Ivey HBA admission requirements: AEO status from high school, a low 90s average and an 80% two-year average

Ivey says a competitive AEO applicant has a low 90% average in their best Grade 12 courses, including English. You also need a math course for university-bound students. In Ontario that means a Grade 12 U math.

You must also meet the requirements of the Western program you choose for first year. Ivey doesn't publish an AEO acceptance rate. Check your average with our Top 6 average calculator.

Ivey weighs grades and leadership equally. It calls this 50/50 balance unique to Ivey.

You list non-academic awards from high school. You write about two activities in essays of up to 500 words each, and list up to five more in point form. Each activity needs a reference who can confirm it. Activities that earn school credit, such as co-op placements, can't be used.

Every applicant also does a video interview on Kira Talent. It has five questions, takes about 20 to 30 minutes and must be done in one sitting. You can practise as many times as you like first.

AEO is a separate decision from your Western offer. You need a Western offer before Ivey can decide on AEO status.

The AEO application deadline is January 15, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. January 15 is also Western's OUAC deadline for equal consideration.

Students already in second year of the AEO route send the AEO2 Intent to Register by January 28, 2027.

AEO is a conditional offer. To move into the HBA, you take a full course load at Western or an affiliated college each year. You need an overall two-year average of at least 80.0% across 10.0 credits, or 78.0% for Engineering students. You must pass every course.

In second year you declare a module and take Business 2257, earning at least 70.0%. If you didn't take a Grade 12 U math, you must take an equal course in first year. Meeting these rules is needed, but Ivey says it doesn't guarantee admission.

Business 1220E in first year isn't required, but Ivey recommends it. Ivey's secondary school students page says about 75% of each HBA class held AEO status. Its university students page and FAQ say about two thirds. Confirm the current share with Ivey.

Ivey's HBA pages and AEO handbook don't describe a co-op stream. Ivey's Career Management team helps students find internships and jobs after graduation, and that help grows as you move from AEO into the HBA.

The Entrepreneurship certificate includes a summer internship or your own summer business.

For 2026-27, Ivey lists HBA tuition of $25,704 a year for domestic students, $32,160 for out-of-province students and $70,040 for international students. Ancillary fees add about $1,800 a year for domestic students.

In years one and two you pay the tuition for your Western program. Ivey says to compare the full four-year cost with other business programs. See our Western financial aid guide.

You can still apply to the HBA if you don't earn AEO status in Grade 12. Students at Western or another university apply in their second year of full-time study or later. Most can also apply after three or four years.

Ivey's minimum for this route is a 70% average across 10.0 university credits, including Business 2257. You also need at least 70% in Business 2257 and a university-prep high school math course or an equal course. Ivey says a competitive applicant has an 80% or higher average and shows leadership in activities, the community and work.

Ivey prefers in-person courses taken in the Fall and Winter terms. Western's Introductory Calculus (Mathematics 0110) does not count toward the 10.0 credits. Students in the fourth year of a business or commerce degree can't apply. The HBA application deadline is January 28, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Every HBA student must complete Business 2257, a full-credit second-year accounting course, or an approved equivalent. If you study at Western, Huron or King's, Ivey expects you to take it at Western. You can take up to 1.0 credit in the May to June Intersession if your timetable is full.

If you study elsewhere, check Ivey's list of accepted equivalents. If your courses are not listed, send the syllabus and class schedule to Ivey by the end of January for review.

Your first Ivey year, HBA1, is Year 3 of university. It has 10 core courses worth 7.5 credits. They are Strategy, Marketing, Communications, Finance, Operations, Leading People and Organizations, Decision Making with Analytics, Accounting and Financial Fundamentals, Leveraging Information Technology and Learning Through Action.

Career management is built into the HBA1 timetable. It helps you set career goals and plan a job search.

Your first two years at Western can count toward two degrees. You study in a partner faculty in Years 1 and 2, including Business 2257. You then join the HBA in Year 3 and apply for the combined program during HBA1.

If admitted, you study business and your second field in Years 4 and 5. Options include Arts and Humanities, Economics, Engineering, Geography, Global Studies at Huron and Health Sciences. Most take five years in total.

Ivey also says the HBA, combined with Western's Graduate Diploma in Accounting, gives you all the courses required for the CPA designation.

Ivey considers every HBA applicant for its scholarships and awards if you fill in the Financial Aid section of the HBA application. If you skip that section, you won't be considered for an admission award.

Scholarships are based on academic merit and leadership. Awards also consider financial need, which Western assesses through its bursary application. Ivey says about 16% of HBA candidates receive a scholarship or award at admission, and there are over 60 awards for HBA2 students.

Ivey bursaries and scholarships only start once you enter the HBA. In Years 1 and 2 you can apply for Western's financial aid.

The AEO route is a two-step plan. Your child first earns AEO status in Grade 12, then has to keep an 80% average in a demanding first two years.

Leadership counts as much as grades, so activities with clear results and references matter. An adviser can help pick a first-year program that fits.