Wilfrid Laurier University — Waterloo
Programs
32
Range spans
73–93
With co-op
21
Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh prime minister of Canada. Laurier offers undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields with over 17,000 full-time undergraduate students, over 1000 full-time graduate students, and nearly 4,000 part-time students as of late 2019. Laurier's varsity teams, known as the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, compete in the West Conference of the Ontario University Athletics, affiliated with U Sports.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
How Laurier (Waterloo) actually handles things
From the OUAC’s Guidance Dialogues Resource Guide (Spring 2026), which OUAC publishes for guidance counsellors rather than students. Read the original. Policies change — confirm anything you’re about to act on.
- If you repeat a course
Faculty of Science and the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics programs: We use a weighted average of the first and latest course attempts for required courses only.
All other programs and faculties: We use the highest grade in any repeated courses.
- Summer school, night school, e-learning and private school
We will accept Grade 12 U/M courses, provided the school or institution is accredited by the Ministry of Education.
Ontario high school students must submit the Summer School Registration Form if they intend to take summer school courses to meet the conditions of their offer. Final grades for summer courses must be submitted by August 12, 2026, to maintain an offer. If we receive documents after August 12, we may consider the student for an alternative offer or rescind the offer. Dates are subject to change, but we will inform applicants if they do.
- Your Grade 11 marks
We consider Grade 11 U/M grades for early offers for qualified students.
- Whether your OUAC ranking matters
We do not assess a student based on choice relative to other university selections.
We assess students on academic merit and requirements. They will receive a decision on all programs they apply to.
- If you don't get your first choice
We automatically consider students for alternative offers of admission.
We may use a wait list for competitive programs, including Business Administration, Health Sciences and Kinesiology. Students we place on a wait list will also receive an alternative offer of admission.
Students can make requests for changes to alternative offers directly to the Admissions office, pending space availability in the program. Accessible Learning
Students should register with the Accessible Learning Centre (ALC) as soon as they accept their offer of admission. www.wlu.ca/accessible
Students should review our disability documentation requirements while preparing to register with the ALC.
GOAL: Golden Hawk's Orientation to Accessible Learning is an online program that orients students with a disability to learning at Laurier. | https://students.wlu.ca/academics/ support-and-advising/accessible-learning-centre/ registration/orientation-to-accessible-learning.html
- Supplementary applications
The optional Applicant Background Summary (ABS) form is available for all students, except Faculty of Music applicants (who have a unique admission process), to present extracurricular information for possible admission consideration.
The ABS form is due April 25, 2026, by 11:59 pm (ET).
- Automatic entrance scholarships
We automatically assess students for an entrance scholarship when they apply to Laurier. Scholarships are based on admission average, as of July 2026, and no application is required. The value of the entrance scholarship is split between the first 2 full-time terms of study. | www.wlu.ca/scholarships
- Scholarship deadlines
Students can complete an awards profile to apply to all other competitive awards at Laurier starting in June (due September 2026).
- Scholarships you have to apply for
www.wlu.ca/scholarships
- Bursaries
Bursary supports are available for first-year, upper-year and transfer students, based on financial need, with opportunities to apply throughout the academic year. Application required.
The Laurier Tuition Bursary is available for upper-year and transfer students. We assess students based on financial need. To be eligible to apply, students must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents (landed immigrants).
- Special consideration
If recent or present circumstances have impacted a student's ability to achieve a strong academic standing, they may submit a Special Case or Extenuating Circumstances Form. It is the student's decision to disclose any supporting details.
The Special Case or Extenuating Circumstances Form is due April 25, 2026, by 11:59 pm (ET).
- Deferring your offer
Students may request a 1-year deferral by August 1, 2026. Deferrals are not guaranteed.
- When offers go out
We will make offers by May 28, 2026. Students must respond by June 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm (ET).
- Tuition deposit
We require a $2,000 tuition deposit from all undergraduate international students who accept an offer of admission. The tuition deposit is not an additional fee. It will be applied to the first-term tuition balance once the student enrolls in courses.
- AP and IB
AP: We grant transfer credits (up to 6 courses depending on the program) for AP exams at a minimum grade of 4. We require official college board test results for transfer credit assessment.
IB: Refer to www.wlu.ca/admissions for IB requirements by program.
We assess students taking IB courses along with another curriculum based on their entire academic record.
We grant transfer credits (up to 6 courses) depending on the program. Students must have a minimum score of 5 in Higher Level courses and a grade of at least B in Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay to be eligible for transfer credit.
- Changing programs
None.
- Transfer credit
Transfer applicants will receive an estimate of transfer credits with their offer of admission, but we will complete the final assessment and awarding of credits after they accept their offer. www.wlu.ca/transfer
- English proficiency
A student's last 3 years of full-time education must be in English (without any ESL courses) or they will be required to submit evidence of their English proficiency. We reserve the right to request an English-language test for admission consideration.
CAEL: 70 overall with a minimum of 60 in each band; Duolingo: 120 overall; IELTS: 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each band; TOEFL iBT: 4.5/83 overall with a minimum of 4.0/20 in each component. A full list of accepted English-language tests and academic English programs is available at: www.wlu.ca/englishproficiency.
