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.

	Guelph Software Engineering (BComp) Honours (co-op option) OUAC GBS Remove	Carleton Cognitive Science – Non-Honours (3 years) OUAC CGG Remove	Western Science OUAC ES Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	85–90%“85 to 90%”	75%	80–87%“Low to mid 80s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U MCV4U	ENG4U	ENG4U MCV4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	two of ICS4U, MDM4U, MHF4U, SBI4U, SES4U, SPH4U
Prerequisitesas published	ENG4U MCV4U 4 additional 4U/M courses Computing courses are recommended, as are any other courses necessary to prepare for study in an "Area of Application".	English (ENG4U) 5 best 4U/M courses Alternative Offers Find more information about alternative offers .	English, ENG4U Calculus and Vectors MCV4U Two of: Advanced Functions, MHF4U Biology, SBI4U +7 more on the program page
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Yes Unless otherwise noted, required courses must be completed with a minimum average of 70%. Western Integrated Science applicants must submit a supplementary application. More information Usually closes before January 15
Co-op	Available	No	Available
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	—	—	550
What you study	Computer Science	Biological Sciences Computer Science Linguistics Philosophy	Animal Science Astronomy Biological Sciences Chemistry
What it is	You study how to design, build, and test software systems — the programs and applications that run on computers and devices. Unlike a pure Computer Science degree, this program focuses on practical engineering: how software is actually built for real-world use, with emphasis on planning, teamwork, and quality. The co-op option means you alternate between study and paid work terms at companies, giving you experience before graduation. This suits people who want hands-on technical skills, prefer learning by doing, and are ready to commit to work placements alongside coursework.	Cognitive science studies how the mind works by combining insights from psychology, biology, computer science, linguistics, and philosophy. This non-honours version gives you a broader survey of these fields rather than the deeper specialization of an honours degree, so you spend less time on advanced research methods and theory. It suits students curious about how thinking, language, and brain function connect, who want flexibility to explore multiple disciplines without committing to one.	This is a broad science degree where you choose from fields like biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, geology, and others. You take foundational science courses in first year, then specialize by selecting which science subjects to focus on. Co-op is available, letting you do paid work terms at science-related employers alongside your studies.
The door tomajors you reach through it	software engineering	Applied to directly	biology chemistry earth science environmental science life sciences mathematics physics statistics
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	12 published, 4 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 85%See them
Source	University of Guelph on OUInfo	Carleton University on OUInfo	Western University 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.