Applying to the Social Development Studies 2+2 Program

Qualifications for Application

To apply to the 2 + 2 Collaborative Program at Renison University College, University of Waterloo , applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

  1. Applicants must be currently enrolled in the year 2 or 3 at Shandong Normal University in a related program.
  2. To enter year 3 of study at the University of Waterloo, applicants must make up any required course deficiencies.
  3. Applicants must demonstrate their English language proficiency skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking (applicants will take an English proficiency test in the fall given by the English Language Institute at Renison University College).
  4. Applicants must have an average of 70% or more in major required courses.
  5. Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial support for study at the University of Waterloo. Tuition fees are approximately $17,000 CAD/term and living expenses in Waterloo are $850-1500 CAD/month.

How to apply

Applications for September 2025 (Fall) entry are now open until March 1, 2025.

  1. Carefully complete the online Application for Admission.
  2. Set up an account and then select the appropriate program you are applying for by choosing “University of Waterloo - International Agreements Application.”
  3. Select the Arts 2+2 - Honours (program code: WAE) on the online application and Fall (September 2024) entry term.
  4. Please provide us with a current, valid e-mail address as we will be communicating with you throughout the application process through e-mail. Please do NOT use any qq.com e-mail addresses.
  5. The total application fee is $85.00 in Canadian funds, payable to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre upon completing your online application. Preferred method of payment is Visa, Mastercard, or AMEX. You can also arrange to pay through Convera.

Required documents at the time of application

To complete the application process, required documents for your application must be received by Waterloo no later than March 15, 2025. The following documents are required:

  • Your current official university transcript with a certified English translation mailed directly from your university.
  • If your transcript does NOT indicate your current course enrolment, you will need to include a letter (preferably from your advisor), outlining your current courses. NOTE: Your University must mail these documents directly to Waterloo or provide you with an official stamped copy of your transcript and certified translation which you can mail to us.
  • A certified copy of your official Senior High School Graduation Diploma and official Chinese University Entrance Exam (Gaokao), in signed and sealed envelopes.
  • A copy of your language test results: CET4&6, TOEFL, or IELTS – if available.
  • You can upload unofficial documents directly to us using Quest. (if your 2nd year grades are not available by the deadline, please submit them as soon as possible) uwaterloo.ca/quest/help/students/how-do-i/application-documents
  • A printed copy of your completed application form with your institution’s nomination signature.

We cannot make a decision if we do not have all of your documents. 

IMPORTANT REMINDERYour university must mail to the University of Waterloo or give directly to a Waterloo representative your transcript and certified translation, in a stamped and sealed envelope. The transcripts and documents cannot pass through your hands.

Once you have completed the online application, the required documents must be mailed to:

Undergraduate Admissions Registrar’s Office
University of Waterloo/ China 2+2 joint academic programs
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1

Important information

  • Within 2 weeks of applying, you will receive an acknowledgement email from the University of Waterloo. This email will contain your Waterloo ID number (8 digits). Please include this number on all communication with Waterloo.
  • Admission decisions will be sent to you via email beginning in March to early April.
  • Any questions regarding the SDS program at Waterloo can be forwarded to Grant Leach, Director, Marketing and Recruitment at Renison University College.

For more information on the SDS program, please check out the SDS website.

FALL 2024 VIRTUAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST

This year, Renison University College will be testing students in person. The testing format will be blended: two components (speaking and writing) will be online, and the remaining components will be paper based (grammar, reading, listening).

Students will be able to access the Renison proficiency test through an online platform and be able to work through the two online components in a timed environment.

The entire assessment will take approximately 2.5 hours.

Admission decisions will be based on both your English test score and academic standing.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION (20 minutes)

  • Part I: Listen and select the correct word; listen and complete the sentences
  • Part II: Listen to a short lecture and answer multiple-choice comprehension and vocabulary questions

READING COMPREHENSION (40 minutes)

  • Read one passage and answer multiple-choice comprehension and vocabulary questions

GRAMMAR (10 minutes)

  • Answer 20 multiple-choice questions

WRITING (45 minutes)

  • Write a short essay on one of two given topics (approximately 350 words)

SPEAKING (approximately 5 minutes)

  • Students will be provided with two topics and will speak for 2 minutes on each topic