University of Guelph Psychology admission requirements: BA with honours, co-op, and thesis options for Fall 2027

Guelph's psychology department says there are two degree programs, a BA and a BSc. The BA can be an honours major, a minor, or a 3-year BA General in Psychology, and there is a co-op option. This page covers the BA. For the BA, Guelph's Ontario requirements page lists ENG4U plus five more 4U or 4M courses, and recommends a 4U math for social science majors.

If you want the BSc route, read the department's BSc pages and check the BSc course requirements before you choose your Grade 12 courses, because science degrees usually ask for more than English. If you are not admitted to Psychology, Guelph says you will automatically be considered for the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

The department lists separate academic advisers for BA and BSc psychology students.

Guelph uses your top six completed 4U or 4M (or equivalent) courses to calculate your admission average, including required courses. Your average is what matters most for admission decisions.

Use our Top 6 average calculator to track your grades across Grade 12. If you are taking a mix of 4U and 4M courses, make sure your top six are all at that level to maximize your average.

Guelph lists an estimated cut-off range of 80% to 86% for Psychology. It says these ranges are based on admission averages from previous years, and that co-op averages will often be higher. Students not admissible to co-op are automatically considered for the regular program. Having an admission average within the range does not guarantee an offer of admission.

Cutoffs shift year to year depending on the strength of applications and the number of available spots. Aim for the top of the range, and check with our Guelph University guide to compare with other programs.

All students complete the same first-year foundation. You take Introduction to Psychology and Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research in first year, then move into statistical and methodological courses at the second-year level. These foundational courses build your research literacy early, which prepares you for upper-level work.

By third and fourth year you choose your focus. Guelph's program covers cognition, learning, development, clinical and social psychology. You can explore topics like memory and thinking, childhood development through the lifespan, mental health treatment, and group behaviour. The breadth helps you discover which psychology areas interest you most.

The Honours Major needs 9.00 credits of psychology within a BA. In year one you take PSYC*1000 Introduction to Psychology and PSYC*1010 Making Sense of Data in Psychological Research. In year two you take PSYC*2070 Teams, Leadership, and Professional Behaviour and PSYC*2360 Psychological Methods and Statistics. You also pick one credit from courses such as Principles of Learning, Sensation and Perception, Behavioural Neuroscience I and Cognitive Psychology, and one credit from Clinical Psychology and Mental Health, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Personality. In years three and four you choose Option A, the Honours Regular Stream, or Option B, the Honours Thesis Stream. Honours Thesis students do two sequential thesis courses in final year. Guelph's calendar says most graduate programs want at least an A minus average and expect students to have followed the Honours Thesis Stream.

The Psychology co-op option is a four-year program that integrates paid work terms with academic study. Year one is academic only. In year two you have one winter work term. Year three has work terms in fall and summer with academics in winter. Year four returns to full-time academics. This structure lets you gain workplace experience while building your psychology foundation.

Guelph's co-op office gives each student a preparatory course and a co-op coordinator to help during the job search, and lists a co-op salary guide for employers.

Guelph does not publish a separate co-op cut-off, but says co-op averages often exceed the 80% to 86% range.

Ontario high school students apply by January 15, 2027 for Fall 2027 entry. Guelph says it will keep accepting applications after this date, but encourages you to apply as early as possible. You apply through OUAC like other Ontario universities. There is no essay or supplementary application for the Psychology program.

Guelph also invites applicants to fill out its optional Student Profile Form.

Guelph charges tuition per semester for full-time undergraduate study (2.00 or more credits). For the 2026-27 academic year, Ontario domestic students pay $3,106.37 per semester. For Fall 2026 and Winter 2027 combined, that comes to about $6,212.74 per year for tuition alone.

Additional compulsory fees are charged on top of tuition and range from $653.73 to $969.82 per semester depending on the term. Non-Ontario domestic and international students pay higher tuition. Use our Top 6 average calculator to plan your grades, then budget for tuition, fees, and living costs.

Guelph awards automatic entrance scholarships to Canadian citizens and permanent residents entering post-secondary for the first time. If your admission average is 90.0% to 94.9%, you receive $1,000. If you achieve 95% or higher, you get $2,000.

The scholarship is split into two equal payments applied to fall and winter tuition in your first year. You must be registered full time both semesters to qualify. Scholarships are automatic. You do not need to apply separately.

Guelph Psychology is a BA Honours degree with co-op and thesis options. The estimated cut-off range is 80% to 86%. Encourage a solid Grade 12 program with courses your child enjoys. Strong performance in those courses will raise the admission average.

Co-op is optional. The thesis stream is ideal if your child is considering graduate school in psychology. Read our Guelph University guide to compare with other programs and universities.