
Students Transferring From Another University or College
Students Entering From High School With IB/AP/CAPE/A-Level Courses
What courses are eligible?
- You can only accept up to 1.5 units (three courses) of transfer credit. There are no exceptions to this policy.
- For most Higher Level IB courses, we will consider transfer credits when a minimum final grade of 5 is attained.
- For most AP courses, we will consider transfer credits when a minimum final grade of 4 is attained (transfer credit for Calculus BC requires a final grade of 5).
- For most CAPE courses, we will consider transfer credits when a minimum final grade of 2 is attained.
- For most A-Level courses, we will consider transfer credits when a minimum final grade of B is attained (transfer credit for A-Level Mathematics requires a final grade of A).
What type of transfer credits could I receive?
There are two types of transfer credit. For example, you could receive credit for MATH 137 which means that we have accepted this course as being a direct match for that course at Waterloo.
You may receive credit for MATH 1xx which means that the course you took is deemed to be equivalent to a Year 1 mathematics course but does not directly match a course that is taught at Waterloo.
It means that MATH 1xx does not replace MATH 137 in your major. It is deemed to be a math course but not a match for any of your required math courses.
Please note that accepting ENGL 1xx as transfer credit does not meet your communications list requirement as you must complete two communications courses: 1) one from List 1 with a 60%+ final grade and 2) one from List 2.
The Admissions team provides a list of standard transfer credits for students who took A-Levels, AP, Cambridge Pre-U diploma, CAPE or IB.
Why should I accept my transfer credits?
This is a decision that depends on your personal circumstances and we cannot tell what decision you should make. Some reasons for accepting the transfer credit include:
- It will save you money as you don’t have to take as many courses. Most math majors require 20 units/ 40 courses so it means that you only need to do 37 courses.
- Transfer credit is transferred as a credit with no averages
Why should I decline my transfer credits?
This is a decision that depends on your personal circumstances and we cannot tell what decision you should make. Some reasons for declining transfer credit include:
- Ask yourself if you are prepared to take the next university course. If you accept MATH 137, are you prepared for MATH 138 or would it be better to start with MATH 137 at Waterloo? Beginning with Math 137 creates a familiarity with content covered in your first-year university course and will better prepare you for subsequent courses you will study during your Math degree at Waterloo.
- Eliminating the opportunity to take level 100 foundational courses at university which may help increase your averages.
- We encourage you to accept the non-math course transfer credits and decline the math credits.
Can you change your mind?
The final deadline to make a decision on your transfer credit is September 19, 2023.