University of Waterloo
Canada's co-op powerhouse, where most students graduate with up to two years of paid work experience.
- Students
- 41,000
- Tuition
- CA$51,000
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1957
- QS World Ranking
- #113
- 2027 edition
About Waterloo
The University of Waterloo opened in 1957 with 74 students, with engineering and co-operative education as its cornerstones. It now has more than 41,000 full- and part-time students on a main campus of about 1,000 acres in Waterloo, Ontario, plus three satellite campuses, and is organised into six faculties: Arts, Engineering, Environment, Health, Mathematics and Science. Its Faculty of Mathematics, home to Computer Science, is one of the defining features of the place.
Co-op is what sets Waterloo apart. About 77% of students take part, alternating four-month school terms with paid work terms at more than 8,000 employers in over 70 countries; the average co-op term paid about $16,700 in 2025, and students can graduate with up to two years of work experience. Waterloo also has a creator-owned intellectual property policy, so students keep ownership of what they invent, and its Velocity incubator has launched more than 500 companies since 2008.
Admission is competitive in the flagship programs: Computer Science and Software Engineering select individually from applicants with averages in the low to mid-90s, and Engineering and Mathematics also weigh the Admission Information Form, with an online interview for Engineering. Waterloo suits students who want a demanding technical education and are keen to start working in their field long before graduation.
Concordia cum veritate
“In harmony with truth” — university motto
Why students choose Waterloo
More than 120 programs offer co-op, and 96% of co-op graduates are employed six months after graduation, according to the university.
The Faculty of Mathematics houses Computer Science, Computing and Financial Management and a Math/CPA path, with Waterloo math contests like the Euclid run on campus.
A creator-owned IP policy and the Velocity incubator make it a natural place to start a company while still a student.
International fee-paying first-year students automatically receive a $10,000 International Student Entrance Scholarship, with no application needed.
Admissions
Fall 2027 entry (September 2027)
Selectivity
Waterloo does not publish an overall admit rate. Each program lists an expected admission average for Ontario students, e.g. low to mid-90s for Computer Science and Software Engineering, high 80s to low 90s for Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, mid-80s for Accounting and Financial Management, and high 70s for Honours Arts.
Typical entry requirements
| Ontario Secondary School Diploma | Six Grade 12 U/M courses; admission averages: Computer Science and Software Engineering individual selection from the low to mid-90s; Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering high 80s to low 90s; Health Sciences mid-80s (regular) and high 80s (co-op); Honours Arts high 70s |
|---|---|
| Other Canadian and international curricula | Program-specific equivalents are listed in Waterloo's admission requirements search by country and curriculum |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 90 Required only if your four most recent years of full-time education were not in English. TOEFL iBT 90 overall with 25 in writing and speaking for tests before 21 January 2026 (4.5 overall with 5 in writing and speaking on the new scale from that date). IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with 6.5 writing and speaking and 6.0 reading and listening. Duolingo 120 with 125 in Literacy and Production. Tests must be taken on or after 1 May 2025. |
Deadlines
- Optometry Non-binding Next deadline · In 37 daysNovember 12, 2026
See the School of Optometry website for full details.
- Pharmacy Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 6, 2027
Documents due January 20, 2027 at 2 p.m. ET.
- Engineering application deadline (OUAC) Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
All Engineering programs except Architecture. Documents, AIF and online interview due February 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
- Application deadline, all other programs (OUAC) Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 1, 2027
Documents and the AIF (where required) due February 15, 2027. International students have the same deadlines.
Waterloo admits first-year students for September only. Deadlines may be extended for programs that are not full, but late applications are reviewed only if space remains. Submissions of supplementary forms are not reviewed after the deadline. Offers must be accepted by June 1, 2027 for most students.
How to apply
Apply through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC), choosing up to three Waterloo programs (only one Engineering program), and tick the co-op box for co-op streams. Waterloo then emails applicant portal access, where you complete supplementary forms such as the Admission Information Form, the Engineering online interview and, for Software Engineering, a Supplementary Information Form.
What admissions looks for
- A strong admission average in the top six Grade 12 courses, including the program's required courses.
- For Engineering: evidence of time management, interpersonal and leadership skills and a variety of interests, not specific engineering activities.
- Work experience, such as a part-time, summer or volunteer job that resembles a work environment, which Engineering says can enhance an application.
- For Mathematics and Computer Science: well-rounded students with meaningful experiences outside the classroom.
- For Software Engineering: programming experience from a course or self-study and a demonstrated interest in solving open problems and debugging code.
Tips for applying to Waterloo
- 1 Treat the AIF seriously: it has four 150-word questions (a passion, community involvement, an experience of unfairness, your goals for Waterloo) plus an activities chart with hours logged from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
- 2 If you apply to Engineering and a Math program, everything, including the AIF, is due by the Engineering deadline of February 1, 2027.
- 3 Use the optional Engineering Program Alternate Choice form; note that Software and Biomedical Engineering cannot be alternates.
- 4 Write the Euclid Contest or Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest if you can: it is not required for admission, but it is required for some Faculty of Mathematics scholarships.
