The Laurier and Waterloo double degree

Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo run two joint double degrees. One pairs a Laurier Bachelor of Business Administration with a Waterloo Bachelor of Computer Science. The other pairs the Laurier BBA with a Waterloo Bachelor of Mathematics. You finish both degrees in five years.

The two campuses are within walking distance in Waterloo. You take business and economics at Laurier and computer science or math at Waterloo. Both schools give you a student card, so you can use facilities at each.

This is not the same as applying separately to Laurier BBA and Waterloo AFM. Those are single degrees with their own rules. Our Laurier BBA vs Waterloo AFM guide covers that choice.

Laurier and Waterloo each admit students to the double degree. Waterloo says the academic program is identical whichever school is your home base, and it recommends applying to both to raise your chance of an offer.

Your home school still matters. It decides where you would usually live in residence, which entrance scholarships you can get, and which co-op process you join. If you accept Laurier's offer, Laurier says your main campus is Laurier and you are entered into its business co-op program.

On OUAC, Laurier lists the double degrees under its Waterloo campus. The BBA/BCS code is UXA and the BBA/BMath code is UWW. Waterloo lists its version of each double degree as its own Waterloo program choice.

For BBA/BCS, Laurier publishes a mid 90s admission range. It wants ENG4U at 80%, and Advanced Functions and Calculus and Vectors at 90% each. All prerequisites count in your average. Waterloo lists individual selection from the low to mid 90s, with ENG4U, MHF4U, MCV4U and one other 4U course.

For BBA/BMath, Laurier publishes a low 90s range, with ENG4U at 80% and both maths at 85%. Waterloo describes its range as mid-to-high 80s. The two schools word this differently, so treat the higher one as the safer target if you apply to both.

Waterloo recommends Grade 11 Introduction to Computer Science for both versions. Laurier says transfer students are not eligible. You must be starting post-secondary study for the first time.

Waterloo's version needs the Admission Information Form. Both double degree pages say it is required, as it is for all Faculty of Mathematics programs. For most applicants it is due February 15, 2027. Waterloo asks you to write it yourself.

The Laurier program pages name no extra form for the double degrees. Laurier's general Applicant Background Summary closes April 25, 2027 for fall entry.

Laurier's application deadline for Ontario high school students is January 15, 2027. Waterloo's is February 1, 2027 for programs other than Engineering, with documents by February 15, 2027. If you apply to both, plan around January 15.

Through Waterloo, BBA/CS students get four to five co-op terms. The first work term comes in the spring after first year in the default sequence. BBA/Math students through Waterloo get five work terms, or 20 months of paid work.

Through Laurier, you join Laurier's business co-op program and gain 12 to 16 months of work. The BBA/BMath page also has a general co-op section about applying in first year and three four-month terms between second and fourth year. Ask Laurier which applies to the double degree before you count on a schedule.

Neither school promises a job. You still apply and interview for each co-op role, and the number of months you work depends on the jobs you land.

Laurier lists 2026-27 domestic tuition of $13,128 for BBA/BCS and $10,564 for BBA/BMath. Student fees are $2,334, or $4,219 with co-op, and textbooks are about $1,500. These are for two terms.

Waterloo's estimates for Ontario students starting in September 2026 are about $17,000 for BBA/CS and $15,000 for BBA/Math, for two terms with incidental fees. Books are about $1,500 more.

The two figures are built differently, so compare carefully. Laurier's BBA/BCS tuition and base fees add to $15,462, by our calculation. Waterloo's is a rounded estimate that already includes incidentals. Fall 2027 prices are not set yet at either school. See Laurier fees and Waterloo fees.

Laurier assesses every applicant automatically for entrance scholarships based on the final admission average. It also lists more than 700 competitive scholarships and awards that need separate applications during your studies.

At Waterloo, the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest and the Euclid Contest are not required for admission. Writing one of them is required for some Faculty of Mathematics scholarships. Waterloo's Euclid registration deadline is March 11, 2027.

Since the program is the same either way, scholarships are a fair reason to pick one home school over the other. Compare the offers side by side before you accept.

Laurier asks students from other provinces to use its course equivalents chart to match their courses to the Ontario requirements. For BBA/BCS, international curriculums need senior English at 80% and senior math at 90%.

Waterloo's first-year estimates are higher for Canadians living outside Ontario. For students starting in September 2026, it lists about $20,000 for BBA/CS and $15,000 for BBA/Math for two terms, with incidental fees.

Both schools publish the courses that count from each province or country. Check those pages early, since the double degree's math floors leave little room for a missing course.

Waterloo lists past co-op and graduate jobs such as software engineer, investment banking analyst and consultant. It also names possible professional designations: Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst and Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

Laurier says students who choose its accounting concentration complete the accredited undergraduate courses toward the CPA designation, then continue with graduate-level courses. Laurier says you can then take five more graduate-level courses to finish the CPA academic requirements.

Waterloo's sample first year for BBA/CS includes Algebra and Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics, CS 135 and an introduction to the business environment in the fall. In winter you take linear algebra, Calculus 2, CS 136, a business course and macroeconomics, plus a communication course.

Four of those courses, BU 111, BU 121, EC 120 and EC 140, are taught at Laurier's School of Business and Economics. After first year you mix Laurier business and economics courses with Waterloo computer science or math.

That workload is heavy in math. If you aren't sure you want university-level calculus and algebra every term, compare the single Laurier BBA or a Waterloo math program alone. The Waterloo vs U of T Computer Science guide covers CS on its own.

The double degree suits a student who wants both business and a technical degree, and is ready for five years of study with co-op. Both versions list ranges from the mid-to-high 80s to the mid 90s, so strong math marks matter.

Apply to both schools if you want the best chance at an offer. Then choose your home school by residence, scholarships and co-op, since the courses are the same.

Read more: Laurier BBA requirements, Waterloo acceptance figures and the school hubs for Laurier and Waterloo.