University of Windsor Forensic Science admission requirements: four 4U courses, a 70% minimum and an 85% mean average

The University of Windsor has two forensics degrees. The Honours Bachelor of Forensic Science is the science one, with an emphasis in the natural sciences. The other is a Combined Bachelor of Arts Honours in Forensics, which pairs forensics with a second major. This guide covers the BFS.

The Future Students page calls it Forensic Science (BFS), an Honours 4 year program, and describes mock crime scenes and labs. Windsor says you learn from academics, forensic practitioners, police, lawyers and expert witnesses. The Faculty of Science page says the BFS suits students heading to graduate or professional school, or to work in a forensic or other science lab.

Ontario students need four Grade 12 U courses: ENG4U, MHF4U, SCH4U and SBI4U. Windsor strongly recommends SPH4U and recommends MCV4U.

Take the physics recommendation seriously. The calendar requires a pair of first year physics courses for every BFS student, and the Forensic Chemistry concentration needs a specific pair. First year also includes calculus, MATH-1720 or MATH-1760. Plan your Grade 12 year with our course planner.

Windsor lists a 70% minimum average. There is a second check: a 70% average across all your required science and math courses. The Faculty of Science page words it as a 70% 4U average and a second average of at least 70% in science courses.

Windsor also publishes a mean average of 85% for this program. That is the average of admitted students, so many had more. Windsor's Fall 2025 data shows the Faculty of Science as a whole admitted Ontario high school students with an 86.5% average. Windsor does not publish an acceptance rate for forensic science. Check your number with our Top 6 average calculator.

There is no second application to stay in the BFS, and Windsor does not publish a limited enrolment rule for it. But there is one deadline you must meet. The calendar says your area of concentration must be declared before you enter second year.

You choose between Forensic Human Biology, Forensic Chemistry and Ecology of Death. The concentration appears on your transcript and diploma. Each one has eight required courses plus three options.

The BFS is forty courses. Core forensic courses include FRSC-1000 Introduction to Forensic Science, FRSC-2101 Applied Crime Scene Techniques, FRSC-2190 Forensic Evidence and the Canadian Legal System and FRSC-3010 Expert Witness in Forensic Science. Several of these are open only to forensic science majors.

Science foundation courses include BIOL-1101 Cell Biology, BIOL-1111 Biological Diversity, CHEM-1100 and CHEM-1110 General Chemistry, STAT-2910 and SCIE-1000. You also take either an introductory psychology or a sociology course, plus four courses from any area, including at least one from a short list in the calendar.

The Future Students page does not list co-op for Forensic Science. The Faculty of Science program list marks co-op beside several other degrees but not beside the Bachelor of Forensic Science. Plan on no co-op, and ask Windsor if this matters to you.

Hands-on work comes through the degree. FRSC-3900 Research Methods in Forensic Science, in semester 6 or later, prepares a research proposal. FRSC-4900 is a capstone project. FRSC-4002 is an optional practicum where you spend 100 hours with a mentor in the profession. It needs instructor approval.

Windsor calls this an Ontario first. Graduates of a two year Ontario college diploma in Police Foundations can enter a Combined Bachelor of Arts in Forensics and Criminology, in the Applied Forensic Science Stream. The calendar says you need a cumulative college average of at least a B (73%) and MHF4U and SBI4U or their equivalents. Admitted students get the equivalent of 2 years of advanced standing.

This route leads to a BA, not the BFS. It matters if your teen is unsure about university now. A Police Foundations diploma followed by this pathway is one way to reach a forensics degree later. If they want the BFS itself, the direct route from Grade 12 is the one to plan for.

Ontario high school students apply through OUAC by January 15 for the fall term. Windsor's guide gives the date without a year. Your school sends your grades to Windsor through OUAC.

See our Ontario deadlines page for the Fall 2027 dates at other schools.

Windsor posts tuition through a fee estimator, not a printed table. It shows the approved fees for the 2026-2027 academic year, per term. Choose Undergraduate, Science, full time and your fee category to see your amount. Windsor does not post a separate forensic science figure.

Windsor suggests budgeting at least $1,000 a year for textbooks and other learning materials.

For 2027-2028 entry, Windsor lists minimum entrance scholarships by average. An 85% to 89.99% average earns $1,000. A 90% to 94.99% average earns $10,000, paid as $1,250 over 8 terms. A 95% to 100% average earns $16,000, paid as $2,000 over 8 terms.

To keep a renewable award you need an 85% scholarship average each year. With an 85% mean entry average, many BFS students sit right at the first band.

The BFS is a real science degree with a heavy lab load. Your child needs biology, chemistry, advanced functions and English, and should take physics. The 70% minimum is the floor. The 85% mean is the realistic target.

Windsor says over 85% of graduates are employed in their field within six months, and lists careers such as forensic biologist or chemist, crime scene officer and pathology assistant. The Faculty of Science page adds medicine and law as paths with more study. To compare forensic programs, read our Trent Forensic Science guide and our Ontario Tech Forensic Science guide.