In order to earn the OSSD, a student must:

• earn 18 compulsory credits
• earn 12 optional credits
• complete 40 hours of community involvement activities
• successfully complete the provincial secondary school literacy test

In order to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), a student entering Grade 9 in the 1999–2000 school year or in subsequent years must earn a minimum of 30 credits, including 18 compulsory credits and 12 optional credits. Students must also complete 40 hours of community involvement activities and must pass the provincial secondary school literacy test.

The combination of compulsory and optional courses is designed to provide all students with the essential knowledge and skills they will need to function effectively in any area of activity, as well as the opportunities to acquire the specialized knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in their chosen postsecondary endeavours.

Students must earn the following compulsory credits in order to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma:

• 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)
• 1 credit in French as a second language
• 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
• 2 credits in science
• 1 credit in Canadian history
• 1 credit in Canadian geography
• 1 credit in the arts
• 1 credit in health and physical education
• .5 credit in civics
• .5 credit in career studies.

Plus:

• 1 additional credit in English, or a third language, or social sciences and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies
• 1 additional credit in health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies
• 1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12) or technological education (Grades 9–12)