Waterloo Science admission requirements: three 70% minimums, low 80s averages, and co-op in most programs

Waterloo's Faculty of Science says it offers 18 programs in three groups: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and interdisciplinary programs. You apply directly to a program on your OUAC application. For Life Sciences and Physical Sciences, you also pick a major when you apply, and the major starts in first year.

Life Sciences has three majors: Biochemistry, Biology and Psychology. Physical Sciences has eight: Biological and Medical Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Materials and Nanosciences, Mathematical Physics, Medicinal Chemistry, Physics, and Physics and Astronomy. Honours Science lets you stay broad, with more than half your science courses as electives.

Some science-related programs have their own pages and rules. Biomedical Sciences is one. Read our Waterloo Biomedical Sciences guide if that is your target.

Ontario students need six Grade 12 U or M courses. Three are fixed: English (ENG4U), Advanced Functions and Calculus and Vectors. Each needs a final grade of at least 70%. You also need two of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics of Data Management and Physics.

The same list appears on the Honours Science, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Biology, Science and Financial Management, and Science and Aviation pages. The 70% minimums are separate from your average. A strong overall average will not cover a 68% in calculus. Plan your Grade 12 timetable with our course planner.

Honours Science, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Biology each list an admission average in the low 80s. Science and Financial Management lists the low to mid 80s, and Science and Aviation lists the mid 80s. The Faculty of Science says its averages are typically in the low to high 80s.

Waterloo says your admission average is your top six Grade 12 U or M courses, including the required ones. College, open and co-op courses don't count. It says the averages it publishes are based on the grades of students it admitted last year, and that they're pretty accurate.

Waterloo does not publish an acceptance rate for its science programs. See our Waterloo acceptance rate page for what it does publish, and check your number with our Top 6 average calculator.

Science programs don't use Waterloo's Admission Information Form. Waterloo says the AIF and other supplementary forms are not part of the application process for programs in Arts, Environment, Health and Science. Your grades decide the offer.

Apply on OUAC by February 1, 2027, and send documents by February 15, 2027. Waterloo admits first-year students for September only. It may extend a deadline if a program is not full.

Offers go out between December and May. Waterloo says most come in May, once it has second semester midterm grades. Ontario high school students get every offer by mid-May and have until 11:59 p.m. ET on June 1, 2027 to accept.

In Honours Science, the fall term has two of General Chemistry 1, Introductory Earth Sciences, Physics 1 or a Biology course, plus a math elective and two electives. Winter repeats the pattern and adds Communication in the Sciences.

In Biology, the fall term includes Biodiversity, Biomes and Evolution, Introductory Cell Biology, General Chemistry 1 and Calculus 1 for the Sciences. Winter adds Genetics, General Chemistry 2, a physics course and Communication in the Sciences. Waterloo lists these as sample schedules that may change.

These three sound alike, and students often apply to the wrong one. Waterloo's Biology page explains the difference. Biology starts with a broad base, and after first year you use electives to focus on areas such as plants, animals or microbiology. Waterloo lists more than 80 biology courses.

Biomedical Sciences also starts with a fairly general first year, but it keeps a focus on human and animal biology and includes a physics lab. Waterloo says it prepares you for later medical or professional school applications. Biochemistry is about 60% chemistry, with some biology and physics.

Biology students can also add options in Bioinformatics, Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Environmental Biology, or Microbiology, or minors such as Medical Physiology. A Biotechnology Technician diploma from Conestoga College is open to Biology and Biomedical Sciences students.

Most science programs let you choose co-op or the regular system when you apply. Honours Science is regular only. Medicinal Chemistry and Science and Financial Management are co-op only. Science and Aviation has no co-op.

In co-op Biology, your first work term is in the winter of second year. You then alternate school and work every four months and finish in the fifth year. Waterloo says Biology students can graduate with nearly two years of paid work. Sample jobs include field and lab technician and bioinformatics assistant.

Waterloo's co-op fee for 2026/2027 is $836, charged in instalments over your degree. Waterloo says it is not a fee for each job.

For 2026-27, Waterloo estimates two terms of Faculty of Science tuition and incidental fees at about $9,000 for Ontario students, $10,000 for students from other provinces and $54,000 for international students. Books and supplies add about $1,500. These estimates are based on fees for students starting in September 2026.

Science and Aviation costs more. Waterloo estimates flight training at $93,000 over the four-year degree.

Entrance scholarships are automatic and based on your early May admission average. A one-time $1,000 Merit Scholarship goes to 85% to 89.9%, a $2,000 President's Scholarship to 90% to 94.9%, and the President's Scholarship of Distinction at 95% or more adds a $1,500 International Experience Award and/or a $1,500 Research Award.

Most Waterloo Science programs list low 80s averages and need no AIF. The three 70% minimums are the trap to watch. Check your child's calculus mark early in the semester.

In co-op Biology, the sequence runs into a fifth year, but your child builds paid work experience. Honours Science suits a student who wants a pre-health path with flexible electives. Waterloo calls it a recommended major for preparing for its Pharmacy and Optometry programs.