Most recent data available: 2023 Cohort Next update: March 2026
Definition
Percentage of full-time, first year students who entered into a first-entry undergraduate program who continued their studies the next fall
The University of Waterloo is compared to the U15 (15 research intensive universities in Canada) average.
Data Sources
U15 Data exchange retention project
Inclusions and Exclusions
- Inclusions:
- Full-time, first year students who entered into a first-entry undergraduate program (Full-time = 4 courses or more in the Fall term without advanced standing)
- New to the institution in the fall term without advanced standing (Note: if a student were to do two completely distinct degrees without credit overlap they would be counted in two cohorts; this rarely happens)
- First year retention means the students was registered in some capacity (full-time or part-time or co-op work term) in the following fall
- Exclusions:
- Second Entry Programs, which are programs that require either several years of an undergraduate degree or complete degree before entry (Optometry, Social Work at Renison, Pharmacy)
- Students registered in Social Work at Renison due to status as a second entry program
Revisions
Fall 2025 - the benchmark was changed from the CSRDE categories to the U15 average. The methodology remained the same.
Data Table
| Institutional Grouping | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 94.7% | 93.2% | 92.5% | 93.6% | 94.1% |
| U15 Average | 92.7% | 91.4% | 90.4% | 91.6% | 92.2% |