Admission requirements | How to apply | Admission Information Form (AIF) | English language requirements | Math and computing contests | Repeated and non-day school courses | Offers of admission
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) |
Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English, one other Grade 12U course | Mid 90s |
| Computer Science Regular/Co-op |
Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English, one other Grade 12U course | Low 90s |
| Computing and Financial Management Co-op |
Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English (min 75%), one other Grade 12U course | Low 90s |
|
Software Engineering |
Advanced Functions (min 70%), Calculus and Vectors (min 70%), Chemistry (min 70%), English (min 70%), Physics Experience in developing well-structured modular programs is required for admission |
Mid 90s |
|
||
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.
Two weeks after completing your application, you should receive an email from the University of Waterloo acknowledging the receipt of your application and outlining any next steps.
If you require an accessibility accommodation for Waterloo's admissions process (such as needing application material in an alternate format), please email our application 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.
- You may confirm or change your email address on Quest once you are issued a Waterloo ID.
Admission Information Form
- Once we have received your application, you'll be asked to complete an Admission Information Form (AIF).
- The AIF is an online form that consists of questions that helps 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.
- On the AIF, you will be able to tell us more about yourself, any extracurricular activities you have completed, and anything else important we should know.
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.
Canadian Computing Competition, Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC) and Euclid Math Contest
Fall 2022 Admissions
Participation in the Mathematics Contest will be running as normal this year. While these contests are not required for admission, in some cases, a strong performance can improve your chance of admission, therefore they are highly recommended. Most Faculty of Math scholarships require a score from at least one of two contests. We encourage all applicants to participate.
Our math and computing contests are organized by the Centre for Education in Math and Computing.
|
Contest |
Purpose |
Writing date |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Computing Competition |
|
North/South America: Outside North/South America: February 17, 2022 |
|
North/South America: Outside North/South America: April 6, 2022 |
|
|
North/South America: Outside North/South America: November 18, 2021 |
Contest preparation workbooks are available for purchase at the Centre for Education in Math Computing website.
Repeated courses and non-day school courses
- If you complete any courses outside of your daytime high school hours, you will be asked to provide a reason for taking an external course. We may adjust your overall admissions average depending on the reasons for your enrolment. We prefer that students take a full course load in high school whenever possible.
- On your Admission Information Form (AIF), you'll be asked to comment on repeated courses. We'll provide you with instructions about the AIF once you've applied to the University of Waterloo.
- Learn more about how repeated courses could affect your application
Offers of admission
Once you receive an offer of admissions, you'll have until the beginning of June to accept your offer on OUAC.
- In the Faculty of Mathematics, we consider applicants on an individual basis.
- We make very few early offers of admission with the quality and quantity of students that apply. Most applicants should expect to hear back with an admission decision in mid-May.
