The Ontario University State of the Union

Ah, university admissions! A place for higher learning, critical thinking, and intellectual growth. A time for an underdeveloped 17 year old to make one of the biggest decisions of their life, and a crucible for nurturing these children into slightly more bearable ones. But with so many choices, where do you even start? This article aims to be your guide.

Disclaimer

The opinions and claims in this post come from a student who has recently undergone the university admissions process in Ontario, and that's what they shall remain. I would not recommend choosing a university based solely on this post alone. This article focuses on Ontario universities (as the title implies), with heavier coverage of Eng/CS/Math and related fields, since that's where my own research was concentrated - though I've included information on other programs where I can.

Take everything with a generous serving of salt, information is subject to change as per universities, and make smart choices!

UofT (St. George Campus)

The man, the myth, the legend! The university which perks the ears of everyone within a 5 meter radius. Glaze being said, while UofT has one of the strongest research environments in Canada, if not the world, its undergrad situation has… mixed opinions. Beautiful campus though.

Engineering

As a Waterloo student, I'm going to have some amount of bias here, but there's a reason the nickname UofTears exists. The coursework, especially for engineering, is incredibly strenuous, and UofT doesn't have much in terms of student support.

While UofT's co-op system (Professional Experience Year, AKA PEY) is quite strong within the GTA area (think AMD, IBM), it does have drawbacks, namely the length and its soft-lock to the GTA. This post goes deeper into the pros and cons of PEY. For the average student, don't expect to be in Cali for your PEY.

Life Sciences

Incredibly strenuous. Famous for weeding out kids in first year. UofT still doesn't have much student support. Not for the faint of heart.

Rotman Commerce

The UofT brand name is especially powerful overseas in Asia; It's the reason why Rotman Commerce is one of, if not the best business program in Canada if you plan to go to Hong Kong/surrounding area. In that environment, the only thing they really care about is your school name.

UofT (Mississauga Campus)

Much of the same opinions about St. George for co-op (since they've recently joined into 1 unified job board for PEY), though the school does have the standard sting of being a satellite school.

It has the smallest effective campus of the 3 UofT schools, and the constant mentions of "seeing deer" sometimes in the campus does not make up for it. Higher immigrant population than St. George. That said, employers generally don't care about the difference between UofT schools, and you'll be able to take a sizable chunk of your courses at St. George in upper years if you really want to. Just be wary of transit; Mississauga transit isn't the best, especially to downtown…

CS/Math/Stats

UTM CS is different this year. The program has been split into CS and MCS (Mathematical and Computational Sciences), which allows you to enter the CS faculty, but you're unable to major in CS without a transfer. If you didn't understand anything I just said, the only thing you need to know is to ignore any post about UTM CS before the 2025-6 school year.

UofT (Scarborough Campus)

The definition of a commuter school. Sad campus (look for a tour on YouTube). The students there are so miserable… Pretty much the same opinions as UTM.

One caveat; their co-op program operates more like Waterloo's than St. George's allowing more flexibility; some students end up picking SC over SG because of this reason.

University of Waterloo

The name that makes your parents salivate and your hair instantly fall out. The prestige of Waterloo is insane, especially in the US. The alumni network in San fran and Seattle is crazy.

However, a misconception about Waterloo's co-op program (WaterlooWorks, WW) needs to be cleared up. WW is no longer your golden ticket to a 6 figure FAANG job anymore. This post goes into incredible detail about it, but generally speaking, WW is not what it used to be. More and more cracked students are finding co-op opportunities externally through connections/nepotism, and employers are more reluctant to hire through WW nowadays. The days of the Waterloo pipeline to Facebook are over. This isn't to just dog on WW though; every school is suffering from the same problems, and the co-op program at Waterloo still flies past every other Canadian uni with ease.

Besides co-op, Waterloo is still an incredible school for the highly motivated. The student body is super cracked, and being next to cracked people will push you towards being cracked yourself. Less of a first-year filter school than UofT, though first year is still quite difficult.

Engineering

You probably already have an opinion on engineering, and it's still correct. Incredibly hard, hair losing program, insane aura. Super tight knit community thanks to cohorts (you're with the same group of students for every class).

However, the prestige of Waterloo eng and its co-op/employability only applies to the techy and difficult stuff (Comp, Elec, Tron, Mech, Bio, etc). I would not pick nanotech at Waterloo over Mech Eng at UofT unless you're super into nano, barring any other decision factors.

If you've committed to eng, I hope you stay sane.

CS

One of the only CS programs in Canada still worth going to. Slightly easier (not easy don't get excited) to get into now given the exodus from CS into engineering because of AI. Great program, what can I say?

Math/FARM/CFM/AFM/etc.

These programs fall under Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics. They include programs like:

• FARM (Financial Analysis and Risk Management)

• CFM (Computing and Financial Management)

• AFM (Accounting and Financial Management)

• A lot more; see the full list here

If you're a CS reject attending one of these programs, please do not go to Waterloo with the intention to transfer into CS! Unless you have extenuating circumstances or you become a polyglot overnight, you most likely will not make it into CS. Same with data science (again, most likely! You still have a chance.)

