Does McMaster give you an alternative offer if you miss your first choice?
We encourage applicants to apply to up to 3 programs. We will consider each program choice simultaneously and communicate an admission decision for each program they select in their OUAC application.
McMaster University, quoted from the OUAC guide for guidance counsellors, September 2026 entry.
How that compares
McMaster decides each of your choices separately instead. Only 1 of the 23 Ontario universities that answer this do, so it is worth knowing before you assume the common rule applies.
10 universities consider you for an alternative automatically
Algoma, Brock, Carleton, Lakehead, Laurentian, Nipissing, Trent, Windsor, Laurier (Waterloo), York
5 universities make alternative offers for some programs only
Ontario Tech, TMU, Ottawa, U of T (St. George), Waterloo
4 universities do not make alternative offers at all
OCAD, Queen's, Guelph-Humber, Western
1 university drops you from co-op to the regular program, but no further
Guelph
This is what McMaster tells Ontario guidance counsellors; it is not published on their student pages. Rules like this change rarely, but confirm anything you are about to act on.