Applicants who have previously attended college or university are not considered as Mature Students for admission purposes. They should follow the admission requirements found in the “Applicants from College or University” section of this chapter.
For admission purposes, the University of Waterloo’s definition of a Mature Student varies by faculty. In all cases, it is not defined by age but by level of academic background and number of years since the applicant last attended formal high school. All faculties require a minimum number of specific Ontario Grade 12 U and/or M courses (or equivalents) in addition to meeting their definition of a Mature Student. For more information on Mature Student admission requirements by faculty, refer to the information below.
Program specific information can be found at www.findoutmore.uwaterloo.ca/admissions/programs.php.
For programs that require mathematics courses, details for both the old and new Ontario Grade 12 U curriculum can be found at www.findoutmore.uwaterloo.ca/docs/math_mixed_requirements.pdf.
Applied Health Sciences
Applicants may be considered as Mature Students if they have been away from high school for some time, normally four years. Mature applicants are required to have at a minimum the required Ontario Grade 12 U and/or M courses (or equivalents) listed for the program.
Arts
Applicants may be considered as Mature Students if they have been away from high school for some time, normally four years. The Faculty of Arts does not offer admission to mature students automatically. Instead, the Admissions Committee carefully considers previous academic records, résumés, and other biographical material, such as personal and professional development, formal training, work experience, and community service. For the Independent Studies program, emphasis is placed on the strength of a student's letters of reference, autobiographical letter, and interview. The Committee looks closely at the applicant's record in courses requiring considerable writing and looks for background equivalent to that provided by Grade 12 U English. In some cases, the Committee will require upgrading in English before further applications are considered. A Mature applicant who is not admissible to a degree program (full or part-time) will be considered for, but not necessarily admitted to, non-degree studies. Only in exceptional circumstances will mature applicants be admitted, initially, on a full-time basis.
Engineering
All admissions to Engineering are based on the required Ontario Grade 12 U (or equivalent) courses, plus one other Grade 12 U or M course. These courses must have been completed within two to three years of applying to Engineering. Otherwise, applicants may be asked to repeat some or all of the required courses before being considered for admission.
Architecture
All admissions to Architecture are based on the required Ontario Grade 12 U (or equivalent) courses, plus two other U or M courses. Grade 11 or 12 Art and History are strongly recommended.
Software Engineering
All admissions to Software Engineering are based on the required Ontario Grade 12 U (or equivalent) courses, plus one other Grade 12 U or M course. These courses must have been completed within two to three years of applying to Engineering. Otherwise, applicants may be asked to repeat some or all of the required courses before being considered for admission.
Environment
Applicants may be considered as Mature Students if they have been away from high school for some time, normally four years. The Faculty of Environment does not offer admission to mature students automatically. Instead, the Admissions Committee carefully considers previous academic records, résumés, and other biographical material, such as personal and professional development, formal training, work experience, and community service. The Committee looks closely at the applicant's record in courses requiring considerable writing and looks for background equivalent to that provided by Grade 12 U English. In some cases, the Committee will require upgrading in English at the secondary or equivalent level before further applications are considered. For consideration to Geomatics, Geography and Aviation, International Development, or Knowledge Integration, applicants must present the required Ontario Grade 12 U (or equivalent) courses.
Mathematics
Applicants who have been away from high school for more than two years and who do not satisfy minimum admission requirements may apply as Mature Students. However, at a minimum, such applicants should have covered all the material in Ontario high school Mathematics courses required for admission: Grade 12 U (or equivalent) courses in Advanced Functions and Calculus and Vectors. If it has been more than three years since the Ontario high school mathematics courses were completed, applicants may be asked to repeat some or all of the required courses before being considered for admission.
If these courses were not completed at the Ontario high school U-level, UW’s pre-university Calculus (MATH 052) and Algebra and Geometry (MATH 051) are acceptable alternatives if completed with competitive results.
Science
Applicants may be considered as Mature Students if they have been away from high school for at least four years. Mature applicants are required to have Grade 12 U Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, and Chemistry or Physics (or equivalent) courses. If you do not have these courses at the Ontario high school U-level, UW’s pre-university Calculus (MATH 052) and Chemistry (CHEM 001) or Physics (PHYS 001) are acceptable alternatives if completed with competitive results.