Language courses in Ottawa: OCDSB LINC and ESL, uOttawa OLBI fees and French classes

Quick answer: The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board runs LINC and ESL classes for adults at six sites and online, but not for visitors, people on work or study permits, or Quebec residents. The University of Ottawa’s Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute charges $6,985 a term for its English Intensive Program and $1,949 for a three-week English programme. Alliance Française Ottawa part-time French runs 28 hours over seven or eight weeks.

How public language classes work in Ottawa

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) Continuing Education department offers LINC and ESL classes for adults, from literacy to advanced levels. For 2026–27, day classes run in person at six locations and online, Monday to Friday from 9am to noon and 12:30 to 3pm or 3:30pm. There is also an ESL night school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 9pm, a free online Saturday listening and speaking class, and online workplace English. Childcare is available at some sites for LINC classes only.

To register you need proof of an Ontario address, proof of eligible immigration status and an up-to-date Canadian Language Benchmarks assessment, booked through the YMCA-YWCA Language Assessment and Referral Centre. The board says it does not offer classes for visitors, people on work or study permits, or residents of Quebec, which matters for people who live across the river in Gatineau.

OCDSB site	ESL levels	LINC levels
Albert St Education Centre, 440 Albert St	Literacy to CLB 6	Literacy to CLB 4
Adult High School, 300 Rochester St	Not offered	Literacy to CLB 4
Bayshore Public School, 145 Woodridge Cres.	CLB 1–6	Literacy to CLB 4
Brookfield High School, 824 Brookfield Rd	Not offered	Literacy to CLB 4
Confederation Education Centre, 1645 Woodroffe Ave	Not offered	Literacy to CLB 4
Ottawa Technical Secondary School, 485 Donald St	Not offered	Literacy to CLB 4
Online	CLB 4–7	—

Ottawa language course fees: a sample

We read these providers’ own pages in September 2026. They are examples, not a full price list for the city.

Provider	Course	Length	Fee
OCDSB Continuing Education	LINC and ESL, day, evening and Saturday	Term-based	Free for eligible learners
uOttawa OLBI Centre for Language Learning	English Intensive Program	9 Sept–11 Dec 2026	$6,985 a term; $100 admission for new students; health insurance and U-Pass extra
uOttawa OLBI	uOttawa English Experience	3 weeks (July or August 2027)	$1,949, including health insurance and weekly activities
uOttawa OLBI	uOttawa English Experience	5 weeks (February–March 2027)	$2,899
Alliance Française Ottawa	Part-time general French	28 hours over 7 or 8 weeks	Not shown on the page; no GST or HST

uOttawa’s Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) also lists a 10% tuition discount for some English Intensive Program students without a conditional offer ($6,286.50), and says sponsored students pay $6,815. Its French and English second-language credit courses are mainly for University of Ottawa students. Alliance Française Ottawa asks new students to take an orientation test and says its training fees are eligible for the tuition tax credit.

Free language help at the library

Ottawa Public Library lists free drop-in English and French conversation groups at several branches, and gives cardholders free access to Mango Languages for self-paced practice. Being the capital, Ottawa is a good city for practising both official languages: the library runs French groups as well as English ones.

Private lessons and schools: typical prices

We did not find a published source for typical tutor rates in Ottawa. Many private schools in the city focus on French for public servants and professionals, often preparing people for federal second-language evaluations. National ranges are in our Canada language course costs guide.

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How to choose a language course in Ottawa

Leisure language classes are not licensed in the way a trade is, so compare providers on what they publish and what they will put in writing:

Level and outcome. Ask which level the course starts and finishes at and how many teaching hours that takes. Government-funded English and French classes use the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and NCLC; most institutes use the CEFR scale explained in our guide to CEFR levels A1 to C2.
Price per hour, not per course. The courses on this page run from 8 hours to 375 hours, so divide the fee by the teaching hours before comparing.
What is extra. Registration fees, memberships, placement tests and textbooks are often charged on top of tuition.
Eligibility for free classes. LINC and school board ESL classes have immigration-status and address rules, and most need a language assessment first. Ask what to bring before you go.
Refunds and transfers. Ask for the refund policy in writing before you pay.
Tests and certificates. If you need a result for immigration, check the course prepares for the exact test you will book: see language tests for Express Entry. For DELF and other certificates, see DELF, DELE and the Goethe-Zertifikat.
Which side of the river you live on. Ottawa school board ESL requires an Ontario address; Gatineau residents fall under Quebec’s Francisation Québec system instead.

Language course providers in Ottawa

These providers appear in public business and education listings for Ottawa. We have not checked their teaching, prices or accreditation, and they have not paid to appear.