- 5 Write the AIF yourself: Waterloo warns that AI-generated answers that are untrue or plagiarised can lead to a denied or withdrawn offer.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in CAD
Admitted first-year students are automatically considered for the President's Scholarship of Distinction (average 95%+, $2,000 plus eligibility for a $1,500 international experience or research award), the President's Scholarship ($2,000, 90 to 94.9%) and the Merit Scholarship ($1,000, 85 to 89.9%). International fee-paying first-year students receive a $10,000 International Student Entrance Scholarship, and the Faculty of Mathematics offers up to 10 international awards worth $12,000 to $40,000. Co-op students also earn during work terms and pay no tuition in those terms.
- $10,000 in first year, automatic
- International Student Entrance Scholarship
- Admission average 95% or higher
- President's Scholarship of Distinction
- About $16,700 per four-month term
- Average co-op work-term earnings (2025)
- $836 per term
- Co-op fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Three terms (fall, winter, spring); co-op students alternate school and four-month work terms
Computer Science (BCS/BMath)
Individual selection from the low to mid-90s, AIF required, co-op available, and a first-year international fee estimate of $73,000.
Software Engineering (BSE)
Requires programming experience and a supplementary form; admission average in the low to mid-90s.
Mechanical Engineering (BASc)
Individual selection from the high 80s to low 90s; the faculty reports a 96% employment rate within six months and 30+ student design teams.
Accounting and Financial Management (BAFM)
Structured routes to CPA and CFA designations, with AFM courses making up most upper-year study.
Architecture (BAS)
Offered by the Faculty of Engineering outside the Engineering application cap (you can apply to one Engineering program plus Architecture); first-year costs include an estimated $8,100 for a laptop, studio supplies and field trips.
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
Doctor of Pharmacy with its own early deadline (January 6, 2027) and a reference as part of the application.
Research
- Donna Strickland won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for chirped pulse amplification and is a Waterloo physics professor.
- Waterloo reports $286 million in research funding (2024/25) and more than 1,160 research partnerships.
- Research centres include the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Environment
- Faculty of Health
- Faculty of Mathematics
- Faculty of Science
96% of co-op graduates are employed six months after graduation (university facts page). Program pages report a 90% graduation rate in Engineering and 86% in Mathematics.
Student life
Life at Waterloo runs to the co-op rhythm: students alternate campus terms with work terms at 8,000+ employers in 70+ countries, and classmates in the same co-op sequence share a schedule. The campus has housing for nearly 7,000 students, 200+ clubs, student-run hackathons and 16,000+ intramural participants. Engineering alone has 30+ design teams. Varsity athletes compete as the Waterloo Warriors, and the affiliated university colleges, such as St. Jerome's, offer smaller communities within the larger university.
- 200+ student clubs, competitions and hackathons.
- Waterloo Warriors varsity teams compete in Ontario University Athletics (U Sports).
- More than 100 exchange programs in over 30 countries.
- Affiliated and federated university colleges, including St. Jerome's, give Arts students a smaller home base.
Housing. First-year students are guaranteed a residence spot if they accept their offer and complete the residence application and $500 deposit by June 8, 2027.
Location
Waterloo sits in Ontario's Waterloo Region alongside Kitchener; the two cities run together, with Waterloo called "uptown" and Kitchener "downtown". The university describes the area as part of the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor, the third-largest tech cluster in North America, which feeds co-op jobs. The main campus borders uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park, with the Laurel Creek Conservation Area to the northwest, so green space is never far from the lecture halls.
Nearest airport: Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF); Toronto Pearson (YYZ) for most international flights
Notable alumni
- ML Mike LazaridisCo-founder and former co-CEO of Research In Motion (BlackBerry)
- VB Vitalik ButerinCo-founder of Ethereum
- RL Rasmus LerdorfCreator of the PHP programming language
- RK Rupi KaurPoet, author of Milk and Honey; Rhetoric and Professional Writing graduate
- HM Heather MoyseTwo-time Olympic bobsleigh gold medallist; kinesiology graduate
- DI David I. McKayPresident and CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada
- MZ Matei ZahariaCreator of Apache Spark
Frequently asked questions
What average do you need to get into Waterloo Computer Science?
Waterloo lists an admission average of individual selection from the low to mid-90s for Computer Science and Software Engineering, and the Admission Information Form is required.
What is the Waterloo application deadline for fall 2027?
January 15, 2027 for Engineering and February 1, 2027 for other programs, both through OUAC. Documents and the AIF are due February 1 (Engineering) or February 15, 2027.
What is the Waterloo AIF?
The Admission Information Form is a supplementary form required for Engineering, Mathematics and Computing and Financial Management. It has four 150-word questions and an extracurricular chart covering January 1 to December 31, 2026.
How much is Waterloo tuition for international students?
First-year tuition and incidental fees for two terms are estimated at $51,000 to $75,000 CAD depending on the program, for example $73,000 for Computer Science and $75,000 for Engineering. New international students receive a $10,000 entrance scholarship.
Does Waterloo interview applicants?
Yes for Engineering: all Engineering applicants except Architecture must complete an online video interview. Most other programs do not interview.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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