Prerequisites

A minimum final grade of at least 70% is required for:

• MHF4U
• MCV4U
• SCH4U
• ENG4U
• SPH4U

Plus:

• 1 additional 4U/M course

An online video interview is strongly recommended. 

IB and AP Requirements

• IB Admission Information
• AP Admission Information

Additional Admission Criteria

An Admission Information Form is required. We will send you instructions when we acknowledge your application.

Also considered: Involvement in extracurricular activities in school or community, evidence of interest in engineering and strong performance in mathematics, science or engineering-related competitions.

Language Requirements

To be exempt from Waterloo's English-language requirements, you must have studied full time in an English-language school system for the 4 most-recent years preceding the beginning of your studies at the University of Waterloo.

The requirements are separate from, and in addition to, the required Ontario 4U English course (or equivalent) if it is listed as a specific requirement for a program. A 4U English is required for most programs.

If you do not meet our English-language requirements, you may be considered for admission to our English-language pathway program: Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE).

Offers of Admission for Ontario High School Students

Basic Requirements for Admission

Basic requirements: At least 6 Grade 12 U/M courses, including the required courses for the program to which you have applied. EAE4U will be treated as equivalent to ENG4U.

Your admission average consists of the grades from your top 6 Grade 12 U/M courses, including all required courses for the program you've applied to.

For the School of Architecture, invitations for interviews may be based on final Grade 11 marks. See the Architecture website for further details about the application process.

If your first language is not English, and you have not studied full-time in an English-language school system for the 4 years immediately before beginning your studies at Waterloo, you will be required to meet our English-language requirements.

Failed and Repeated Courses

View Waterloo's policies on repeated courses and courses other than day school.

Timing of Admission Decisions

Offers of admission are made on a rolling basis between January and May as we receive updated grades from schools. The date you may receive an offer of admission depends on the program you applied to, your grade average and any special entrance requirements (such as video interviews and portfolios for some programs). The Faculties of Engineering and Mathematics, as well as the Accounting and Financial Management and Sustainability and Financial Management, make admission decisions in March and May only.

We want to consider all students fairly, so we may wait for updated grades from schools before making many of our admission decisions.

Scholarship and bursary decisions are made in May.

Applying to Engineering programs

You can apply to multiple programs at Waterloo except for Engineering programs. You may apply to 1 Waterloo Engineering program on your application.

If you are not admitted to the Engineering program you applied to, you may be considered for admission to another Engineering program. You will have the ability to choose 1 alternate Engineering program when completing your Admission Information Form (AIF). You will receive instructions for completing your AIF once you have applied. Biomedical Engineering and Software Engineering are not available as alternate choices on your AIF, so you will need to apply to Biomedical or Software Engineering directly if either program is your main interest.

Admission to Alternative Programs

If you are not admitted to the program you applied to, you may be considered for admission to an alternative program, provided you meet the minimum admission requirements and spaces are available.

If a program is available in both co-op and regular systems of study and you're not admitted to the co-op version, you will be automatically considered for either the corresponding regular program or another related program, provided spaces are available. In some programs, limited admission to co-op is also available in second year.

Deferred Admission

High school applicants who are offered admission and who wish to take a year off to work or travel may request a 1-year deferral of admission. You will not be granted a deferral if you study at another postsecondary institution during the year.

More Than 100 Programs to Choose From

The programs listed are ones that you apply directly to. We offer more than 100 programs and majors at Waterloo, some of which you choose at the end of first year.