Prerequisites

• Any 4U English (a final grade of at least 70% is required)
• 5 additional 4U/M courses

For Anthropology; Economics; Political Science; Psychology; Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies; Social Development Studies; or Sociology: Data Management or any 4U, Mathematics is recommended but not required. For Economics: Calculus and Vectors is strongly recommended.

IB and AP Requirements

• IB Admission Information
• AP Admission Information

Additional Admission Criteria

Admission Information Form is strongly recommended. Details can be found here: https://uwaterloo.ca/future-students/admissions/admission-information-form

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 your studies at the University of Waterloo.

The requirements are separate from, and in addition to, the required Ontario 4U English course (or equivalen) 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

Basic Requirements for Admission

Basic requirements: Ontario High School Diploma with a minimum of 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.

If your first language is not English, and you have not studied 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). 

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.

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 are not admitted to the co-op version, you may 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, accept their offer, meet all conditions and 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.