Admissions · University of Waterloo
What Average Do You Need for Waterloo Engineering?
Short answer: anywhere from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, depending on the program. Waterloo has also published how often each average band actually got an offer. In the 2023 cycle, a 95+ applicant got an offer 95% of the time in Civil or Chemical, 63% of the time in Mechanical or Computer, and 30% of the time in Software or Biomedical.
Waterloo says: mid-80s to mid-90s, depending on the program[2][3][4]
The Numbers
| Average | Applicants who got an offer |
|---|---|
| 95+ | 30% |
| 90-94 | 7% |
| 85-89 | 2% |
| Average | Applicants who got an offer |
|---|---|
| 95+ | 63% |
| 90-94 | 21% |
| 85-89 | 2% |
| Average | Applicants who got an offer |
|---|---|
| 95+ | 95% |
| 90-94 | 77% |
| 85-89 | 44% |
| Average | Share of the entering class |
|---|---|
| 95+ | 66.7% |
| 90-94 | 27.6% |
| 85-89 | 5.5% |
| 80-84 | 0.1% |
Required Grade 12 Courses
- ENG4U: English
- MHF4U: Advanced Functions (free unit tests: Polynomial Functions, Polynomial Equations, Rational Functions, Trigonometric Ratios, Trigonometric Functions, Exponential & Logarithmic Functions, Combining Functions)
- MCV4U: Calculus & Vectors (free unit tests: Limits, Derivatives, Curve Sketching, Optimization, Derivatives of Trig, Exp and Log, Geometric Vectors, Cartesian Vectors, Lines and Planes)
- SCH4U: Chemistry
- SPH4U: Physics
Same five for every Waterloo Engineering program. Four of the five are math and science, so those marks are most of your top 6.
MHF4U builds on Grade 11 Functions, so if that's shaky, start with MCR3U.
The three ranges Waterloo posts
Each program page states its own range, and they fall into three groups.
Low to mid-90s: Software Engineering.
High 80s to low 90s: Biomedical, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics and Systems Design.
Mid-to-high 80s: Architectural, Chemical, Civil, Environmental, Geological, Management and Nanotechnology.
Reading the offer odds
The tables above are Waterloo's own numbers for Ontario high school applicants in the 2023 admission cycle: out of everyone in a band, the share who got an offer. The bands are your average before Waterloo's adjustment factors, and before the AIF and interview count.
Two things jump out. Biomedical posts the same "high 80s to low 90s" range as Mechanical, but its offer odds are grouped with Software, where a 95+ got an offer 30% of the time. And in the third group, a 90 to 94 average got an offer 77% of the time, which is better than a 95+ did in the first.
Those are 2023 numbers, the latest year in our dataset. The CUDO table is the class that registered in Fall 2022, every engineering program at once: 94.3% came in at 90 or above.
The AIF and the interview
Waterloo's line is short: "The Admission Information Form and online interview are required for admission to all Engineering programs." Both. Skipping either one isn't a weaker application, it's an incomplete one.
Selection is "individual", which is Waterloo telling you the average isn't the whole decision.
Am I Cooked for Waterloo Engineering?
Drop your top 6 into Am I Cooked, pick Waterloo Engineering, and get a straight verdict against the same published numbers as this page.
Check my averageSee the numbers Am I Cooked uses for Software Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering.
Waterloo Engineering FAQ
What average do you need for Waterloo Engineering?+
Waterloo posts the low to mid-90s for Software Engineering, the high 80s to low 90s for Biomedical, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics and Systems Design, and the mid-to-high 80s for Architectural, Chemical, Civil, Environmental, Geological, Management and Nanotechnology.
What are the odds of getting into Waterloo Software Engineering with a 95?+
In the 2023 cycle, Ontario high school applicants with a 95+ got an offer to Biomedical or Software Engineering 30% of the time, and 7% of the time with a 90 to 94.
What courses do you need for Waterloo Engineering?+
ENG4U, MHF4U, MCV4U, SCH4U and SPH4U, for every engineering program.
Does Waterloo Engineering have an interview?+
Yes. The Admission Information Form and an online interview are both required for every Waterloo Engineering program.
Sources
- University of Waterloo, Faculty of Engineering admission averages (Internet Archive snapshot, 2023-11-22). 2023 admission cycle, Ontario high school domestic applicants. “Probabilities of acceptance are shown for Ontario Secondary School domestic applicants admitted during the 2023 admission cycle.” Checked 2026-09-18.
- University of Waterloo, program page. The range on the program page when the dataset read it. “Admission average: Individual selection from the low to mid-90s” Checked 2026-08-24.
- University of Waterloo, program page. The range on the program page when the dataset read it. “Admission average: Individual selection from the high 80s to low 90s” Checked 2026-08-24.
- University of Waterloo, program page. The range on the program page when the dataset read it. “Admission averages: Individual selection from the mid-to high 80s” Checked 2026-08-24.
- Council of Ontario Universities, Common University Data Ontario (CUDO). Fall 2022 entering class: full-time first-year students who came straight from an Ontario high school. “B. Admission · University of Waterloo · Fall 2022” Checked 2026-09-17.
Requirements change every cycle. Check the official admissions page before you apply.