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Getting in
Can I get into Waterloo?
Tell us two things and we'll show where you'd sit among the students Waterloo admitted.
Overall
Waterloo doesn't publish an acceptance rate; it says the rate varies by program and year. In its 2024 entering-average data, 65.4% of students had 90% or more.
Grades aren't everything
Engineering (except Architecture), all Math programs and Computing and Financial Management need the Admission Information Form; Engineering also needs a Kira video interview. Architecture uses a portfolio and interview, the aviation programs a flight-centre screening and Social Work short supplementary forms. Other programs use grades only.
How your marks are counted
Ontario: your top six Grade 12 U or M courses, always including your program's required courses. College, open and co-op courses don't count. BC: six academic Grade 12 courses; ADST courses don't count except Economics 12 and Financial Accounting 12. Upload your second-semester mid-term marks yourself, because BC's electronic marks arrive too late. For Fall 2027 entry, repeated courses aren't penalized and Waterloo uses your highest grade.
Cost
What will my first year cost?
Tuition only, from Waterloo's 2026-27 fee schedules. Engineering costs $14,248.00 for Ontario residents, $16,980.00 for other Canadians and $69,884.00 for international students. Computer Science costs $13,126.00, $15,644.00 and $69,884.00. Incidental fees are extra.
After your first degree
Planning a professional degree?
Medicine, law and the rest start after university, not after Grade 12. Pick one to see what it asks for.
Compare
See Waterloo next to another school.
What is Waterloo's acceptance rate?
Waterloo doesn't publish one; it says the rate varies by program and year. It publishes admission averages for each program instead, from the high 70s to the low to mid 90s. In its 2024 entering-average data, 65.4% of students had 90% or more and 33.0% had 95% or more.
What average do you need for Waterloo Engineering?
Waterloo says no average guarantees admission; it weighs grades, the Admission Information Form and a video interview. Individual selection starts in the low to mid 90s for Software and Electrical, the high 80s to low 90s for Computer, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Systems Design and Biomedical, and the mid to high 80s for the rest. In Fall 2025, 59.4% of first-year Engineering students entered with 95% or more; in Software Engineering it was 83.2%.
What is the Waterloo AIF and when is it due?
The Admission Information Form is a short-answer form you complete in Waterloo's applicant portal. Every Engineering program except Architecture needs it, as do all Math programs, including Computer Science, and Computing and Financial Management. It's due February 1, 2027 for Engineering and February 15, 2027 for the rest. Arts, Environment, Health and Science programs don't use it.
When does Waterloo send out acceptances?
All offers go out by mid-May 2027, once Waterloo has updated Grade 12 marks. Decisions come between December and May depending on the program, and most arrive in May. You have until June 1, 2027 to accept on OUAC.
How much is Waterloo tuition?
For 2026-27, first-year Arts tuition is $6,250.00 for Ontario residents, $7,448.00 for other Canadians and $54,020.00 for international students. Engineering costs $14,248.00, $16,980.00 and $69,884.00, and Computer Science $13,126.00, $15,644.00 and $69,884.00. Incidental fees are extra.
Where these figures come from
Admissions: Waterloo admission requirements by program (Ontario and BC pages for each program); How Waterloo calculates your admission average; Repeated and non-day school courses; Admission Information Form; Engineering admission requirements (starting averages and class sizes); Online Engineering interview; Computer Science applying and admissions; Application and document deadlines; Important dates and events; Commonly asked admission questions; Entering averages, Ontario universities (2024); Waterloo entering averages by faculty (Fall 2025); Music; Education and teaching; Laurier double degree requirements on wlu.ca.
Cost: Fee schedules, Ontario students (Fall 2026 and Winter 2027); Fee schedules, out-of-province students; International fees, Fall 2026; International fees, Winter 2027; Residence fees 2026/27; Residence guarantee; Statistics Canada table 37-10-0045-01 (Ontario average, 2026/27).
Scholarships: Scholarships for future students.
Ranking and size: QS World University Rankings 2027; Waterloo facts (33,230 undergraduate and 5,860 graduate students).
Photos (Wikimedia Commons): Davis Centre and Dana Porter Library by JFVoll, CC BY-SA 4.0; Dana Porter Library at sunset by Matt Polkiewicz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Quantum-Nano Centre by JustSomePics, CC BY-SA 3.0; Mathematics 3 and Student Life Centre by Victor Vucicevich, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Your marks
Raise the marks Waterloo looks at.
Waterloo uses: Top 6 4U/M courses (Ontario), 6 Grade 12 courses (BC). One weak course pulls your average down, and a tutor can help you bring it up before applications close.
Tutors for the Grade 12 subjects Waterloo programs ask for
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