Applications for the OUPFB will open Wednesday January 21st at 9 am, and will close Friday January 23rd, at 4 pm.
When you take a field course module from York or another participating university through the OUPFB, you will earn credits towards your York degree. York will secure and reserve a number of spots from the available modules. These vary tremendously in terms of location (e.g., Ontario, New Brunswick, Belize, and Africa) and subject matter.
Shortly after the review of applications, students will be advised whether they were successful in getting their first or second choice, or if they are on a waiting list. Since not all spaces reserved for different Ontario universities fill up in this first round of applications, unfilled spaces go back into the general pool. Be aware that York may be asked to open unused spaces reserved for York students to other participating universities following the review of applications. Students from all universities can apply for these released spots with no restrictions. This process continues until a few weeks ahead of the course module start date with the goal of filling all the course spots.
Successful student applicants will be emailed about when they can officially enroll in the course.
There are two additional payments students must make following the $350 deposit. These are: (a) paying the balance of the course fee to the university offering the module, and this varies depending on which university is offering the module with the deadline varying depending on when the module starts, and (b) course tuition, payable to York. In most cases, students must also cover the costs of getting to the course location.
OUPFB 2026
York University has successfully bid for 12spots across various modules.
Module details for 2026 will be posted here.
2026 Offerings for York Students:
| MODULE | MODULE NAME | HOST UNIVERSITY | # OF SPOTS |
| 2 | Rainforest and Reef | Waterloo | 1 |
| 5 | Field Ornithology | York | 3 |
| 6 | Field Botany | Laurier | 1 |
| 7 | Biodiversity of East Africa | Kenya | 1 |
| 11 | Marine Biology | Guelph | 1 |
| 14 | Disturbance and Recovery | Laurentian | 1 |
| 18 | Aquatic Ecology | Lakehead | 2 |
| 19 | Ecological Genomics | Queens | 2 |