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.

	McMaster Social Sciences I OUAC ML Remove	Waterloo Honours Arts (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WA Remove	Guelph Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BAS) OUAC GAS Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	80–87%“Low-to mid-80s”	77–80%“High 70s”	78–83%“78 to 83%”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U	ENG4U	ENG4U MHF4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	two of SBI4U, SCH4U, SPH4U
Prerequisitesas published	English 4U * Completion of Advanced Functions 4U and Calculus & Vectors 4U are strongly recommended for students interested in Economics. * Completion of Calculus & Vectors 4U and Biology 4U are strongly recommended for students interested in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour.	Any Grade 12 U English (min. 70%)	ENG4U MHF4U One 4U/M Arts or Social Sciences Two from SBI4U, SCH4U, SPH4U One additional 4U/M course +3 more on the program page
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	No
Degree	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Bachelor of Social Work, BSW	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	950	402	—
What you study	Anthropology Economics Health Informatics Human Geography	Anthropology Archaeology Classical Greek Studies Classical Studies	Animal Science Anthropology Biological Sciences Chemistry
What it is	Social Sciences I is a first-year entry point where you explore human behaviour, society, and social systems through subjects like economics, sociology, anthropology, politics, and social work. Unlike a specialized program, you sample multiple disciplines before declaring a focus, letting you discover which area — from international development to health policy — matches your interests. It suits students curious about how societies work and drawn to understanding people and social issues from different angles.	An Honours Arts degree lets you study humanities and social sciences — literature, history, languages, creative writing, drama, economics, or anthropology — with flexibility to combine subjects. The co-op option alternates your studies with paid work terms in related fields, giving you real workplace experience alongside your degree. This suits people who want a liberal arts education but also want to test out careers and build a professional network while studying.	A Bachelor of Arts and Sciences lets you combine study in both humanities and natural sciences within one degree. Unlike most programs that require you to choose either arts or sciences, this one lets you take courses across both — for instance, pairing creative writing with chemistry, or anthropology with animal science. It suits people who are curious across multiple disciplines and want flexibility rather than specializing narrowly from the start.
The door tomajors you reach through it	criminology geography political science psychology sociology	communications criminology economics english history languages philosophy political science	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	5 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	12 published, 4 with no applicationfrom 75%See them
Source	McMaster University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	University of Guelph on OUInfo

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Same subject area and a similar published range, at a campus you have not got in the table yet.

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.