Waterloo Environment, Resources and Sustainability admission requirements: one 4U English, high 70s and co-op

Waterloo's Ontario requirements page lists one required course for ERS: any Grade 12 U English, with a minimum grade of 70. You also need an Ontario high school diploma with at least six Grade 12 U or M courses, including the required course.

Waterloo recommends, but does not require, at least one Grade 12 U or M course from each of two groups. One is Canadian and World Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities, or the Arts. The other is Mathematics or Science. Waterloo says skipping these won't affect your chance of admission.

First year includes ENVS 178, a data management and statistics course, so a Grade 12 math still helps. Plan your timetable with our course planner.

Waterloo lists the ERS admission average as high 70s for both co-op and regular. It says the range is based on previous years and depends on how many people apply and how many spaces there are.

Waterloo's admission average page says its published averages come from the grades of students admitted last year, and that they're pretty accurate. Your admission average uses your top six Grade 12 U or M courses, including required ones. Run your numbers in our Top 6 average calculator.

For the bigger picture on how hard Waterloo is to get into, read our Waterloo acceptance rate page.

Many Waterloo programs ask for an Admission Information Form. ERS does not. Waterloo says the AIF and other supplementary forms are not part of the application for programs in the Faculties of Arts, Environment, Health and Science.

Your grades decide your offer. You apply directly to this program on your application. If your last four years of full-time school were not in an English language system, Waterloo also asks for an English language test score.

For programs other than Engineering, Waterloo's deadline to apply is February 1, 2027. The deadline to send documents is February 15, 2027. Waterloo admits first-year students for September only. It says a deadline may be extended if a program isn't full, and late applications are reviewed only if spaces are available. Don't count on either.

Line these up with your other Ontario applications on our Ontario deadlines page.

Waterloo's sample first-year schedule has three required courses and two electives each term. In fall: ERS 101 Approaches: Environment, Resources and Sustainability, ENVS 178 Environmental Applications of Data Management and Statistics, and ENVS 195 Introduction to Environmental Studies. In winter: ERS 102 At Home in the Universe, ENVS 131 Communications for Environmental Professions, and ENVS 200 Field Ecology.

After first year, about half your classes are ERS courses. Sample upper-year courses include ERS 202 Natural Resources Ecology, ERS 215 Environmental and Sustainability Assessment 1, ERS 300 Social Ecological Systems Analysis and ERS 400 Social-Ecological Approaches to Sustainability. In fourth year you can work with a professor on a project.

Popular minors include Geography and Environmental Management, Biology, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Economics. You can also add diplomas in parks, ecological restoration or environmental impact assessment, or do a double major.

ERS is offered as co-op or regular. In co-op, you normally alternate school and work every four months starting in second year. Your first work term is in the winter of second year. The schedule above runs into a fifth year and shows five work terms. Waterloo says co-op students can graduate with up to two years of paid experience.

Sample co-op jobs listed include shorebird and waterbird field technician, ecological assistant, species at risk research assistant and junior policy analyst. Co-op students pay a co-op fee of $836 per school term, and no tuition during work terms. Waterloo says how many times you pay the fee varies by program.

You can go back to the same employer for a couple of work terms to take on more responsibility, or try different employers for range. Regular students still get hands-on work through case studies, field trips and community projects, so co-op isn't the only way to build experience.

Waterloo publishes first-year estimates by faculty, based on fees for students starting in September 2026. For the Faculty of Environment, the estimate for tuition and incidental fees over two terms is $9,000 for Canadian students living in Ontario, and $10,000 for Canadian students living outside Ontario. Books and supplies are estimated at $1,500.

These cover two terms with a full course load of five courses per term. You pay one term at a time. Residence and meals are extra.

You're automatically considered for Waterloo's President's and Merit Scholarships. No application is needed. They're based on your early May admission average. An average of 85 to 89.9% earns a $1,000 Merit Scholarship. An average of 90 to 94.9% earns a $2,000 President's Scholarship.

At 95% or higher, the President's Scholarship of Distinction adds a $1,500 International Experience Award and/or a $1,500 Research Award to the $2,000. Most entrance scholarships in the Faculty of Environment are grade based and awarded in mid-May. Details show in your applicant portal starting in mid-May.

Waterloo's program page lists Environment and Business, Environmental Sciences, and Geography and Environmental Management as related programs. ERS mixes natural and social science with policy analysis, impact assessment and decision making. In Environmental Sciences, you move into an Ecology, Geoscience or Water Science specialization after first year, and courses can qualify you to register as a professional geoscientist in Ontario.

If science courses are your strength, compare the two before you apply. If you like policy, planning and fieldwork together, ERS fits better. For a similar program elsewhere, see our Guelph Environmental Science guide.

ERS asks for only one required course: a Grade 12 U English at 70%. That makes the overall top six average the main thing to watch.

Co-op can add a fifth year, but co-op students don't pay tuition during work terms. Read our Waterloo university guide for residence and campus context.