With that out of the way, these are some great programs! A quite difficult first year (especially for Math and CFM), but gets easier (not easy) in later years. For the math major specifically, Waterloo gives all Math and CS majors the same core first year courses, then allows math students to specialize (ie. Actuarial Science, Computational Mathematics, Statistics, etc. See the full list here.

AFM is one of the best accounting programs in Canada dedicated to churning out accountants; accelerated pathway to a CPA thanks to the Waterloo masters program.

Carleton

A sleeper pick for CS and Eng. Carleton is situated in Ottawa, so it enjoys the benefits of the Kanata tech park (think Nokia, Dept. of defence). The student body is quite mellowed out and chill. Ottawa's transit service OC Transpo is quite bad.

CS (with Shopify Dev Degree)

Carleton CS paired with the Shopify dev degree is an insane combo (though you should be aware of the risk of Shopify ecosystem trap).

Aerospace Engineering

They have Canada's oldest and largest aerospace engineering program, so you'd bet it's pretty good.

UOttawa

Much of the same as Carleton due to their proximity, though higher name prestige and more connections to government jobs. No Shopify dev degree here.

Queen's

Gorgeous campus. Check it out on Google Maps or take a tour; heavy small european town vibes (makes sense considering its history). Yes, it does have an above average number of caucasian students, especially if you're coming from somewhere more diverse like the GTA.

Party School. Party School. Party School. Do keep in mind that university is what you make of it; you can still have a good time at Queen's even without partying.

Engineering

Its engineering department is super tight knit, and more multicultural than the rest of campus. A very "work hard, play hard" atmosphere. A note for future applicants; if you have a specialization firmly in mind, avoid applying to Common First Year; interest in that program has risen recently, making admissions much harder. Low-mid 90s are regularly being waitlisted.

Queen's co-op program (QUIP) is alright. They have a similar single 1-year internship style to UofT, and while you probably won't be working at OpenAI, it's quite common to see students at Erickson and IBM.

Computing

Computing is… well, Queens spends more money on Eng's frosh (freshmen orientation) week than computing's entire budget. Mid-tier Canadian CS program.

Commerce

Commerce is still right up there with Western Ivey in terms of prestige. Great program.

Health Sciences

More competitive this year.

McMaster

Nice campus. Meh city. Hamilton, what can I say?

Engineering

For some reason, McMaster engineering is assumed to be a relatively easy program to get into by high school kids; it's not. I've seen people be accepted into Waterloo Eng but not McMaster.

Mac also won't let you have free choice to specialize (since there's only 1 "engineering" program to apply to) unless you meet the free choice cutoff; typically around a 97-ish average. Do not be fooled by the 87 minimum average to apply.

CS

Comfortable 3rd place CS school in Ontario, beaten by UofT and Waterloo. Trades blows with UTM specifically.

Health Sci

It is literally a lottery, I'm not even joking. They don't really care about your grades past a 90, the emphasis is entirely on your sub app. The hardest program to get into in Canada, full stop. The reason? They have a fucking hospital on campus. Plus, their grading is similar to the Ivy league in the US; super hard to get into, easy grades once you're in.

Life Sci

This got much more competitive this year; not health sci competitive, but you can kiss this goodbye if your average isn't low to mid 90s at least. This is not health sci, you don't get many of the benefits they have.

Laurier

BBA

BBA in particular is quite a good (and underrated) program, trading blows with Schulich and Rotman (domestically), landing comfortably in a tier 2 business program. Alumni population is growing. CS is meh*.

I would not consider their Milton campus, barring financial concerns.

York

For the hate it gets, not a bad school. York nursing in particular is pretty competitive; a 88ish+ average is needed to be competitive. CS and Eng are meh*. Commuter school.

TMU

Their engineering program (in particular Mechanical, Mechatronics, and Undeclared) got much more competitive this year; low 90s kids were getting waitlisted. Keep in mind there's no sub app. Commuter school. Being in Toronto helps, but the reputation of being UofT's little brother is there for a reason. Their planning and architecture programs are quite good though. CS is meh*.

Guelph

The food's great! Apart from that, meh. Unless you're going into the biology/agriculture sphere, then it's an awesome school.

Western

"You lose your girl at Western"

"ASU of the north"

Kinda but not really. If you want to party, you'll find a way at every school, and vice versa. That said, its reputation as one of Canada's greatest party schools is not undeserved.

Ivey AEO

BS aside, Western Ivey AEO is beautiful. Ivey can make any program worth going to. Note though; just because you get into Ivey doesn't mean you'll get to coast. The reason Ivey is good isn't because it teaches well, but because of the connections you make there. A hardworking kid at Laurier can surpass a lazy one at Western.

Engineering

Western engineering is famously neck and neck with Queen's. Same level of prestige and outcomes, just which school you like more. Western's campus is quite pretty too; like a college town.

Ontario Tech

New school. Nuclear engineering in particular is pretty nice if you're into that niche, though power plant hiring is incredibly nepotism-powered. Other than that, meh*.

Questions, answered

Do Grade 9/10 courses matter?

For Canada, no. Just have fun and make friends :)

Do Grade 11 courses matter?

