Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
The University of Waterloo gathers and maintains information used for the purposes of admission, registration and other fundamental activities related to being a member of the University community and to attending a public post-secondary institution in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
Information submitted by applicants during the application process as well as any other information placed in their student record will be protected, used and released in compliance with Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31) and the University of Waterloo’s policies.
Information applicants provide during the admissions process is collected under the authority of the University of Waterloo Act, 1972, and is needed to verify qualifications and determine eligibility for admission.
Application and admission information will form part of the student record and will be used to admit, register and graduate students, record academic standing, administer awards and financial aid, authorize library access, and administer and operate academic, athletic, recreational, residences, alumni and other University programs. As an authorized Designated Learning Institution (DLI), and in accordance with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) compliance reporting requirements, the student's Unique Client Identifier (UCI) number will be recorded to the student record.
Information will be shared with other universities for those students who are cross-registered or who are enrolled in joint degree, cotutelle or other similar programs offered jointly by the University of Waterloo and another university or universities.
The University also collects specific and limited personal information on behalf of the Federation of Students and the Graduate Student Association. This information is used for membership administration, elections, annual general meetings and the administration of student benefit plans and is disclosed to the two organizations solely for those purposes. Students should contact the office of either group if they have any questions about this matter.
Faculty or College of enrolment, programs of study, sessions registered, awards based on academic merit, degrees received and dates of convocation are released upon request to authenticate students’ current or past status at the University of Waterloo. Students who prefer that such information not be released are to advise the Registrar’s Office or Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) in writing, as appropriate.
Co-op students’ grades, résumés, co-op work histories and citizenship status (as required by federal employers) will routinely be provided to prospective co-op employers as part of the interview process to facilitate co-op work term employment.
Information on admission, registration, academic standing and graduation may also be disclosed and used for statistical and research purposes by the University, other post-secondary educational institutions and the provincial and federal governments.
The University of Waterloo is required to disclose personal information such as Ontario Education Numbers, student characteristics and educational outcomes to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities under s. 15 of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter M.19, as amended. The ministry collects this data for purposes such as planning, allocating and administering public funding to colleges, universities and other post-secondary educational and training institutions and to conduct research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities conducted by or on behalf of the ministry for purposes that relate to post-secondary education and training. Further information on how the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities uses this personal information is available on the ministry’s website. Further information on the collection and use of student-level enrolment-related data can be obtained from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development website: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-advanced-education-and-skills-development (English) or https://www.ontario.ca/fr/page/ministere-de-lenseignement-superieur-et-de-la-formation-professionnelle (French) or by writing to the Director, Postsecondary Finance and Information Management Branch, Postsecondary Education Division, 7th Floor, Mowat Block, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M7A 1L2.
Questions about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by the University, should be directed to the Privacy Officer, Secretariat and Office of General Counsel, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario. The email address of the Privacy Officer is fippa@uwaterloo.ca. See also University of Waterloo Policy 46 (Appendix A): Information Management.
Disposal of records
All documents submitted to support admission become the property of the University and will not be returned. Supporting documents submitted by graduate applicants who do not eventually register are destroyed one year after the first day of the term of application. Supporting documents submitted by graduate applicants who do register are retained for the duration of their studies and destroyed two years after their final term of registration.