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.

	Queen's Smith Engineering – Common First Year programs OUAC QE Remove	Waterloo Physical Sciences (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WPS Remove	U of T (St. George) TrackOne, Undeclared Engineering OUAC TEO Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	87–90%“High 80s”	80–83%“Low 80s”	90–97%“Low to mid 90s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	two of MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, SPH4U	—
Prerequisitesas published	ENG4U MCV4U SPH4U SCH4U MHF4U	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	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U +1 more on the program page
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	Available
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	800	250	—
What you study	Aerospace EngineeringChemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Science	Astronomy Chemistry Geology Materials Science	Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Electronic & Electrical Engineering General or Integrated Engineering
What it is	Smith Engineering's common first year means you take the same core courses as all engineering students — math, physics, chemistry, and engineering fundamentals — before choosing a specialization like mechanical, civil, chemical, or aerospace engineering in second year. This delays your choice, letting you explore different engineering fields before committing. It suits students who know they want engineering but are unsure which branch fits them best.	Physical Sciences is a broad first-year program where you study foundational chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology before choosing a specialization in second year. The co-op option means you alternate between study and paid work terms at companies or research labs, giving you real experience in your field. This program suits students who are strong in math and science but not yet certain which specific physical science direction — from astronomy to polymer chemistry — they want to pursue.	TrackOne is a first-year engineering program where you take core courses while exploring different engineering specializations before declaring your major. Unlike direct entry into a specific engineering stream, you delay choosing between chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, and other branches until you've tried foundational material in each. It suits students drawn to engineering but uncertain which discipline fits them best, or who want to sample multiple fields before committing.
The door tomajors you reach through it	engineering	chemistry earth science physics	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	None published by average	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	5 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 90%See them
Source	Queen's University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	University of Toronto — St. George 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.