Applying and admissions | Cheriton School of Computer Science

Applying to the University of Waterloo is the first step in achieving a world-class education.

What courses do you need to apply?

Ontario high school admission requirements

Program	Minimum requirements: 6 Grade 12 U or M courses, including all required courses. Required courses are Grade 12 U unless otherwise specified.	Admissions average - Based on individual selection
Business Administration (WLU) and Computer Science (Waterloo) Co-op	Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English, one other Grade 12U course	Low to Mid 90s
Computer Science Regular/Co-op	Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English, one other Grade 12U course	Low to Mid 90s
Computing and Financial Management Co-op	Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English (min 75%), one other Grade 12U course	Low to Mid 90s
Software Engineering Co-op	Advanced Functions (min 70%), Calculus and Vectors (min 70%), Chemistry (min 70%), English (min 70%), Physics (min 70%) Experience in developing well-structured modular programs is required for admission	Low to Mid 90s
Admissions averages are stated for starting consideration and may not reflect the actual cut-off averages as our threshold varies based on the pool of applicants. All the above programs are direct-entry, meaning that you will apply directly to the program. No prior experience with coding or computer science is required for our Bachelor of Computer Science, Bachelor of Computing and Financial Management, or Bachelor Business Administration / Bachelor of Computer Science double-degree.

How to apply

You'll apply to the University of Waterloo through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC), which handles applications for all of Ontario's universities.

If you're currently registered in an Ontario high school, you'll apply using the OUAC 101 application.
If you're from a high school outside of Ontario, you'll use the OUAC 105 application for full-time studies.

Within 24 to 48 hours of receiving your information from the OUAC, you'll receive an email with the next steps in the application process.

If you require an accessibility accommodation for Waterloo's admissions process (such as needing application material in an alternate format), please contact our Admissions Team.

After you have applied:

Add us to your address book to ensure that the email we send you isn't filtered as spam.
Arrange to have your grades and, in some cases, course descriptions sent to us.
Stay informed about important dates and deadlines.

Supplementary Information

Once we have received your application, you'll be asked to complete a Declaration of Academic Experience (DAE), Admissions Information Form (AIF), and Supplementary Information Form (SIF).
The DAE asks about your previous schooling, such as high school, college, and/or university.
The AIF is an online form that consists of questions that help our committees learn more about you. The AIF is used in place of personal statements or essays, and is required for admission to all Computer Science programs. This is your opportunity to tell us more about yourself, any extracurricular activities you have completed, and anything else important we should know.
The SIF will ask two to three questions specific to your application to a Computer Science program in the Faculty of Mathematics.

English language requirements

English is the language of instruction at the University of Waterloo, and success in our programs requires a high level of English language proficiency.

You are required to provide an English proficiency test score if:

Your first language is not English.
Your 4 most recent years of full-time education have NOT been in an English-language school system.

Get more information on English language test scores and our Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE) program from our Future Students website.

Math contests

While the math contests are used primarily to award scholarships, a strong score can be an asset to your application. For students whose grades and Admission Information Form scores are on the borderline of receiving admissions, a good score could result in them receiving an offer. A missing score or bad score will not be used. Participation in the contests will not hurt your chances of admissions as they are NOT required for consideration.

Contests need to be written in the year that you are applying to Waterloo for the results to be applicable for scholarships and possibly admissions. Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 are welcome to write the contests as preparation for grade 12.

A list of math contest dates and preparation workbooks are available on the Centre for Education in Math Computing (CEMC) website.

Repeated courses and non-day school courses

You should avoid repeating any of the required Grade 12 courses. Doing so may reduce your chances of being admitted to a program with a competitive applicant pool. It is recommended that you take all required Grade 12 courses during the regular school year and do well in your first attempt.
On your Supplementary Information Form (SIF), you'll be asked to comment on repeated courses.
Learn more about how repeated courses could affect your application.

Offers of admission

The admissions team will begin to review your application and make decisions as soon as they receive all of your required documentation, and you have completed all your checklist items. For the majority of applicants, this will be in mid-May.