Trent University Forensic Science admission requirements: 75% average, SBI4U, SCH4U and a 4U math, with limited places

Trent's general rule for Ontario students is the OSSD with at least six Grade 12 4U or 4M courses, a 70% overall average, and ENG4U with at least 60%. Forensic Science adds its own rule. You need Biology (SBI4U), Chemistry (SCH4U), and Advanced Functions (MHF4U) or Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U).

Trent lists Physics (SPH4U) as a recommended course. The Forensic Science department page goes further and calls 4U Physics highly recommended.

The department page words the math rule as one 4U credit in Mathematics. The admissions page names MHF4U or MCV4U. Take one of those two so you meet both pages. Map out your Grade 12 year with our course planner.

Forensic Science asks for a 75% overall average, higher than Trent's 70% general minimum. Trent works out this average from your required courses, including ENG4U, plus your two next best 4U or 4M courses.

The department page says all single major Forensic Science programs are direct entry with a limited number of student places. It also says that normally, students with an overall average lower than 75% will not be admitted. Offers are based on an evaluation of academic performance.

Trent does not publish the average of students who were admitted, or a competitive range above 75%. Because places are limited, treat 75% as a floor, not a target. Check where you stand with our Top 6 average calculator, and remember Trent uses its own course mix, not a plain top six.

If you do not start in Forensic Science, Trent says it is possible to transfer into an upper year of any single major forensic program. The transfer form is on your myTrent portal from February to May.

There is a catch. You must have completed, or be completing, all of the same courses as students who entered the program in first year. Check the academic calendar for those courses before you count on this route. Trent's pages do not publish a separate average for upper year transfer.

Trent's admission pages for Forensic Science list courses and an average only. They do not ask for a supplementary form, essay, interview or video. Your grades decide.

Trent's prestigious scholarships need a separate application, due March 21, 2027. That is for money, not for program admission.

You apply through OUAC. Trent's dates page does not print its own application deadline. It lists offer rounds for Ontario high school students starting in September, for all programs except Education and Nursing.

Check the OUAC deadline on our Ontario university application deadlines page. Applying early puts you in the first offer round.

The program page says the degree teaches core science in biology, chemistry and anthropology, joined with law and investigative practice. Courses named on the page include Crime Scene Investigation, Laboratory DNA Forensics, Microbial Forensics, Forensic Toxicology, Police Powers and Presentation of Expert Evidence.

The department page says students learn casework, teamwork, DNA analysis and the legal issues around evidence. Trent has a Forensics Crime Scene Facility on campus. The FAQ says the BScFS is a full-time, on campus program only. Part-time study is possible only in a joint degree.

You can add a Law and Policing specialization. Graduates of the honours BSc can also fast-track an MSc in Environmental and Life Sciences in 12 to 16 months, according to the program page.

Forensic Science is not marked as a co-op program. On Trent's admission requirements table, many programs carry a Co-op Available label, but Forensic Science does not, and its co-op column is blank.

Instead, single major students can do a field placement in third year. To qualify you need a 70% cumulative average and 10 credits, including FRSC 1010H, FRSC 1011H, FRSC 2020H and FRSC 2100H. You must also enrol in FRSC 3020H to prepare.

Past placements, the page says, have been with police agencies, law firms, crown attorney offices, hospitals, forensic labs, vet offices and fire investigators. The program page also mentions federal government internships with Border Services, RCMP, Health Canada or Food Inspection Services.

Trent's 2026-27 fee table for Ontario students in Peterborough puts Forensic Science under All Other Undergraduate Programs. A new Fall 2026 student pays $6,240.85 in tuition and $2,122.22 in ancillary and levy fees. The total is $8,363.07.

Trent bills this as two payments: $4,602.96 for fall and $3,760.12 for winter. Housing, meal plans, books, and program and course fees are not included. Trent says the fees are estimates pending approval. Fall 2027 fees will be posted by summer 2027.

Trent gives automatic, renewable entrance scholarships at an 80% average or higher. You keep them by holding an 80% average in a full course load.

The published values are $6,000 over four years at 80 to 84.9%, $8,000 at 85 to 89.9%, and $12,000 at 90 to 94.9%. At 95% or more, Trent lists $18,118: $6,118 as full first year tuition, then $4,000 a year for three years.

The department FAQ says there are no scholarships specific to Forensics. You still qualify for Trent's general awards and bursaries.

Forensic Biology and Forensic Chemistry are separate single major degrees. Trent's admissions table lists the same 75% average and the same SBI4U, SCH4U and MHF4U or MCV4U rule for both. Forensic Biology also lists SPH4U as recommended.

The joint major route, Forensics and Arts or Forensics and Science, has a lower bar on the same table: a 70% overall average and ENG4U at 60%, with a 4U math recommended. The FAQ says joint major students need at least 7 credits in Forensic Science. Pick this route if you want forensics with another subject, or if your average sits between 70% and 75%.

This is a limited enrolment program with a clear 75% floor. A student near 75% should also apply to the joint major, which asks for 70%. Biology and chemistry are both required, so protect those marks.

New student fees for 2026-27 total $8,363.07 before housing and books. Read our Trent university guide for residence and campus context.