Transfer credits for CEGEP students

It's possible to receive transfer credits for up to 50% of the courses needed for your Waterloo degree. However, the transfer credits you receive may vary depending on the program(s) to which you have been admitted.

Overview

If you're admitted into an honours or four-year general program, you could receive up to 10 units of transfer credit (the equivalent of two years of study at Waterloo) depending on the program you have applied to.
If you are admitted into a three-year general program, you could receive up to 7.5 units of transfer credit (the equivalent of 1.5 years of study) depending on the program you have applied to.
Some programs may limit the number of transfer credits due to the structure of the program and the number of years you have completed.
CEGEP students are eligible for entrance scholarships.

In most cases, transfer credit assessments are completed once you've been admitted to Waterloo. You can read about Waterloo's transfer credit assessment process.

You're eligible for transfer credit for relevant courses in which you have earned a grade of 70% or better, except if you are admitted to the Faculty of Science which requires a minimum grade of 75%.

Review our admission requirements to see the maximum amount of transfer credits for your program(s) of interest.

Transferred courses will count toward your Waterloo degree; however, grades obtained in these courses will not be included in your Waterloo averages. You must meet all requirements of your Waterloo academic plan in order to graduate, regardless of the number of transfer credits that you receive.

Faculty/program-specific transfer credit policies

Not sure which faculty offers your program of interest? View a list of programs by faculty.

Faculty of Arts

Courses completed within the past 10 years will be considered for transfer credit. Courses completed more than 10 years ago will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will most often receive general elective transfer credit (i.e. PSYCH 1XX).

Applicants who receive 4.0 units (equivalent to eight half-unit courses) or more in transfer credits are not normally eligible for co-op programs. Applicants who are not eligible for co-op will be considered for the regular version of the program, if available.

Faculty of Engineering, including Architecture

Engineering is a professional program, only university-level credits may be used to meet degree requirements. However, one or two transfer credits may be possible if you complete a two-year pre-university diploma. Students applying to transfer from CEGEP are only eligible to start in the first year of Waterloo’s five-year Engineering programs. No transfer credits are awarded in Biomedical Engineering and Systems Design Engineering. Courses completed more than three years ago are not eligible for transfer credit.

School of Architecture

Architecture is a professional program, only university-level credits may be used to fulfill degree requirements. Consequently, no transfer credit will be given for courses taken at a CEGEP.

Faculty of Environment

Courses completed within the past 10 years will be considered for transfer credit. Courses completed more than 10 years ago will be consider on a case-by-case basis and will most often receive general transfer credit (i.e., GEOG 1XX).

Applicants who receive 7.0 units (equivalent to 14 term courses) or more in transfer credits are not normally eligible for co-op programs. Applicants who are not eligible for co-op will be considered for the regular version of the program, if available.

Faculty of Health

Courses completed within the past five years will be considered for transfer credit. Courses completed within the past five to 10 years may receive general elective transfer credit or non-specific miscellaneous credit. Courses completed more than 10 years ago will not receive transfer credit.

Kinesiology, Health Sciences, and Public Health

Applicants who receive 4.0 units (equivalent to eight courses) or more in transfer credits are not normally eligible for co-op programs in Kinesiology, Health Studies, and Public Health. Applicants not eligible for co-op will be considered for the regular version of the program, if available.

Recreation and Leisure Studies

Applicants to Recreation and Leisure Studies who receive transfer credits that exceed 6.5 units (equivalent to 13 courses) are not be eligible for co-op. Students who receive 6.5 units of transfer credit or less will be considered for co-op on an individual basis. Applicants not eligible for co-op will be considered for the regular version of the program, if available.

Faculty of Mathematics

Applicants will receive 1.5 units of transfer credit (equivalent to three term courses) if they have completed one year (two terms) of study at CEGEP or if they receive an offer of admission to the following programs.

Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy
Computing and Financial Management
Business Administration (Laurier) and Computer Science (Waterloo) Double Degree
Business Administration (Laurier) and Mathematics (Waterloo) Double Degree

Applicants will receive a maximum of 6.0 units of transfer credit (equivalent to 12 term courses) if admitted to any other co-op program not mentioned above.

Applicants will receive a maximum of 10.0 units of transfer credit (equivalent to 20 term courses) if admitted to any non-co-op (regular) program.

Courses completed within the past 10 years will be considered for transfer credit. Applicants may decline transfer credits.

Faculty of Science

Courses completed within the past 10 years will be considered for transfer credit.

Applicants who receive 5.0 units (equivalent to 10 term courses) or more in transfer credits are not normally eligible for co-op programs. Applicants who are not eligible for co-op will be considered for the regular version of the program, if available.

Transfer credits for PHYS 111 and 111L cannot be awarded for programs that require PHYS 121 and PHYS 121L.
Transfer credits for PHYS 112 and PHYS 112L cannot be awarded for programs that require PHYS 122 and PHYS 122L.
Transfer Credits for CHEM 120 and CHEM 120L cannot be awarded for programs that require CHEM 121 and CHEM 121L.
Transfer credits for CHEM 123 and CHEM 123L cannot be awarded for programs that require CHEM 125 and CHEM 125L.

Optometry

Optometry is an advanced-entry professional program; therefore, no transfer credit will be granted for courses taken at a CEGEP. However, some CEGEP courses may be used to fulfill specific Optometry admission requirements. Please email the School of Optometry and Vision Science to discuss specific course equivalencies.

Pharmacy

Pharmacy is an advanced-entry professional program; therefore, no transfer credit will be granted for courses taken at a CEGEP. However, some CEGEP courses may be used to fulfill specific Pharmacy admission requirements.

Please email the School of Pharmacy to discuss specific course equivalencies.