What is an AIF
An AIF is required for all Waterloo Engineering programs. The Admission Information Form (AIF) is a crucial part of the Waterloo Engineering admission process that factors into admission and scholarship decisions. We review and score all AIFs, combining those evaluations with grade averages to determine an overall admission score for each candidate. It is this score that is used for admission decisions.
Note: not all faculties at Waterloo apply an AIF score in admission decisions.
What we look for
The AIF enables us to form a better picture of your capabilities, asking questions about your interests, goals, hobbies, jobs and other activities you may have been involved in. We’re not looking for specific extracurricular activities, since many are dependent on individual interest and the opportunities available. Instead, we look for examples of initiative, leadership, time management, people skills and a range of interests and involvement.
Alternative program choice
The AIF allows engineering applicants (excluding Architecture) to list one alternate program choice from within Engineering. If we can’t accommodate you in your first-choice engineering program (as indicated on your OUAC application), we may be able to consider you for your alternate choice. Please note that priority for a program may be given to those students who select it as their first choice.
Due to both the Biomedical and Software Engineering programs being highly competitive, these two programs are not available as an alternate program of choice. Students interested in these two programs would need to apply to one of them directly.
How to find it
Once an application is submitted through the OUAC, Waterloo will send an acknowledgement email that will contain information about accessing Quest, and the AIF, which can be found within your Quest account.
Be sure to submit your AIF by the deadline.
For general questions about the AIF, see the central AIF FAQ page.