Admission Information Form (AIF)

Some programs have application requirements in addition to your grades. These supplementary requirements might include the Admission Information Form (AIF), an online interview, and/or a portfolio.

Waterloo's Admission Information Form is an online form with a series of questions that explore your interests, experiences, and abilities. The AIF lets our admission committees learn more about you and is used to consider students for some scholarships.

On this page

Which programs use the AIF?

There are several programs which require the AIF for admission.

  • Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP)
  • Optometry
  • Pharmacy
  • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

The AIF is not used when when reviewing applications for other programs.

Deadlines

Submissions will not be reviewed after the deadline. We recommend you complete the AIF as soon as possible once you've applied.

Program Deadline
Programs other than those listed below February 14, 2025
Engineering programs January 31, 2025
Optometry November 28, 2024
Pharmacy January 22, 2025 by 2 p.m. ET
Bachelor of Social Work January 6, 2025

Be sure to review the details for your program/faculty.

Faculty/program-specific details

Not sure which faculty offers your program(s)? View a list of programs by faculty.

Engineering programs

The AIF is required for admission for all Engineering programs other than Architecture.

The Admission Information Form is required for admission based on the high volume of applications we receive, many of which come from students with similar admission averages. The AIF allows you to showcase your unique experiences and skills and to discuss why you want to be a Waterloo Engineering student.

We have also seen that students who can excel academically while also engaging in activities outside of the classroom are more likely to be successful in a demanding Waterloo Engineering program.
 
In addition to the common AIF questions, Engineering applicants will be asked about the following.

Courses not taken at day school

You will have the opportunity to tell us about any courses you've taken outside of your regular day school and your reason for doing so. This includes online, night, or summer school courses.

Repeated courses

If you've repeated any of the required courses, please list the course, when it was repeated, and the reason for retaking it.
 
Information about how a course taken outside of day school or a repeated course may impact an admission decision can be found on the frequently asked questions page.

Scholarship consideration, programming knowledge

This section allows you to indicate if you wish to be considered for a Faculty of Engineering scholarship. (You’ll also be considered for university-wide scholarships.) If you've applied to Software Engineering, the section also explains the programming experience requirement.

You're required to complete the online video interview if

  • you have applied to Software Engineering or
  • you wish to be considered for a Faculty of Engineering entrance scholarship.

Alternate Engineering program choice

You can select one alternate Engineering program on your AIF. You'll be considered for this alternate program only if we're not able to offer you admission to the program you applied to on your OUAC application.
 
Please note that Software Engineering and Biomedical Engineering cannot be selected as alternate choices on the AIF. If you're interested in these programs, you must apply to them directly on your OUAC application.

Highlights and tips

  • We're not looking for specific extracurricular activities and do not expect you to have engineering-related experience. Instead, we look for examples of strong time management, interpersonal, and leadership skills, along with a variety of interests.
  • Having a part-time or summer job, or a volunteer position that resembles a work environment, can enhance your application. All Waterloo Engineering students participate in co-op, and having work experience to include on your first résumé will make it easier to secure that first co-op job.
  • Be honest and authentic. We want to hear about your passions and your reason for applying to the program. Waterloo Engineering students take program-specific courses from day one, so we want to see that you have a good understanding of the program you have applied to. 

Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science, Computing and Financial Management

The AIF is required for admission.

The Admission Information Form is required for admission because of the high volume of applications that we receive and because we are looking for well-rounded students who have had meaningful experiences outside of the classroom. A student who can do well in school while also engaging in other activities is more likely to be successful at university.

The Faculty of Mathematics looks mainly at three categories of information.

1. Courses

If you repeat a required course or take a course outside of your regular day school, you may jeopardize your chances of being admitted to the Faculty of Mathematics. You should take all your courses in regular day school and do well in your first attempt.

Did you take more than the minimum number of courses required for admission? There's no penalty for only taking the minimum number of courses but the ability to do more may improve your chances of admission.

2. Non-academic activities

We're keen to learn about your activities outside of the classroom, as we place a high value on well-rounded students. What we're looking for is excellence outside of the classroom that complements excellence within.

3. Math contests

Contest participation is not required for admission, but strong performance on math contests can help earn you a place in the Faculty of Mathematics and writing the Euclid Contest and/or the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest is an important factor in awarding most of our Math scholarships.

