Waterloo Mathematics admission requirements: the mid-80s average, the AIF and 16 majors

For Waterloo Mathematics, Ontario students need a high school diploma with at least six Grade 12 U or M courses. Four are set: Advanced Functions (MHF4U), Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U), any Grade 12 U English, and one other Grade 12 U course.

Waterloo says Grade 11 Introduction to Computer Science or Grade 12 Computer Science is helpful background, but it won't affect your chance of admission if you skip it. Required courses finished more than three years ago may need updating.

Plan your Grade 12 math with our course planner.

Waterloo lists the Mathematics admission average as individual selection from the mid-80s. It says averages depend on the number of applications and spaces, and the range is based on previous years.

Waterloo asks for forms like the AIF in addition to your grades. You submit the AIF only once, because its questions are the same for every program that uses it. Waterloo doesn't publish an acceptance rate for Mathematics; our Waterloo acceptance rate page shows what it does publish.

Work out your average with our Top 6 average calculator.

The AIF is required for Mathematics. You complete it in the Waterloo applicant portal after you apply, and Waterloo won't review submissions after the deadline.

For Mathematics, the AIF deadline is February 15, 2027. If you also apply to Engineering, you must submit the AIF, the online interview and other forms by the Engineering deadline of February 1, 2027.

Read our Waterloo AIF guide for what to write and how Waterloo uses it.

Waterloo's deadline for programs other than Engineering is February 1, 2027, with documents such as transcripts due February 15, 2027. International students have the same deadlines.

Waterloo admits first-year students for September only. It may extend a deadline if a program isn't full, and late applications are reviewed only if spaces remain.

Math contests aren't part of admission. Writing the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest or the Euclid Mathematics Contest is required only for some Faculty of Mathematics scholarships.

In first year you mostly take math and computer science: Algebra, Calculus 1 and 2, Linear Algebra, and two introductory computer science courses, plus a communications course and electives.

At the end of first year you choose one of 16 majors: Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computing and Scientific Machine Learning, Biostatistics, Combinatorics and Optimization, Computational Mathematics, Data Science, Information Technology Management, Mathematical Economics, Mathematical Finance, Mathematical Optimization, Mathematical Physics, Mathematical Studies, Pure Mathematics, Statistics, and Mathematics/Teaching.

Waterloo says it offers more than 500 math courses. You can add an option or a minor, and take electives from about 100 subject areas.

Waterloo's fee table lists several math programs next to Mathematics. Mathematics/Business Administration and Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy have the same first-year estimate as Mathematics, $9,000 for Ontario students. Mathematics/Financial Analysis and Risk Management is higher, at $12,000 for Ontario students and $14,000 for other Canadians.

There's also a double degree with Laurier: Business Administration at Laurier and Mathematics at Waterloo, estimated at $15,000 for Ontario students in first year. Waterloo notes that tuition for its accounting and finance programs, including Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy, is significantly higher in upper years.

If you're more interested in programming, compare our Waterloo CS and Software Engineering pathway.

Mathematics is available in both co-op and the regular system of study. In co-op, you normally alternate four-month school and work terms from second year, and you can graduate with up to two years of paid work experience. Your work-study sequence depends on your major, and your first work term can come in the spring after first year.

Waterloo describes its co-op program as the largest of its kind in North America. The regular system lets you finish your degree faster without work terms. Co-op students pay a fee of $836 per term, and they don't pay tuition during work terms.

Waterloo estimates first-year tuition and incidental fees for Mathematics at $9,000 for Ontario residents, $10,000 for other Canadians and $62,000 for international students, for two terms starting September 2026. Books and supplies add about $1,500.

Entrance scholarships are automatic for first-year students starting in September. The President's Scholarship of Distinction is $2,000 at 95% or more, with chances at a $1,500 International Experience Award and a $1,500 Research Award. The President's Scholarship is $2,000 at 90% to 94.9%, and the Merit Scholarship is $1,000 at 85% to 89.9%. Your early May average, including required courses, decides it.

Read our Waterloo financial aid guide and check your average with our Top 6 average calculator.

Waterloo Math isn't decided on grades alone. The AIF counts, and it's due February 15, 2027. Make sure your child has a calendar reminder.

Entrance scholarships show up in the applicant portal in mid-May, after Waterloo reviews early May grades. To keep one, your child must accept the offer by its date and enrol full-time for the fall term.

If your child is weighing math against computer science, compare our Waterloo CS and Software Engineering pathway and the Waterloo AFM page for accounting and finance.