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.

	Ontario Tech Data Science (Co-op) OUAC DMO Remove	Ottawa Chemical Engineering (4 years) OUAC OEE Remove	Waterloo Life Sciences (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WLS Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	83–87%“Mid-80s”	80%	80–83%“Low 80s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U ICS4U MHF4U	MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	one of MCV4U, SPH4U	one of ENG4U, FRA4U	two of MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, SPH4U
Prerequisitesas published	Six 4U/M credits, including English (ENG4U) Advanced Functions (MHF4U) One of Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U), Physics (SPH4U) or Computer Science (ICS4U). We recommend you take all 3 of these courses. A combined minimum 70% average in prerequisite computer science, math and science courses is required.	ENG4U or FRA4U MHF4U MCV4U SPH4U SCH4U +2 more on the program page	English (ENG4U – min. 70%) Advanced Functions (min. 70%) Calculus and Vectors (min. 70%) Any two of the following: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics of Data Management, or Physics
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	Available
Degree	Bachelor of Science (Co-op), BSc (Co-op), Bachelor of Science and Management (Co-op), BSc&Mgt (Co-op)	Bachelor of Applied Science, BASc, Bachelor of Engineering (Co-op), BEng (Co-op)	—
First-year intakewhere published	140	80	570
What you study	Computer Science	Chemical Engineering Chemistry General or Integrated Engineering	Animal Science Biological Sciences Biology Biotechnology
What it is	You study how to extract useful patterns and insights from large sets of data using computer science, mathematics, and statistics. The Co-op version requires you to complete paid work terms at companies throughout your degree, giving you real-world experience alongside your coursework. The Management option adds business and organizational courses if you want to lead data projects or work in strategy rather than focus purely on technical analysis.	You study how to design and operate chemical processes that transform raw materials into useful products — everything from pharmaceuticals to plastics to fuels. Chemical engineering combines chemistry, physics, and math to solve real industrial problems at scale. The co-op stream lets you alternate between classroom terms and paid work terms at companies, giving you direct experience in the field while you study.	Life Sciences is a broad study of living organisms, their cells, genetics, and chemistry at the molecular level. You'll take core courses in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, then choose a focus like microbiology, biotechnology, or human biology depending on your interests. The co-op option lets you alternate between school and paid work terms in research labs, hospitals, or biotech companies, giving you real experience alongside your degree.
The door tomajors you reach through it	Applied to directly	Applied to directly	biochemistry biology life sciences microbiology neuroscience
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	3 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 85%See them	22 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them
Source	Ontario Tech University on OUInfo	University of Ottawa on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo

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