After you have applied

Once your application documents have been submitted they are considered final and cannot be updated.

If you are applying to a research-based program, this also means we cannot add or remove names of potential supervisors; you are not limited to contacting only those you have listed on your application, nor does their name have to be listed on your application in order for you to communicate with them. If you have updated documents such as transcripts, publications, etc., you are welcome to attach them to your correspondence when contacting potential supervisors.

A few business days after the processing of your application fee, you will be sent an e-mail from gradapp@uwaterloo.ca which will include your 8 digit (numerical only) Waterloo ID number and further instructions on how to proceed with your application. You may wish to monitor your spam/junk folders for this e-mail. 

Official documents are only required if an offer of admission is made.

Referees are contacted via e-mail at the same time that you are sent your Waterloo ID number. Please ask your referee to check their spam/junk folders. They are also sent two reminder e-mails. You should verify in Quest that you have provided the correct e-mail address. All references are due by the application deadline of the program to which you have applied, regardless of the due date on the reference form.

If you need to change a referee, update their e-mail address, or have the reference request e-mail re-sent, please visit the After You Apply section of the References web page for helpful instructions.

You can determine if your application is complete by reviewing your Documents List on Quest. All required application documents must be marked as

  Completed. Review the instructions for uploading your application documents for more information.

The below timelines are estimates only and are subject to change during the review process based the complexity of each application package and fluctuating application numbers.

Please keep in mind that decisions may be available sooner; the end of the months listed below are the latest possible date we estimate decisions will be available for applications to a given term.

• Winter (January) applications: August 
• Spring (May) applications: December 
• Fall (September) applications: April 

The status of your application is always available on Quest. Review the instructions for viewing your application status for more information.

Your application status will always appear as "Application" until either an "Admit" or "Deny" decision is applied. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide updates on the status of individual applications.

You will receive an email notification from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) once the "Admit" or "Deny" decision is available on Quest.