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University of Waterloo

Transfer Advisor

Mat Brown
transfer@uwaterloo.ca
(519) 888-4567

transfer@uwaterloo.ca
(519) 888-4567 x 31594

Information

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  • Review the admission requirements for all programs at the University of Waterloo:

  • The minimum grade required to transfer a course to the University of Waterloo is 70% for college applicants and 60% for university applicants. Some programs may have higher requirements.

  • The University of Waterloo awards equivalencies (PSYCH 101), non-specific (PSYCH 1XX) and generic (MISC 1XX) credits in recognition of previous learning.

  • The amount of transfer credit you can receive is limited by the University of Waterloo's residency policy. The policy states that at least 50% of courses must be completed at the University (a maximum of 10 units [20 courses] in a 4 year degree and 7.5 units [15 courses] in a 3 year degree). In addition, some programs may further limit the amount of transfer credit granted. 

    Students must meet all requirements of the University of Waterloo academic plan in order to graduate, regardless of the number of transfer credits that they receive.

  • All currency considerations at the University of Waterloo are dependent on the Faculty in which you are enrolled.

    Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

    • Courses completed within the past 5 years, prior to admission, will be considered. Courses completed between 5 and 10 years, prior to admission, may receive direct elective transfer credit (no core courses) or non-specific miscellaneous credit (i.e. MISC 1XX). Courses completed beyond 10 years, prior to admission, will not receive transfer credit.

    Faculty of Arts

    • Courses completed within the past 10 years, prior to admission, will be considered. Courses completed beyond 10 years, prior to admission, will be consider on a case-by-case basis and will most often receive non-specific credit (i.e. PSYCH 1XX).

    Faculty of Engineering (except Architecture) 

    • Applicants will rarely receive up to one or two terms for university credits, depending on previous work experience and course schedule overlap. Courses completed within the past 3 years, prior to admission, will be considered for related university subjects. No transfer credits will be awarded for related courses taken at a college.

    Architecture

    • The maximum number of transfer credits applicants can receive is 1.5 credits for courses in related university subjects. No transfer credits will be awarded for related courses taken at a college.

    Faculty of Environment 

    • Courses completed within the past 10 years, prior to admission, will be considered. Courses completed beyond 10 years, prior to admission, will be consider on a case-by-case basis and will most often receive non-specific credit (i.e. GEOG 1XX).

    Faculty of Mathematics

    • Courses completed within the past 10 years, prior to admission, will be considered.

    Faculty of Science 

    • Courses completed within the past 10 years, prior to admission, will be considered.
  • Follow these steps in order to receive your PLAR assessment at the University of Waterloo:

    • The University of Waterloo does not grant PLAR credits. Credits granted by another institution on the basis of PLAR are not transferable to the University of Waterloo.
  • Not applicable.

  • Transfer credits will be recorded on your University of Waterloo transcript as total units/credits awarded and will not be included in GPA calculation.

  • Contact a University of Waterloo Transfer Advisor to discuss your credit transfer inquiries:

  • Familiarize yourself with the University of Waterloo’s official credit transfer policies:

  • Follow these steps in order to receive your transfer credit assessment at the University of Waterloo:

    • Transfer credits will be assessed after you've been admitted to the University of Waterloo.
    • All official documents, including an official final transcript and English language test results, must be sent directly to the Office of the Registrar by the issuing college, university or testing authority. In addition, you'll need to submit detailed course outlines (syllabi) for all courses you've completed or are in the process of completing. Brief calendar descriptions are not sufficient for transfer credit assessment. Please contact us if detailed course syllabi are not available from your institution. Send your transcripts and course outlines to:

      Office of the Registrar
      University of Waterloo
      200 University Ave W
      Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1
      Fax: 519-746-2882
      E-mail: transfer@uwaterloo.ca

      Please include your full name, program(s) applied to, University of Waterloo ID number, and Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) reference number in your correspondence. If you are emailing course descriptions, please send in PDF or Microsoft Word .doc or docx format.
  • The documentation required to have your previously completed postsecondary education assessed for transfer credit at the University of Waterloo includes: 

    • Official transcript(s) for all courses attempted or completed at a postsecondary institution and high school
    • Course outline(s)/syllabi
  • An application form is not required at the University of Waterloo. Applicants who have previously attended a postsecondary institution are automatically assessed for transfer credit.

  • Transfer credit is automatically assessed at the University of Waterloo. Students must disclose all previous postsecondary education (transcripts) upon submitting their admissions application. All required supporting documentation should be submitted in accordance with the deadlines associated with your program and semester of admission.

  • A transfer credit decision at the University of Waterloo varies in the time it takes to process, as it is determined on a case-by-case basis. For the majority of students applying from Ontario post-secondary institutions the transfer credit assessment begins at the time of offer. The time it takes to process a transfer credit decision is determined on a case-by-case basis.

 

ONTransfer.ca endeavours to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding credit transfer; however, changes and updates to transfer opportunities happen on an ongoing basis. Students MUST check with the institution directly before applying to any program.