Conditions of admission

Two students smil while chatting with a faculty member.

We are excited to have you join our graduate community. You have accepted your offer of admission and now need to satisfy your condition(s) of admission.

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  • Your condition(s) of admission are listed in your offer of admission and in Quest.
  • Due dates are listed with the condition(s) in Quest only. Please be aware of the due dates as most conditions need to be satisfied well before the start of term.
  • Visit Quest Graduate applicants for step-by-step instructions on how to view your conditions.

Arrange for required documents by email or courier

GSPA will accept official secure electronic transcripts provided by the issuing institution and from services such as MyCreds, Digitary, eScript-Safe, CSSD (formerly CHESICC), National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment or TranscriptsNetwork. If your institution issues a secure electronic transcript, please have it sent to gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca.

Note: The University of Waterloo is a registered partner with MyCredsTM. If you're sending transcripts through the MyCredsTM portal, please select "send my documents to a registered organization." Do not select "generate a link to my documents."

Or arrange for official documents to be sent by courier to:

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall 2201
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519-888-4567

Transcripts

Official Documents

  • To clear a transcript condition, you must provide an official set of transcripts for each post-secondary institution attended as outlined in your offer of admission.
  • To be considered official, academic documents must be received from the issuing institution and have a current print date (within the last 12 months).
  • All transcripts will be reviewed and verified for authenticity prior to satisfying or clearing any conditions associated with your offer of admission.

Document Ownership

  • Please note that all transcripts, degree certificates and diplomas submitted to the University of Waterloo become the property of the University and will not be returned.

Canadian Institutions

  • Official transcripts issued in either English or French are accepted.

International Institutions

If the official language of instruction at your institution is not English, please include both the original language document and a certified English translation.

  • Degree certificates (if obtained) must be included with the transcripts.
  • Be sure to include the official grading scale or legend.

Students educated in China

Final documents from institutions in China must meet the following requirements: 

  • Arrange for an official transcript, graduation diploma and degree certificate to be sent directly to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs via the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD) (formerly CHESICC: China Credentials Verification).
  • The official signed and stamped transcript, graduation diploma and degree certificate - showing all courses and marks, and the awarding of your Bachelor's and/or Master's degree - must be in Chinese, with a certified English translation, signed and stamped.
  • You must ensure that you have met the minimum overall academic standing.

Students educated in Bangladesh, India, or Pakistan

Final documents from institutions in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan must meet the following requirements:

  • Arrange for the following items to be sent directly from your institution to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs: official transcript and final or provisional degree certificate attested and verified by the awarding institution (e.g. by the Controller of Examinations or the Registrar).  
  • If the original documents are not in English, certified and attested English translations, signed and stamped, must be provided with your official documents. The official documents must show all courses and marks, and the awarding of your Bachelor's and/or Master's degree.
  • You must ensure that you have met the minimum overall academic standing. Do not provide your original documents.

Students educated in Iran

Final documents from institutions in Iran must meet the following requirements:

  • Arrange for an official copy of your official Bachelor's and/or Master's transcript and degree certificate to be sent directly from your institution, or forwarded by you to the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
  • The official copy of your transcript and degree certificate must be in Farsi with an official English translation provided by a Certified English Translator to the Judiciary of I.R. of Iran.  
  • You must ensure that you have met the minimum overall academic standing. Do not provide your original documents.

Students educated in Saudi Arabia

Final documents from Saudi Arabia must meet the following requirements:

  • Arrange for an official transcript and degree certificate to be sent directly from your institution or directly from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Ottawa, to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
  • The official transcript must show all courses and marks, and the awarding of your Bachelor's degree.

If your university issues only one original copy of transcript/degree certificate

Ask your home university to:

  • Verify that the photocopy of your original academic record is consistent with their records.
  • Attest that the copy is a true photocopy and stamp it with an official university stamp.
  • Put the attested, stamped photocopy in a sealed (closed) envelope signed by the Registrar.
  • Mail the sealed, signed envelope directly to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

If your degree is not yet awarded (Canadian and US credentials only)

If your degree is currently in progress and has not yet been awarded, please ensure that Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Waterloo receives the following:

  1. An official interim transcript from your home institution, showing all courses and marks to date.

AND

  1. A letter on letterhead from a Department Chair, Graduate Officer, Registrar or Academic Advisor stating that you have completed your degree requirements and the date when your degree will be conferred. Please order this letter to be sent to us as soon as it can be confirmed that you HAVE met all the requirements of the degree. Letters can be emailed to gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca.

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs must receive both of these items, which will allow us to set you up for matriculation (MATR) into your program. We will also extend the due date for the official final transcript to a date after your convocation/graduation ceremony.

  1. Once you are awarded your degree/diploma (after convocation/graduation), arrange for your official final transcript to be sent to us in order to complete your condition of admission. The final transcript must include all courses/marks in the program AND show the date of the awarding of your degree.

Current University of Waterloo students

Graduate from your University of Waterloo degree program with the required standing.

  • Apply to graduate, either through the Registrar’s Office or Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) via Quest.
  • Ensure you have satisfied all degree requirements of your previous degree by start of admit term.    
  • Questions about this can be discussed with your department co-ordinator or GSPA admission's staff gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca.
  • Once you are awarded your degree/diploma (after convocation/graduation), the GSPA will clear your condition of admission.
    • You are not required to provide a final copy of your UWaterloo transcripts.

ELP Test - English language proficiency (ELP) certification

Arrange for your official English Language Proficiency Certification (test score) to be sent directly from the approved administering agency to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

  • We will assign this condition if you have uploaded a screen shot of your ELP test score or if the copy provided did not load well.

English for multilingual speakers (EMLS) credit courses for graduate students

English Language Studies at Renison University College offers EMLS credit courses for University of Waterloo graduate students whose dominant language is not English and who want to improve their English language skills.

  1. Program requirement: Complete EMLS 601R Speaking English for Professional Purposes credit course during your academic program. This course is offered every term by Renison University College English Language Studies. There is no extra tuition fee for this course. See Program information below for details.
  2. Program requirement: Complete EMLS 602R Scholarly Writing in English credit course during your academic program. This course is offered every term by Renison University College English Language Studies. There is no extra tuition fee for this course. See Program information below for details.
  • Successfully complete the EMLS course(s) as specified in the department details of your offer of admission letter: EMLS 601R or EMLS 602R
  • Your department may assign additional EMLS courses: EMLS 102R or EMLS 622R
  • For more information on the EMLS courses including how to enrol visit the Culture and Language Studies graduate credit courses website.

Intensive ESL - English for academic success (EFAS)

Successfully complete the EFAS program at Renison University College's English Language Institute.

  • Learn more about the full-term English Language program by visiting the EFAS website.
  • For more information contact eli@uwaterloo.ca.

Sponsorship documentation

Arrange for official documentation from your sponsor to be sent to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. Official electronic documents from the sponsoring agency can be sent to gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca.

  • The sponsorship documentation must detail the financial support amount and the number of years the funding has been granted (two years for a Master’s program and a minimum of four years for a Doctoral (PhD) program.
  • If there is any change in your funding situation, the University of Waterloo may re-evaluate your offer of admission and reserves the right to withdraw your offer of admission or withdraw you from your graduate program.