Admission Information Form (AIF) and other supplementary forms

There are several forms (and a video interview) used in the application process for Engineering programs.

1. Admission Information Form (required for admission)
2. Supplementary Information Form (required for admission)
3. Engineering Program Alternate Choice (optional)
4. Online interview (required for Engineering scholarship consideration and for admission to Software Engineering)

Due to the high volume of applications we receive and because many students will have similar averages, the first two forms allow you to showcase your unique experiences and skills and discuss why you want to be a Waterloo Engineering student.

We have seen that students who can excel academically while also engaging in activities outside the classroom are more likely to be successful in a demanding Waterloo Engineering program.

Admission Information Form (AIF)

The questions for the AIF are listed below.

Supplementary Information Form

On this form, you'll be asked about the following.

• Courses not taken at day school – If you've taken any courses outside of your regular day school, you tell us 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 repeated courses or courses taken outside of day school may impact an admission decision can be found in our frequently asked questions.

Engineering Program Alternate Choice (optional)

You can use this form to request automatic consideration for an alternate Engineering program if you're not admitted to your first-choice program. Biomedical Engineering and Software Engineering are not available as alternates.

Online interview

Depending on the Engineering program you applied to, you’ll see one or two online interview links in your applicant portal.

• All Engineering applicants will see theonline Engineering interview.
  • Optional for admission, required for Faculty of Engineering entrance scholarships.
• Software Engineering applicants will also see the online Software Engineering interview.
  • Required for admission to Software Engineering.
• Systems Design Engineering applicants will also see the online Systems Design Engineering interview.
  • Required for consideration for the Kish Hahn Memorial Award.

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 can make it easier to secure your 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.

There are two forms which are required for admission to Faculty of Mathematics programs.

1. Admission Information Form
2. Supplementary Information Form

These forms are 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.

Admission Information Form (AIF)

The questions for the AIF are listed below.

Supplementary Information Form

Courses

If you repeat a required course or take a required 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 required courses in regular day school and do well in your first attempt.

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.

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. These can strengthen your application (regardless of your score) and make you eligible for additional scholarships within the Faculty of Mathematics. 

The Admission Information Form is not used in the application process for programs in these faculties other than Geography and Aviation and Science and Aviation. 

The AIF is required for the two aviation programs.

The AIF is not used in the application process for these programs.

The Admission Information Form is not used in the application process.

There is supplementary documentation required because of the large number of applications we receive. The information you provide 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.

As part of the application process, we also ask for two references (who will complete a confidential assessment form) to help us 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.

All the requirements will be listed in your easy-to-follow checklist in the Waterloo applicant portal. We'll send you login information once we receive your application. 

There is supplementary documentation required because of the large number of applications we receive. The information you provide 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.

All the requirements will be listed in an easy-to-follow checklist in the Waterloo applicant portal. We'll send you login information once we receive your application. 

For the programs which require the AIF, yes. If you do not submit your Admission Information Form and any other required supplementary forms, your application will not be reviewed.

Many of our programs receive more applications than we can accommodate. These forms, which allow you to share your interests, experiences, and abilities, allow us to learn about applicants who may have very similar grades. The information is also used to award scholarships in some programs.

The Admission Information Form (AIF) is reviewed both by people who have been trained on reviewing supplementary information forms and by artificial intelligence (AI). An AI system is used alongside human scorers and if the AIF scores differ significantly, a second human scorer reviews the submission.

To ensure fairness and to reduce potential bias, identifying information (e.g., your name, applicant number) is removed before submissions are reviewed. The AI system and its data are securely managed by the University of Waterloo and data is not sent to any third-party AI services.

This process helps manage high volumes of applications in a timely manner while maintaining consistent, holistic evaluations in Waterloo's application process. 

In highly competitive programs, such as Waterloo’s Engineering and Mathematics programs, supplementary application requirements allow us to be more selective beyond just grades. The AIF leverages admissions research and includes measures to help mitigate against bias and to support inclusion.

You are only able to submit the AIF once because the questions are the same for all programs which use the AIF. 

For Engineering and Math programs, there are additional forms you may need to complete. Refer to details for your program or faculty or your application checklist in the applicant portal once you've applied. 

For most programs in these faculties, the AIF and other supplementary forms are not part of the application process. The only exceptions are 

• Geography and Aviation and
• Science and Aviation.

Not sure which programs are in these faculties?

View programs listed by faculty.

The majority of entrance scholarships in these four faculties are based on grades and are awarded in mid-May. An application is not required.

Some scholarships require an application and students from all programs are encouraged to explore those. The Waterloo Entrance Bursary is open to Ontario residents with financial need and an application is also required.

Not sure which programs are in the faculties of Arts, Environment, Health, and Science?

View programs listed by faculty.

The Admission Information Form and other supplemental forms are available through the Waterloo applicant portal. You'll receive instructions once we receive your application.

Deadline dates vary by program.

Once you submit a form, you will not be able to make any changes. However, you can save the Admission Information Form and return to it before submitting it. (The AIF is the only form you can save and return to later). 

You can click on any form in your application checklist to preview the form without submitting it. 

We encourage you to take a bit of extra time to ensure your responses are accurate and error-free before submitting. 

The supplemental forms, including the AIF, ask you questions that explore your personal interests, experiences, and abilities. These are questions about you and no one (including ChatGPT!) knows you better than you do.

You're responsible for the answers you provide. If you use AI to create answers that are untrue, incorrect, or plagiarized, we reserve the right to deny admission or withdraw your Offer of Admission.

List any activities or areas of significant interest and a time estimate spent on the activity. These activities could be at school, in the community, or at home. 

• Include the number of hours you were involved in the activity over the past 12 months. For most students, this equates to the second semester of Grade 11 (or equivalent), your summer break, and the first semester of Grade 12 (or equivalent). 
• If you've been a part of an activity for more than 12 months, include details only from the last 12 months. 
• If the activity is on-going, you can keep the end date blank.

Some questions have a character limit. It's important for the reviewers that you provide clear and concise responses, so you must provide your responses in the space allowed. The character limit includes spaces, punctuation, and special characters. You can view the word counts for each question in advance or once you log in to the applicant portal. You can preview forms without submitting them. 

We recommend that you type your response to questions in Microsoft Word, etc. so that you can use spell check and count the number of characters you have used.

Need to change a referee or update their email address? 

Just send us their new contact information and we'd be happy to help. 

• Bachelor of Social Work applicants: arts.admission@uwaterloo.ca
• Optometry applicants: optometry.application@uwaterloo.ca
• Pharmacy and Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP) applicants: pharmacy.application@uwaterloo.ca 

When will my referee(s) receive their notification email?

Your referee(s) will receive your request for a reference within 5 to 10 minutes of you submitting the request form in the applicant portal. 

A referee hasn't received the email about completing my reference form.

Have your referee check their spam or junk mail folder to see if the reference form email is there. Please double check in the applicant portal that the email address for your referee(s) is correct. If they still have not received an email, you can resend them the request email from the portal. 

My referee accidentally deleted the reference request email. 

You can resend the request email to your referee from the portal.