3 programs, side by side

Rows marked with a dot are where these differ. Everything is each university’s own published wording; the “your average” row is yours, calculated the way each program does it.

	Carleton Cognitive Science – Honours (4 years) OUAC CGS Remove	Lakehead Psychology (Thunder Bay and Orillia) OUAC AAM Remove	Laurier (Waterloo) Honours Science (BSc) OUAC UZL Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	75%	70%	73–77%“Mid 70s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U	ENG4U	ENG4U MHF4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	two of ICS4U, MCV4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, SPH4U
Prerequisitesas published	English (ENG4U) 5 best 4U/M courses Alternative Offers Find more information about alternative offers .	Psychology (Arts) (Thunder Bay and Orillia): ENG4U Psychology (Science) (Thunder Bay): ENG4U, MHF4U, 2 of MCV4U, MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SPH4U Alternative Offers If you do not meet the admission requirements for your program of choice but do meet Lakehead University's general admission requirements, you will automatically be considered for an alternate program.	English at 60% Advanced Functions at 60% Two of Biology, Calculus & Vectors, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth & Space Science, or Physics at 60% Prerequisite courses are calculated in the admission average.
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	No	Available
Degree	—	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Bachelor of Science, BSc	—
First-year intakewhere published	—	—	—
What you study	Biological Sciences Computer Science Linguistics Philosophy	Biological Sciences Heritage Studies Philosophy Psychology	Biological Sciences Chemistry Computer Science Others in Physical Sciences
What it is	This program combines psychology, biology, computer science, linguistics, and philosophy to study how the mind works and how we think, learn, and use language. Unlike a straight psychology or computer science degree, cognitive science integrates all these viewpoints to understand cognition from multiple angles. It suits people curious about the science of thinking itself, who want breadth across disciplines rather than depth in just one.	You study how people think, feel, and behave — their minds, emotions, and actions. The BA program focuses on the human and social side of psychology, while the BSc program emphasizes biology and scientific methods, requiring stronger math and science foundations. This suits you if you're curious about why people do what they do and want either a broader social science education or a research-focused scientific approach.	An Honours Science degree lets you study a science subject deeply — biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, or another physical science — and choose your own focus within it. Unlike a general science program, an Honours degree requires a concentrated major and typically includes a research or capstone component. The co-op option means you alternate between school terms and paid work placements in science-related jobs, which suits people who want real workplace experience alongside their degree.
The door tomajors you reach through it	Applied to directly	psychology	life sciences physics
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	11 published, 1 with no applicationfrom 75%See them
Source	Carleton University on OUInfo	Lakehead University on OUInfo	Wilfrid Laurier University — Waterloo on OUInfo

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Ranges are what each university publishes, not guaranteed cutoffs, and limited-enrolment programs often admit above them. Confirm anything you are about to act on with the university; each column links to its source.