About
Who We Are
You are getting ready to embark on your biggest adventure yet. And you are looking for the right place to make it happen. A place where your curiosity meets world-class professors. Where learning takes place through classes and labs, clubs and teams, and co-op work terms. And where a community supports your limitless potential.
Our unmatched entrepreneurial culture, intense focus on research and broad range of programs make us one of the country’s top-ranked universities. Find out more on our undergraduate programs website. We hope you will join us.
Why Waterloo?
- Join a community that celebrates diversity, passion and purpose – and that is consistently ranked among Canada’s best and most innovative universities.
- More than 100 programs to choose from – many that are unique to Waterloo and are ranked among the top in the world.
- Most of our programs are offered through both co-op and the regular system of study, which follows the traditional September to April school year.
- Explore careers and earn money through North America’s largest network of co-op employers. With 4 to 6 co-op terms, you will graduate with up to 2 years of valuable work experience and be ready to launch your career.
- Waterloo’s students are successful; they have some of the highest graduation and degree completion rates in Ontario.
- With more than 1,000 start-up companies, we are a leader in helping student entrepreneurs turn their creative ideas into businesses.
- Located 110 km west of Toronto in a clean, safe, mid-sized city that’s home to 2 universities and a college.
Campus Life
- On-campus residence is guaranteed for first-year and transfer students. More than just a place to live, our residences provide connections that can last a lifetime while you live in the heart of our campus.
- Stay active through one of the country’s largest campus recreation programs. Choose from dozens of intramural sports and clubs, including soccer, basketball, kickboxing and yoga.
- More than 250 student clubs, including Canada’s oldest university 2SLGBTQ+ organization.
- Enjoy a new athletics field house for year-round intramural and varsity sports and an expanded student life centre.
Programs
Co‑op and Regular Systems of Study
At Waterloo, we offer programs through the co‑op system of study, which alternates 4‑month school terms with 4-month paid work terms, and the regular system of study, which follows the traditional September to April school year.
We offer most programs through both systems of study. Both the co‑op and regular systems of study are available to all students, regardless of citizenship.
To apply to a co-op program, you must check the co-op box on your application.
Key Dates
- The application deadline for the fall term (September to December 2024) is February 1, 2024.
- Supporting documents, such as transcripts, are due February 16, 2024.
- Applying to Engineering – To be eligible for early consideration, you must apply by December 15, 2023, 11:59 (ET) and complete your Admission Information Form by January 15, 2024, 11:59 pm (ET). The Online Video Interview is strongly recommended.
Admission Requirements
Current Ontario High School Students
If you are currently registered at an Ontario high school, your school will automatically send your grades to us.
Canadian High School Students From Outside of Ontario
Once you have applied, you will need to arrange for your transcripts to be sent to us.
Home-schooled Applicants
You will use the Undergraduate Application for full-time studies and will need to arrange for your transcripts to be sent to us.
International Applicants
You will use the Undergraduate Application for full-time studies and will need to arrange for your transcripts to be sent to us.
Transfer Students
If you are transferring from a college or another university, you may be eligible for advanced standing or credit for previously completed courses. Each program has different criteria for granting transfer credits.
Depending on the number of credits you receive, we may classify you as a first-year or upper-year student. If you receive 4 academic course units (equivalent to 80% of a first-year course load) or more in transfer credits, you are not normally eligible for co-op programs.
Mature and Other Students
For admission purposes, our definition of a mature student varies by faculty. All faculties require that you present a minimum number of specific Ontario 4U/M courses (or equivalents) in addition to meeting their definition of a mature student.
If you previously attended university or college, we will not consider you a mature student for admission purposes. We will consider you a transfer student and you will need to meet the regular admission requirements.
Special Circumstances and Pathways
We offer support if you require an accommodation for completing our application process (e.g., supplementary assessments, such as interviews or entrance assessments).
If you experienced significant circumstances that affected your grades and you were not accommodated through your school or relevant services, you can request special consideration for admission.
Additional Admission Information
We require an Admission Information Form for admission to our Engineering and Mathematics programs and recommend it for all others. We will send information about how to complete the AIF once you have applied.
Some programs also have other requirements, such as an interview or portfolio review. Review our admission requirements to ensure you know all the required steps.
After you apply, we will email you about the next steps in the application process.
Supporting Documents
Transcripts
After you apply, we will email you about the next steps in the admission process, including submitting any documents we require, such as transcripts and English-language test scores.
To help speed up the review process, you can upload your documents to our online student system.
If your documents are not in English, you must submit a notarized literal translation with the originals to speed up the application process.
We also strongly suggest that you find out from your local Canadian Embassy or High Commission how to apply for a study permit and how long the process will take.
Language Requirements
If your first language is not English and your 4 most recent years of full‑time education prior to the start of your studies at Waterloo were not in an English-language school system, you must provide English-language test scores and meet our English-language requirements.
If you meet our academic requirements, but do not have the required English-language test score, you may be eligible for the Bridge to Academic Success in English program. This program allows you to earn credit toward your Waterloo degree while strengthening your English skills.
Supplemental Documents
Scholarships, Bursaries and Financial Aid
We provide thousands of scholarships to new students, including guaranteed scholarships for students with averages over 85%.
Offers of Admission
We will start making offers of admission in December and will make all offers of admission for fall 2024 by mid-May, once we receive updated grades from schools.
We include required courses when calculating your admission average.
All offers of admission are conditional upon completing your secondary school diploma and maintaining the grades indicated in your offer of admission.
Alternative Offers of Admission
If you are not eligible for the program you applied to, we may automatically consider you for admission to related programs during our final review period in May.
Accessibility Services
We are here to help! Whether you have a known or unknown disability, condition or illness, or if you are experiencing impacts from trauma, we can help you develop your individualized academic accommodation plan for all components of your academic studies.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Office of Equity, Diversity Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-R) has a mission to build, incubate and enhance EDI-R competency and capacity across campus to identify and interrupt institutional barriers and embed equity within policies, processes, environments and experiences at the University of Waterloo.
Indigenous Student Admission
We are committed to equity in the application process and to increasing access for Indigenous students.
If you are a First Nation, Inuit or Métis student, we encourage you to self-identify to support the application review process and to complete the Admission Information Form to share additional information and personal experiences.
Starting with the fall 2023 term, the University will waive tuition for Indigenous students who are members of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation or Six Nations of the Grand River.
To further support access to education, First Nations, Inuit and Métis students from Canadian provinces and territories outside Ontario will be able to pay the same tuition as Ontario students. In recognition of the Jay Treaty, Native American students from the continental US are also eligible for Ontario domestic tuition instead of international student tuition.
If you have questions about the process or would like support with your application, email Alex DeGagne, Indigenous Recruitment and Partnership Specialist.
Residence
We guarantee residence for all first-year and transfer students who meet the requirements outlined on our Future Students Residence page.
Campus Tours and Events
We offer tours and special events throughout the year. We highly recommend campus tours and our Fall Open House, as they show what it is like to be a Waterloo student and highlight key campus locations and services.
Contact
Admissions
Office of the Registrar
University of Waterloo
Waterloo ON N2L 3G1
Email: myapplication@uwaterloo.ca
Website: www.uwaterloo.ca/future-students
Telephone: 519-888-4567, ext. 43106