The Canadian Computing Competition is most relevant for Computer Science applicants, but if you wrote it, don't hesitate to include your score even when applying to other programs.

The process

Scorers who read the AIFs are trained to evaluate submissions. You can never hurt your chances with the AIF.

Highlights and tips

  • Show us how you are involved in activities outside of the classroom and in the world around you.
  • Demonstrate the ability to manage multiple activities and priorities while performing at a high level.
  • Even if you haven't already been writing Waterloo's mathematics contests, strongly consider writing the Euclid Contest and/or the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest.

Faculties of Arts, Environment, Health, and Science

The Admission Information Form is not used and will not be reviewed as part of the application process.

Architecture program

The Admission Information Form is not used and will not be reviewed as part of the application process.

Accounting and Financial Management, Sustainability and Financial Management

Pharmacy – If you've applied to the PharmD program

The AIF is required for admission.

The Admissions Information Form is required for this competitive program with a large number of applicants. The AIF helps you distinguish yourself among many applicants with similar (excellent) grades and enables us to select students who have the necessary skills, attributes, and experience to succeed.

In addition to questions about courses, extracurricular activities, and achievements, we'll ask you to provide a reference and to highlight any pharmacy-related experience you have.

We ask for one reference to help understand who you are and why you might make a good pharmacist. We will contact your referee once you provide their information. For further information and details, visit the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) application process web page.

Pharmacy – If you've applied to Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP)

Optometry

The AIF is required for admission.

The Admission Information Form is required for this competitive program with a large number of applicants. Your responses help distinguish yourself among many applicants with similar (excellent) grades and enables us to select students who have the necessary skills, attributes, and experience to succeed.

In addition to questions about courses, extracurricular activities, and achievements, we'll ask you to provide two references and highlight any optometry-related experience you have.

We ask for two references (confidential assessment forms) to help understand who you are and why you might make a good optometrist. We'll contact your referees once you provide their information. For further information and details, review the Optometry Vision Science non-academic requirements.

How do you submit your AIF?

  1. Create an account in Quest, our online student information system.
  2. Once you have a Quest account, complete your AIF before the documents deadline.
    • We recommend preparing your answers before submitting them so that you can check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
    • The AIF is not accessible on mobile devices.
  3. Before you submit each page of the AIF, please be sure that you're satisfied with your responses. Once you click “Submit” on each page, you will not be able to make any changes or amendments to Part A of the AIF.
  4. Be sure to click <submit> on each page when completing your form in Quest otherwise it will be incomplete.

What are the questions on the AIF?

While there may be program-specific questions on the AIF, there are common questions that will be included.

Question 1: Tell us about a passion or strong interest of yours. How [and when] did you become involved in this interest [and for how long have you been involved]? What have you learned about yourself from this interest? How will you apply this knowledge as a student at the University of Waterloo? (900-character limit)

Question 2: Briefly describe a group, organization, or community that you have been involved in, are a member of, and/or have contributed to. What contributions have you made as a member of this group? Were you able to lead, influence others and/or influence decisions for the good of the group and its goals? How has your involvement helped make this community better? (900-character limit)

Question 3: Describe a situation where you were treated unfairly or witnessed someone else being treated unfairly. What did you do at the time and why? Would you do anything differently if the same situation occurred today? Has this event impacted or changed who you are now and if so, how? (900- character limit)

Question 4: What is your primary goal for attending the University of Waterloo? Have you explored, been exposed to, or have experience in the field you plan to pursue and if so, how? Did you turn to anyone for advice in exploring alternative options or backup plans for your goal and if so, how did this person help you? (900-character limit)

Question 5 - Outside the classroom: Please share what you were involved in outside of your studies – at school, in the community, or at home. 

Question 6 - Special achievements, distinctions, and awards: If you have received any academic or non-academic awards or distinctions, please list them. Please provide the size of competition if you know how many people participated. 

Common questions about the AIF

  • Do I have to submit an AIF?
  • Can someone else write my AIF?
  • Can I use AI to write my answers?
  • I've applied to more than one program at Waterloo. How many AIFs do I complete?

Get answers to these questions and more →

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