Admissions timeline and deadlines

This page contains important dates and deadlines for engineering and architecture applicants, as well as timing for our September 2023 offers of admission.

Offers of admission

Engineering - Ontario secondary school students

Offers of admission for Waterloo Engineering are decided in two rounds. The first round of admissions is posted in late March/early April, and the second in May. The timing of offers is dependent on the number of completed applications received in time for decisions in each round. All final decisions for first-year Engineering will be posted to applicants’ OUAC accounts by late May.

If you’re an Ontario high school student and you confirm an offer from another Ontario university before you receive ours, you still have until June 1, 2023 to amend your decision and accept a later offer, without penalty. No Ontario University can require a financial commitment from you before June 1, 2023 - this is the earliest date Ontario universities may require a response to an offer of admission and a financial commitment of any kind (ie: registration deposit, residence deposit, etc.).

If you receive an offer from a university outside Ontario with an earlier deadline, please inform us by contacting Engineering Admissions.

Engineering – all other applicants

Offers of admission for Waterloo Engineering are decided in two rounds. The first round of admissions is posted in late March/early April, and the second in May. The timing of offers is dependent on the number of completed applications received in time for decisions in each round. All final decisions for first-year Engineering will be posted to applicants’ OUAC accounts by late May.

Applicants not currently attending an Ontario high school have until June 1, 2023 to respond to an offer from Waterloo. Other universities may require you to make a financial commitment to them prior to this date, so read your offers of admission carefully before accepting.

Architecture

Following an initial screening of applicants, the School of Architecture will schedule interviews with short-listed candidates, including portfolio reviews and a précis test. For more information, please see Architecture's Undergraduate Admissions page.

Following the interview process, offers of admission will be sent out in early May.

Important deadlines


Admissions frequently asked questions (FAQ) 

Check out our frequently asked questions for information regarding English language requirements, private/summer/night school courses, programming experiences, repeated courses and more.