, auditions and performances alongside transcripts, test scores, and a personal essay.
Aside from the US universities’ increased focus on extracurriculars and personal essays, many of the nation’s universities consider standardized test scores as part of their admissions process, a practice less prevalent in Canadian schools. These include the SAT and the ACT, which assess students’ readiness for university-level study, and Advanced Placement (AP) exams, which assess knowledge and skills in over 42 subject areas and may also contribute to acceptance into specific programs. However, testing requirements vary, with some universities requiring SAT or ACT scores, while others remain test-optional.
Problems with the Status Quo
Firstly, application fees act as a barrier to students from lower-income families applying to university.
According to StudyIn, an education consulting service, the average application fee in Canada ranges from $50 to $250 per application, with some institutions charging an additional $10 to $30 for additional transcripts and documents. Central hubs, such as Ontario, charge more, with the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) charging a base application fee of $159 along with an extra $51 for every additional program choice.
Because these fees are strictly non-refundable, wealthier applicants can submit applications to multiple universities to maximize their chances of success, while low-income applicants could be forced to restrict their options or withdraw from the process entirely.
The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQO) reports show that low-income youth, in particular, overestimate the cost of universities and colleges and that approximately half of low-income students do not apply for government loans.
These strict fees deter applicants before they even apply, reinforcing the notion of post-secondary education exclusivity.
Another issue with post-secondary applications is grade inflation, which turns high school transcripts into unreliable metrics of student achievement.
Different teachers have different philosophies, and in the era of grade inflation, this means that some embrace giving their students high marks, while others firmly protest giving students grades that they haven’t earned.
Inherently, grade inflation has a tendency to favour some students, while arbitrarily putting others at a disadvantage.
“If grades lose their signalling power — that is, if students, families, universities and employers cannot trust grades or no longer know what they mean — then selection, promotion and other important decisions get undermined,” reports the Queen’s Gazette.
Every year, students at Hamber have their course schedules generated by a computer. And, ultimately, with schools only considering a student’s top five or six grades, the random likelihood of getting a more lenient teacher can be the difference between a student getting accepted or rejected from their desired program.
And, ultimately, an education system that gives students grades they don’t deserve — just so they can get into university — is hurting the people it’s supposed to be helping. When teachers inflate grades, students who aren’t aiming for top programs can still earn relatively high grades, without learning the full set of skills and content that they’re supposed to be learning.
How University Admissions and Grading Policies Should Change
Completion of SATs, ACTs, and other forms of standardized testing is not required for Canadian universities.
While Canadian universities often rely heavily on high school grades for admissions, this method often overlooks the nuances and inconsistencies between different schools, teachers, programs, and courses. Grade inflation makes it even more difficult to distinguish between true academic achievement and biased marks. On the other hand, standardized testing provides a more objective measure of academic ability, offering admissions officers a common benchmark to use when evaluating applicants.
However, instead of relying exclusively on general standardized tests — since the level of support provided by teachers and tutors can vary greatly between different students — universities should develop their own program-specific examinations. For example, all applicants to a particular engineering program would be required to complete the same engineering-focused assessment. This would better evaluate the skills relevant to each field of study while maintaining a clear and comparable standard for all applicants.
Additionally, universities should take more time to evaluate applicants’ extracurricular involvement. For example, McGill University only requests three documents: academic documents and grades, proof of English proficiency, and “supporting documents” like proof of French proficiency — the latter of which is only applicable to six programs.
Leadership, volunteering, employment, and out-of-school academic and athletic pursuits can demonstrate valuable traits like initiative, commitment, and time management, and universities should take those experiences into account when making admissions decisions. Although some Canadian institutions consider these experiences, others evaluate applicants almost exclusively on academic performance by only requesting grades, which leaves admissions officers with an incomplete picture of applicants.
Application portals should also encourage letters of recommendation from teachers, or others who can speak to an applicant’s character and skills. Similarly, personal essays should be required or at least permitted across a wider range of programs. Beyond assessing writing proficiency, essays let applicants communicate their interests, experiences, and ambitions.
To address the problem of grade inflation, The Nest calls on Hamber’s teachers and administrators to make changes.
Grade inflation is an open secret at Hamber. The teacher that MyEd randomly assigns a student could harm their chances of getting into their chosen program, while another student who has weaker skills and less of a grasp on key concepts could be admitted. Teachers have professional autonomy, but they also have an obligation to treat all students at Hamber fairly and ensure that their students learn the skills and knowledge they will need to do well in post-secondary.
We urge Hamber’s academic departments to have frank conversations about grading policies and take steps towards standardization. The marks that teachers give have a large impact on students’ future opportunities, and when a certain teacher gives 99s left, right, and center while another preaches against grade inflation, every student suffers. All students deserve to be treated equally, and teachers need to put in the work to make that happen, even if it means having difficult conversations.
We also call on university admissions departments to broaden the factors they consider when evaluating applicants. Adding greater emphasis on personal essays, extracurriculars, and standardized tests allows students with different strengths to shine, and ultimately makes the admissions process fairer.
University admissions are a decisive factor in a young person’s life, and when admissions decisions are not truly based on an applicant’s merit, some of our society’s fundamental principles are undermined, notably the belief that everyone should be treated fairly, and the belief that hard work and strong skills will lead to success.