They can. Yes, it's true a university can't outright reject you based on grade 11 marks (assuming everything else is in order), your admission chances can certainly be decreased if your grade 11 marks aren't up to snuff.

Take, for example, Queen's University. They send out 90% of all offers before April 15… before second semester Grade 12 grades are sent to universities. That means when Queen's is looking at your application, there's a good chance Grade 11 marks will be there - unfortunate if you tanked Grade 11.

There are some programs that don't look at Grade 11 marks. McMaster Health Sci famously sends out all their acceptances and rejections on one day in mid-May.

Moral of the story? Lock in bro

Do Grade 12 courses matter?

What do you think?

What's the application process like?

For most Ontario (and Canadian) universities, nothing else is needed other than your grades, which will be automatically reported by your school (for group A). For some programs, a supplementary application will be required. This may be one or more of the following:

Interview

Usually through Kira Talent, you answer a series of questions on your computer. Some questions are answered via video recording, while others are text-based — the format is determined by the question itself, not your preference. You are not talking to a real person.

Admission Information Form (AIF)

A written questionnaire specific to Waterloo where you talk about your extracurriculars, experiences, and interests. You are limited to 300 words per answer, and your answers to the AIF are shared to every Waterloo program you applied to that accepts it. There's also a spot for you to write your ECs and how many hours a year you spent on them; no place to put a contact though…

Some advice: don't make every response 300 words. Concise is key. Don't ChatGPT everything, the admissions officer has seen enough em dashes for a lifetime. The importance of the AIF has only grown over the years; it can give a giant boost if your grades aren't super good. Likewise, a trash AIF can screw your application, even if your grades are good.

Audition

Needed for some arts programs like Theater and Music. They vary from school to school (may be in-person, online, or through a recording). Check with your university!

Portfolio

Common in visual arts, architecture, and design. You submit a collection of your work to demonstrate your artistic abilities.

Student Profile (UofT Engineering)

A place for you to write down your extracurriculars, what you did in them, hours spent, and a contact. Some short answer stuff and a Kira interview too.

Tip: Be considerate about your hours. There's no way you spend 75 hours a week coding. Apart from that though, the admissions officers at UofT don't really call/email to verify your ECs…!

General Subapp

A catchall term for everything else. They vary from school to school, but are generally essay/short answer questions somewhere along the lines of "Why this school, and why this program?"

No, you don't need reference letters, or recommendation letters, or whatever bullshit you're seeing on social media! There's not even a space to put a letter on your subapp for any university.

What's Group A and Group B?

Group A - Current, full-time student at an Ontario secondary school. Group B - Everyone else.

You may see group A and B referred to as 101 and 105, respectively. These are legacy terms and mean the same thing.

Is Group A better than B? Is Group B better than A?

Every student is different. While there's no overall benefit to being in one group or the other, some categories of students will sometimes have a leg up in the admissions process; for example, Alberta students and CEGEP students.

What's top6?

Your top6 is the six highest-scoring Grade 12 U (University) or M (University/College) courses.

Do marks outside of top6 count?

If you're on track to graduate, universities do not care.

Why are the acceptance rates for Canadian Universities so high compared to the US?

Because we're different from the US.

In the US, everyone and their dog applies to Ivy league schools because they think they have a sliver of a chance at getting in; this is different from Canadian schools. Apart from enforcing minimum averages to be considered for some programs, students are usually much more selective about the schools they apply to (thanks to the $50 per program fee). A 60s average student usually isn't going to be applying to UofT Engineering. This inflates US admission averages and deflates Canadian ones.

On top of that, the admissions process itself works differently. In the US, you generally get accepted to the school, not the program. This means there isn't an enormous difference between applying to Harvard for Law compared to Gender Studies.

This is in contrast to Canada, where programs are more important. An 85 average student can sleepwalk into UofT Humanities, but have trouble being accepted into TMU Engineering, despite being a 'lower-tier' university.

What is 'the spreadsheet'?

Thanks to the lack of transparency from universities and the government, there have been a litany of projects designed to allow students to get a better look at what grades are needed for each program. The idea is simple: past applicants self-report their grades, acceptances, and rejections, building up a database that future students can reference when gauging their own chances. It's far from a perfect science — data is self-reported, sample sizes vary, and results shift year to year — but it's generally the best tool available. Some examples:

Should I hire a consultant to help me apply?

Please please please don't.

In my honest opinion, every single one of them is a scam designed to trick worried parents into spending thousands of dollars on something you don't need. Even for the most competitive programs in Canada, you don't need an education consultant. Canadian admissions IS NOT like the US!!

However, there is one exception to this rule; English teachers. If you really need an expert set of eyes on your application, hire an English teacher (or anyone else in the field) to give you some advice. Remember, it's not what you've accomplished, but how you sell your accomplishments. Basically, you have to glaze yourself - and an English teacher can help you do that.

*A university having a 'meh' program doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad program to attend. Many people who attend these programs will comfortably be able to get nice jobs and support themselves, and financial and familial incentives can flip this list on its head. However, if you're reading a blog post about university admissions, you're probably a nerd, and you'll generally find much better opportunities at other universities.