Speech-language pathologists in Ontario register with CASLPO: a professional master's degree with 350 practicum hours, the CETP exam, an initial certificate with six-month mentorship, then a general certificate.
Applies in: Ontario
Written November 13, 2026
Register with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO). You need a professional master's degree in speech-language pathology, at least 350 direct-contact clinical practicum hours, a pass on the Canadian Entry to Practice (CETP) Exam, and a CASLPO certificate of registration before you work. Most new graduates start on an initial certificate, complete a minimum six-month mentorship, and then move to a general certificate.
This guide covers the Ontario registration process only. It gives no advice on whether a particular degree qualifies.
To be registered in Ontario as a speech-language pathologist, you must have completed a professional master's degree in the field, containing coursework, clinical practicum and a research component. A bachelor's degree alone does not meet the requirement.
The practicum floor is specific: CASLPO requires a minimum of 350 total direct-contact clinical practicum hours, with a minimum of 300 hours in the major professional area and 20 hours in the minor professional area. For a speech-language pathology applicant, the major area is speech-language pathology and the minor area is audiology. Coursework and practicum in the minor area are non-exemptible — they cannot be waived.
What happens if you are short depends on where the gap sits. If the missing hours are only in the minor area, a panel of the Registration Committee may grant an initial certificate with a condition that you complete the missing hours during your initial practice period. If the missing hours are in the major area, you are not eligible for registration until you complete them. Any deficiency sends the application to the Registration Committee for review, which adds time.
CASLPO also counts coursework hours unevenly: it accepts 100% of instructor-directed hours such as lectures, tutorials and seminars, and 30% of student-directed hours such as laboratory and problem-based learning hours. The type of hours must be clear in your course syllabi.
The registration examination is the Canadian Entry to Practice (CETP) Exam. Passing it is a non-exemptible requirement — no one at the College can waive it.
Keep the order straight: passing the exam does not by itself let you practise. Registration with CASLPO does that. You need both the exam and the certificate.
Applying for registration with CASLPO is an online process. CASLPO offers initial, general, academic and non-practising certificates, and which one you start on depends on your practice history.
Initial certificate. You must apply for an initial certificate if you have not provided a minimum of 750 hours of patient care or related work in speech-language pathology in another jurisdiction, or if you have provided those hours but have not yet passed the registration examination and want to start practising in Ontario with a mentor. Most new graduates land here.
Initial registrants must successfully complete a minimum six-month mentorship when beginning to work in Ontario. The mentorship is an orientation to CASLPO's professional standards, self-assessment tool and peer assessment process. It is not the same as a clinical fellowship completed in another country.
General certificate. You do not need a mentorship if you meet the general requirements directly: your application has been reviewed and you have been deemed eligible, you have provided 750 hours of patient care or related work in another jurisdiction in the last three years, and you have passed the registration examination. Applicants currently registered in another regulated Canadian province with a certificate equivalent to CASLPO's general certificate can also qualify on that basis.
You also need to show proficiency in English or French, and eligibility to work in Canada, as part of registration. And the starting rule is strict: it is against the law to work as a speech-language pathologist in Ontario without first obtaining a certificate of registration with CASLPO.
CASLPO's fees chart for 2026-2027 sets an application fee of $150 and a registration fee of $50. The annual fee is $780 for a general, academic or initial certificate and $390 for a non-practising certificate. In your first year, the annual fee for an initial, general or academic certificate is prorated by the quarter in which you become registered: $780 from October 1 to December 31, $585 from January 1 to March 31, $390 from April 1 to June 30, and $195 from July 1 to September 30.
Budget for the exam and any credential assessment separately — those are not CASLPO fees and are not covered by the figures above.
Follow CASLPO's international and non-accredited route from the start. You apply online, submit the documents listed for that route, and arrange credential assessment: CASLPO does not require a course-by-course report, but international graduates must obtain a document-by-document or basic assessment from a CASLPO-approved credentialing agency.
Two practical points from the College's own guidance. First, CASLPO does not accept notarized copies of required documents such as transcripts, practicum records, credential assessments or language test scores. Second, expect the College to contact you within 15 days of receiving your application to say whether it is complete or ready for review, and expect a deficiency to add Registration Committee review time on top of that.
Your application stays active for two years after a registration decision. If you have not completed registration in that time, you must reapply and be assessed under the requirements then in place.
The CASLPO pages opened for this guide state the degree, practicum, exam, mentorship and fee requirements above, but they do not state a single end-to-end processing time that applies to every applicant — review time varies, and an application with a deficiency takes longer because it goes to the Registration Committee — so this guide gives no single timeline. Confirm current timelines on CASLPO's application timelines page when you apply.
| Application fee | $150 |
|---|---|
| Registration fee | $50 |
| Annual fee — general, academic or initial certificate | $780 |
| Annual fee — non-practising certificate | $390 |
The annual fee for an initial, general or academic certificate is prorated by quarter in the first year: $780 from October 1 to December 31, $585 from January 1 to March 31, $390 from April 1 to June 30, and $195 from July 1 to September 30.
The College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO). It is against the law to work as a speech-language pathologist in Ontario without first obtaining a certificate of registration with CASLPO.
A professional master's degree in speech-language pathology, with coursework, clinical practicum and a research component. A bachelor's degree alone is not enough. CASLPO requires a minimum of 350 total direct-contact clinical practicum hours, with at least 300 hours in the major professional area (speech-language pathology) and 20 hours in the minor area (audiology).
The Canadian Entry to Practice (CETP) Exam, a non-exemptible requirement for CASLPO registration. Applicants who become initial registrants complete a minimum six-month mentorship when they begin working in Ontario, and move to a general certificate once they meet the general requirements, including 750 hours of patient care or related work in the last three years and a pass on the registration examination.
An initial certificate is for applicants who have not yet provided at least 750 hours of patient care or related work in another jurisdiction in the last three years, or who have not yet completed every general requirement. Initial registrants must complete a minimum six-month mentorship. A general certificate requires 750 hours of patient care or related work in the last three years and successful completion of the registration examination, or an equivalent general certificate held in another regulated Canadian province.
For 2026-2027 CASLPO charges a $150 application fee and a $50 registration fee, plus an annual fee of $780 for a general, academic or initial certificate and $390 for a non-practising certificate. The first annual fee for initial, general and academic certificates is prorated by quarter, from $780 down to $195 depending on when in the registration year you become registered.
Yes, through CASLPO's route for graduates of international and non-accredited Canadian programs. You apply online to CASLPO, provide the documents the College lists for that route, and obtain a document-by-document or basic credential assessment from a CASLPO-approved credentialing agency. A course-by-course assessment is not required. Deficiencies in coursework or practicum hours are referred to the Registration Committee for review.