- Education level factor
- Up to 10 points
- Canadian credential factor
- Up to 10 points
- Combined maximum
- 20 points
- Top education band
- Doctorate, or medicine, dentistry, veterinary, optometry
- Master's degree
- 8 points
- Bachelor's degree
- 6 points
- College, trades or Ontario Graduate Certificate
- 5 points
- Canadian credential minimum length
- 1 year, from an eligible institution
- Foreign credentials
- ECA required, under 5 years old
6 of 20 education points. 6 for your education level, 0 for Canadian credentials. A single Canadian credential of one year or more would add 5, but weigh that against a language retest, which is worth up to 11 in roughly six weeks.
Factor one, highest level of education
| Highest completed education | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctorate, or a degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry | 10 |
| Master's degree | 8 |
| Bachelor's degree, or a university certificate above bachelor level | 6 |
| Ontario College Graduate Certificate | 5 |
| College or CEGEP diploma, other non-university diploma | 5 |
| University certificate below bachelor level | 5 |
| Apprenticeship or trades certificate | 5 |
| Less than a college or trades certificate | 0 |
Note how flat the middle is. A college diploma, a trades certificate and a graduate certificate all score 5, and the gap from there to a bachelor's is only 1 point. The meaningful jumps are at master's and doctorate level.
Factor two, Canadian post secondary credentials
| Canadian credentials of 1+ year from an eligible institution | Points |
|---|---|
| Two or more | 10 |
| One | 5 |
| None | 0 |
This is a separate factor with separate points. It asks where you studied, not how far you got, which is why a Canadian one year college certificate and a Canadian PhD both score 5 here, while a foreign PhD scores 0.
How the two stack
| Profile | Level | Credentials | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign bachelor's only | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Foreign master's only | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Foreign bachelor's + Ontario college certificate | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Canadian master's | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| Foreign bachelor's + two Canadian credentials | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| Canadian doctorate + a second Canadian credential | 10 | 10 | 20 |
The row worth studying is the third: a foreign bachelor's plus a one year Ontario college certificate beats a foreign master's outright, 11 to 8.
The ECA rule that catches people out
An Educational Credential Assessment for a foreign credential must be less than five years old at the time you apply. Applicants who assessed their degrees for an Express Entry attempt in 2020 or 2021 routinely discover the report has aged out, usually inside the 17 day application window, when there is no time to order another.
- Check the issue date on your ECA now, not later.
- Ordering a new assessment takes weeks, sometimes longer if transcripts must come from the issuing institution.
- Canadian credentials do not need an ECA at all.
- If your occupation is regulated in Ontario, licensing is a separate hard requirement, not a scoring bonus. See eligibility requirements →
If you came here as a student
The Master's and PhD Graduate streams closed on June 26, 2026, and it is worth being blunt about what that changed: your degree is no longer a pathway, it is points. The route now runs through employment.
- Your Canadian degree still pays twice, once on level, once on the credential factor. A Canadian master's is 13 of 20.
- An Ontario College Graduate Certificate is efficient: 5 points on level, 5 on credentials, and in some cases it supports a language test exemption for recent graduates.
- The job offer is the binding constraint, not the education. Twenty education points do nothing without one.
- Don't start a second credential purely for points. Five points for a year of study compares badly with up to 11 points for a language retest in six weeks.
Education points FAQ
What applicants ask about ECAs, stacking, and second credentials.
How many points is education worth in the OINP?
Up to 20 across two separate factors: 10 for your highest level of education and another 10 for Canadian post secondary credentials. They stack, so a Canadian master's degree can score on both.
What education level scores the most OINP points?
A doctorate, or a degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry, scores the maximum 10. A master's degree scores 8, a bachelor's degree 6, and a college diploma, trades certificate or Ontario College Graduate Certificate scores 5.
What are Canadian credential points?
A separate factor worth up to 10 for Canadian post secondary credentials of at least one year from an eligible institution. Two or more credentials score 10, one scores 5, none scores 0. It is independent of your highest education level.
Do education and Canadian credential points stack?
Yes, and this is where people lose points by not realising it. A Canadian master's degree earns 8 for education level plus 5 for the Canadian credential, 13 of the available 20. A foreign master's earns 8 and nothing on the credential factor.
Do I need an ECA for the OINP?
Yes, for any credential earned outside Canada, and it must be less than five years old at the time you apply. This catches people who assessed their credentials for an earlier immigration application and assumed the report was still current.
Does a one year college certificate count as a Canadian credential?
It counts if it is at least one year in length and from an eligible institution. Shorter programs generally do not. An Ontario College Graduate Certificate qualifies and also scores 5 on the education level factor.
Is a second Canadian credential worth getting?
It adds 5 points and takes the credential factor to its maximum of 10, but it takes a year or more. Compared with a language retest worth up to 11 points in about six weeks, it is usually the slower route, worth it mainly if you are already studying or if language is already maxed out.
Can education points make up for no job offer?
No. Since the June 2026 rebuild, education is a scoring factor rather than a pathway. The Master's and PhD Graduate streams that let graduates apply on the strength of their studies were closed, so every applicant except self employed physicians needs a job offer.