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.

	York Environmental Science (BSc) - Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change OUAC YBS Remove	Lakehead Water Science (Thunder Bay) OUAC AAR Remove	Waterloo Geospatial Data Science (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WGM Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	80–87%“Low to mid 80s”	70%	77–80%“High 70s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	3 of MCV4U, MDM4U, MHF4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, SPH4U	—
Prerequisitesas published	Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) ENG4U 4U Math 4U Science three additional 4U or 4M courses +5 more on the program page	ENG4U 3 of MCV4U, MDM4U, MHF4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, 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.	Any Grade 12 U English (min. 70%) Any Grade 12 U Mathematics (min. 70%)
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	No	Available
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	25	—	64
What you study	Biological Sciences Physical Geography	Biological Sciences Environmental Studies Others in Physical SciencesOthers in Technology	Environmental StudiesGeomatics EngineeringOthers in TechnologyPhysical Geography
What it is	Environmental Science combines the study of living systems and Earth's physical processes — like climate, water, and soil — to understand how natural environments work and respond to human activity. Unlike a program focused only on biology or only on geology, this degree integrates both to tackle real-world environmental problems. It suits students interested in conservation, resource management, or environmental consulting who want a broad scientific foundation rather than specialization in a single discipline.	Water Science combines biology, chemistry, physics, and geography to study how water systems work and how to protect them. You'll examine lakes, rivers, and groundwater from ecological and physical angles rather than focusing only on engineering solutions. This program suits students interested in environmental problems who want a science-based approach grounded in both living systems and earth processes.	You study how to collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information using computers and data science tools — combining mapping technology, environmental science, and statistics. Unlike a pure geography or engineering program, this degree integrates spatial data analysis across multiple fields, preparing you to solve real-world problems in urban planning, climate research, or resource management. It suits people who want technical skills with a geographic or environmental focus and benefit from the co-op option to work in the field while studying.
The door tomajors you reach through it	environmental science	Applied to directly	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	29 published, 4 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them
Source	York University on OUInfo	Lakehead University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo

Also compare with

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.