McMaster Nursing admission requirements: the 85% range, Casper and the McMaster or Mohawk site

You need an Ontario high school diploma and six Grade 12 U or M courses. Four are set: ENG4U (English), SBI4U (Biology), SCH4U (Chemistry) and one of MHF4U (Advanced Functions), MCV4U (Calculus and Vectors) or MDM4U (Data Management). The other two can be any U or M courses.

You must not have attended any post-secondary program to apply in the high school category. McMaster can make a conditional offer on six midterm grades, or on three final grades plus three courses in progress. Plan your courses with our course planner.

McMaster says a minimum average of 85% in your six prerequisite courses is typically required to be considered. That's the floor, not the typical average of students who get in.

Your grades aren't the whole decision. McMaster weighs your average at 80% and your Casper score at 20%. A strong Casper can help, and a weak one can hurt. McMaster doesn't publish a nursing acceptance rate. Work out your average on our Top 6 average calculator, then add your prerequisite marks.

Casper is an online test of how you respond to everyday situations. McMaster lists it as the Nursing supplementary application. For the 2027 cycle, take the test type Canada Casper 1 (English) (CSP-10200). The first test date is September 22, 2026 and the last is March 18, 2027.

Send your score to McMaster University Nursing, Basic and Accelerated for the McMaster site, and McMaster University Nursing, Basic, Mohawk College Site for the Mohawk site. If you apply to both, put both on your list. You only take Casper once.

Casper asks for your McMaster student ID, which you get after you submit and pay for your OUAC application. You can register with a temporary ID, but update it with your real ID or your score may not match your file. Read our Casper test guide to prepare.

Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) applicants who are endorsed through McMaster's Facilitated Indigenous Admissions Program don't take Casper. The School of Nursing reserves 5% of seats for Indigenous students who meet the requirements.

Students from other provinces or countries need qualifications equal to the Ontario courses, based on their graduation year. They apply through OUAC's Group B application by February 1, 2027.

If you've taken university courses, McMaster needs at least 12 units with final grades and a grade point average of 75% (a B) in all of them. If you have no university science, you also need 75% in Grade 12 chemistry, biology and one of the three math courses.

Students in an Ontario college Pre-Health Sciences Pathway program need an 85% average in it, with biology, chemistry, math and English at 75% or more. You need at least two semesters, and no transfer credit is given for these courses.

The four-year Basic stream runs at two sites, and both are on McMaster's main campus. The courses, curriculum and degree are the same. Every graduate earns a McMaster Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

The differences are in services: academic support, OSAP and tuition, housing and athletics. The McMaster site is open to domestic and international applicants. The Mohawk site is open to domestic applicants only.

You stay at the site that admits you for all four years. McMaster says you can't transfer between the two sites.

McMaster Nursing has no co-op or internship option. Clinical placements are built into the program. In first year you practise skills in the Centre for Simulation Based Learning. From second year you care for patients in hospitals and the community.

Placements can be in Hamilton, Halton, Peel, Niagara or Brant. Getting to them is your responsibility, and some students may need a car. Before you start, you also complete McMaster's non-academic requirements for placements.

McMaster teaches nursing through problem-based learning in small groups. You work through a clinical problem with classmates and a tutor.

McMaster's fee schedule lists Level 1 Nursing tuition at $6,163.20 for Ontario students in 2026-27 and $6,286.20 for 2027-28. International students at the McMaster site pay $51,734.40. Mohawk site students pay through Mohawk College.

McMaster's automatic entrance award gives Nursing students entering in September 2027 $1,000 with a final admission average of 93% or more. A $500 Nursing achievement award covers averages from 91% to 92.99%. You don't apply for either.

Estimate your average on our Top 6 average calculator, and see aid options on our McMaster financial aid page.

Graduates are eligible to apply to the College of Nurses of Ontario to register as a Registered Nurse. They still have to meet the College's licensing rules, including its exams.

Applying to both sites costs two OUAC choices but only one Casper test. If your child wants to stay in Hamilton, it's a simple way to widen their chances.