Which mark they use when you take a course twice.
Whether courses taken outside your regular day school are treated the same.
Whether they look at Grade 11, and when.
Does the order you list programs in change anything?
Whether they'll offer you a related program instead.
Whether this university wants more than marks.
Money you get for your average without applying for it.
Awards beyond the automatic ones.
If something happened that affected your marks.
Taking a year before you start.
Laurier (Waterloo) acceptance rate — why there isn’t one, and the published bars that decide instead
Laurier (Waterloo) entrance scholarships — all 45, and what your average is worth
What you apply to, by subject
Laurier (Waterloo) admits into 14 entry points across these 35 subjects. Some are direct entry; for the rest you apply to something broader and choose later.
- accounting
- architecture
- biochemistry
- biology
- chemistry
- commerce/business
- communications
- computer science
- criminology
- earth science
- economics
- education
- engineering
- english
- environmental science
- finance
- geography
- health sciences
- history
- kinesiology
- languages
- life sciences
- marketing
- mathematics
- medical sciences
- microbiology
- neuroscience
- nursing
- philosophy
- physics
- political science
- psychology
- sociology
- software engineering
- statistics
How Laurier (Waterloo) is set up
Not a ranking — the structural facts that shape what a year here feels like, computed from Laurier (Waterloo)’s own listings. Universities list at different grain (Laurier (Waterloo) lists 32), so read the counts rather than comparing percentages between campuses.
66%
of programs offer co-op
21 of 32 listings. At that share, alternating work terms are the norm — expect your year group to rotate in and out of the city.
11/27
subjects you apply straight into
Most subjects here start with a broader first year — you apply to the faculty and choose the subject later, so 16 of the 27 common majors are declared after you arrive.
Living there
Guaranteed
first-year residence
For students starting postsecondary for the first time whose residence application and $600 non-refundable deposit arrive by June 1, 2027. Rooms are assigned by lottery based on preference and availability.
Source: wlu.ca · checked September 11, 2026
Compare first-year residence at every Ontario campus
Laurier (Waterloo) open house 2026
Every Ontario university open house this fall
Ontario Universities’ Fair, September 26–27. The Wilfrid Laurier University talk is in room 713A, Saturday hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday hourly from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Plan your day
Where it is
Open in Google Maps · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
All 32 programs
show
- 93–97%Business Administration (BBA) + Computer Science (BCS), University of WaterlooOUAC UWB· co-op
- 90–93%Business Administration (BBA) + Mathematics (BMath), University of WaterlooOUAC UWW· co-op
- 87–90%Business Administration (BBA)OUAC UB· co-op
- 87–90%Business Administration (BBA) + Computer Science (BSc)OUAC UXA· co-op
- 87–90%Business Administration (BBA) + Financial Mathematics and Analytics (BA)OUAC UBF· co-op
- 80–83%Arts Degree (BA) + Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Co-opOUAC UAI· co-op
- 80–83%EconomicsOUAC UZE· co-op
- 80–83%Health Sciences (BSc)OUAC UZK· co-op
- 80–83%Kinesiology (BKin)OUAC UKP· co-op
- 80–83%Science Degree (BA or BSc) + Master of Business Administration (MBA)OUAC UZP· co-op
- 77–80%Arts Degree (BA) + Law Degree (LLB, University of SussexOUAC ULA
- 77–80%Arts Degree (BA) + Master's Degree (MA or MAP or MIPP)OUAC UZB
- 77–80%Arts Degree (BA) + Master's Degree (MA or MSc), Cardiff UniversityOUAC UAV
- 77–80%Arts Degree (BA) + Master's Degree (MA or MSc), University of SussexOUAC UGX
- 77–80%Multidisciplinary Studies (BA) and Law Degree (JD), Griffith UniversityOUAC UZD
- 77–80%Science Degree (BSc) + Law Degree (LLB), University of SussexOUAC ULS
- 75%Navigating the Music Industry Ecosystem CertificateOUAC UM
- 73–77%Biochemistry and Biotechnology (BSc)OUAC UBI· co-op
- 73–77%Biology (BA or BSc)OUAC UZF· co-op
- 73–77%Chemistry (BSc)OUAC UHC· co-op
- 73–77%Christianity, Interfaith Dialogue and Community Engagement (BA)OUAC UJB
- 73–77%Data Science (BSc)OUAC UDS· co-op
- 73–77%Diploma in Business AdministrationOUAC UG
- 73–77%Environmental Science (BSc) and Studies (BA)OUAC UZH· co-op
- 73–77%Film Studies (BA) + Vancouver Film School DiplomaOUAC UZO
- 73–77%Financial Mathematics and Analytics (BA and BSc)OUAC UZI· co-op
- 73–77%Geography (BA and BSc)OUAC UZJ· co-op
- 73–77%Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA)OUAC UZ· co-op
- 73–77%Honours Bachelor of Science (BSc)OUAC UZL· co-op
- 73–77%Mathematics (BA or BSc)OUAC UZM· co-op
- 73–77%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Computer ScienceOUAC URM
- 73–77%Psychology (BA or BSc)OUAC UZN· co-op