Instructions for transfer students

Assessment of transfer credits

If you've completed any university- or college-level courses (or anticipate completing any before starting at UWaterloo) it’s possible you may receive transfer credits. If you were expecting transfer credits and did not receive a Transfer Credit Letter officially granting them, then assessment of your transfer credits may have been delayed. This is often because we require further information (e.g., a complete course outline or a final official transcript) before making a final assessment.

For information about the status of your transfer credits, please contact your academic advisor.

Course selection

FALL TERM: SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER

Once you have submitted all required documents for the transfer credit assessment, your academic advisor will automatically enrol you in your required fall term courses. When you consult with your academic advisor, they will let you know if you need to choose any elective courses.

You can view your class schedule in Quest starting July 23, 2025.

WINTER TERM: JANUARY TO APRIL

Your academic advisor will provide you with a list of courses to request for the winter term. You must enroll yourself into all your winter courses through Quest in September, during the Course Selection Period.

Tips to prepare for requesting winter term courses:

Note for students with advanced standing

Students with advanced standing often take courses from mixed years to fulfill degree requirements. Course conflicts may make course selection for a given specialization (e.g., an option or minor) difficult. If you're interested in pursuing a particular area or areas of specialization, you're encouraged to contact your academic advisor to learn how to select the necessary requirements for that major, option, and/or minor.

Co-op information for transfer students

If you’ve been admitted to the Co-op program and have been granted transfer credits, we will send your academic and work-term sequencing to your @uwaterloo email account. If you have any questions, please contact your academic advisor. 

NOTE: You may begin the co-op process during your winter term at UWaterloo. Our Professional Development Program is designed to prepare students for co-op. If your first co-op work term is scheduled to begin in May 2026, you'll take PD1: Career Fundamentals during the winter 2026 academic term while participating in the co-op interview process.