University of Waterloo · Waterloo
Engineering (BASc)
A supplementary application decides admission before you arrive. High stakes, one shot, but you know where you stand by May.
A supplementary application is required, due Feb 1, 2027.
One application, one decision, before you start.
- Supplementary app
- Required
- Next date
- 80 days left
- Decisions begin: only a small number issued in December
- Seats
- Not published
OUAC codes
- Computer
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Mechatronics
- Civil
- Management
Verified . Confirm against the university's own page before you act.
01
Timeline
- 125 days leftCritical
OUAC application deadline (all Engineering except Architecture)
- 142 days leftCritical
AIF, online interview and all documents, 11:59 PM ET
- 80 days left
Decisions begin: only a small number issued in December
- 245 days left
All decisions finalized by mid-May
02
Supplementary application
Deadline
1 February 2027, 11:59 PM ET: AIF, online interview and all supporting documents
Two separate required pieces: the Admission Information Form (written) and an online video interview.
- Platform
- AIF in the Waterloo applicant portal; online interview on Kira Talent
- Fee
- Not published
- No separate fee, unlike McMaster's $50 or Rotman's $52.
- Questions published in advance
- Yes
- Rubric published
- No
Questions
- written150 words each, plus an unlimited-entry activities chart
AIF: 5 questions, all published in advance
- videoUnlimited practice sessions beforehand
One pre-recorded question, not published in advance
Waterloo publishes the complete verbatim AIF question set on its own website. No reconstruction needed. Only the interview question is unknown.
Published questions
- Passion or strong interest: how you got involved, how long, what you learned about yourself, how you'll apply it at Waterloo
- Community involvement: a group or organization you contributed to. Did you lead? Did you influence outcomes?
- Experience reflection: a time you were treated unfairly or witnessed unfairness. What you did, and whether you'd do anything differently now
- Goals for Waterloo: your primary goal, your exposure to the field, who you turned to for advice about backup options
- Outside the classroom: activities and interests with hours logged between 1 January and 31 December of the application year only
Waterloo publishes the complete verbatim AIF question set on its own website. No reconstruction needed. Only the interview question is unknown.
Scoring
Waterloo states the AIF is reviewed both by trained human reviewers and by artificial intelligence. If the scores differ significantly, a second human scorer reviews the submission. Identifying information is removed before review. Waterloo says its AI system is proprietary and applicant data is not sent to third-party AI services.
Waterloo discloses using AI to score the AIF while explicitly prohibiting applicants from using AI to write it. Waterloo reserves the right to revoke an offer if it believes the AIF was not self-written.
None of Rotman, Queen's or McMaster disclose AI involvement in scoring anywhere in their public FAQs.
Weighting
The interview score is added to your admission average, on top of an already-adjusted average.
adjusted high school average + interview score + AIF assessment
- Not published Number of interview points available
- Not published Exact numerical AIF weighting
- Not published Point breakdown per AIF question
- Not published The formula combining all three
03
Required courses
Six 4U/M courses
Required
- ENG4U
- MHF4U
- MCV4U
- SCH4U
- SPH4U
- One additional 4U/M credit
No published minimum percentage per required course, unlike Queen's Commerce's hard 80% gates.
04
Averages
Waterloo
No published single cutoff
Waterloo states applications are reviewed holistically rather than against one fixed cutoff. Conditional offers require a final admission average of 85%+ to remain valid.
OUInfo
Civil and Management mid to high 80s; Computer, Mechanical and Mechatronics high 80s to low 90s; Electrical low to mid 90s
By discipline.
Adjustment factor
Waterloo applies an adjustment factor based on how students from your high school have historically performed at Waterloo. It compares their first-year university averages against their final high school averages, over the past six or more years. Your admission average is not your admission average.
Older adjustment tables circulate on third-party sites. Treat those as historical, not current.
05
Traps
01
There is no single 'Waterloo Engineering' code
The discipline you select is the OUAC code. Only one Engineering program can be your first choice. One alternate Engineering choice can be added through the AIF, but Biomedical and Software Engineering are excluded from the alternate-choice system and must be applied to directly.
02
Question 5 only counts the last 12 months
The activities chart asks for hours logged between 1 January and 31 December of the application year. A four-year commitment gets counted for one year of it.
03
No early consideration round
Waterloo states plainly there is only one application deadline and no early consideration. It's the only program in this set that explicitly disclaims an early-round advantage.
04
Waterloo's own FAQ contradicts itself
Correct 2027 dates near the top of the admissions FAQ, then a line further down still says the AIF is due 30 January 2026. Checked 8 September 2026.
06
Prep
- Shape
- Draft and polish: the most preparable supp app in this set
- Time
- Weeks, at your own pace
All five AIF questions are fixed and published every cycle. Draft them in a word processor first, organize Question 5 activities by hours within the calendar-year window, and focus on polish and concision. The only unknown is the interview question, and practice sessions are unlimited.
08
What the university hasn't published
- Seats: not published
- Fee: not published
- Rubric: not published
09
Sources
Official
- uwaterloo.ca Engineering admissions FAQ
- uwaterloo.ca Admission Information Form page
- OUInfo Waterloo Engineering codes
Reported
- Youthfully: Waterloo Engineering guides (admissions consultancy, commercial interest)
Verified on