The University of Waterloo (also known as Waterloo, U.W., or U Waterloo) is a public research university with a prime campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
The University of Waterloo finds its origins in Waterloo College (at present Wilfrid Laurier University), the academic offshoot of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, which was associated with the University of Western Ontario since 1925. When Gerald Hagey presumed the presidency of Waterloo College in 1953, he made it his top priority to procure the funds necessary to expand the institution. While the main source of income for higher education in Ontario was the (provincial) Ontario government, it made it clear it would not indulge in contribution to denominational colleges and universities.
Hagey soon became receptive to the steps undertaken by McMaster University to make itself acceptable for some provincial funding by establishing Hamilton College as a distinct, non-denominational college associated with the University.
Following that method, Waterloo College incorporated the Waterloo College Associate Faculties on 4th April 1956 as a non-denominational board affiliated with the college. The academic formation of the Associated Faculties was originally focused on co-operative education in the applied sciences—largely built around the propositions of Ira Needles. Needles projected a different approach towards education, including both studies in the classroom and training in industries that would eventually become the basis of the University's co-operative education program. While on the inception, the plan was opposed by the Engineering Institute of Canada and other Canadian universities, markedly the University of Western Ontario. The Associated Faculties admitted its first students in July 1957.
On 25th January 1958, the Associated Faculties opened its first building on the Chemical Engineering Building site.
In 1959, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed an act that formally split the Associated Faculties from Waterloo College and re-established it as the University of Waterloo.
The administration was shaped on the University of Toronto Act of 1906, which established a diploid system of university government consisting of a senate responsible for academic policy. A board of governors exercised exclusive control over finances and possessed formal authority in all other states areas. The president, appointed by the board, acted as the institution's chief executive officer and as an intermediary between both the bodies.
The University initiated its Faculty of Arts in the year 1960. It later established the 1st Faculty of Mathematics in North America on 1st January 1967. In 1967, the world's 1st Department of Kinesiology was established. The present-day legislative act which construes how the University should be administered & governed, the University of Waterloo Act, 1972, was ratified on 10th May 1972.
The University of Waterloo is a co-educational organization, with approximately 35,000+ under-graduate and 6,000+ post-graduate students recorded there in 2020. Alumni and former students of the University spread across Canada and in over 148+ countries, with several award winners, government officials, and business leaders associated with Waterloo.
University of Waterloo offers various online professional development opportunities, from individual courses to extensive certificate programs. Its online courses offer the resilience and convenience to study whenever and wherever one prefers to, making it easy to learn and work without clashing with your one's schedule.
New sessions start every month, each course duration is for six weeks, and the time involvement is two to four hours per week. Choose from a variety of courses in these categories:
(Cost per course: C$190 + applicable taxes)
Courses are fully online. Each course has treated the equivalent of 24 hours of in-class instruction. Internet access and an email account are
the basic prerequisites.
Upcoming Start dates: 17th November, 15th December, 12th January, 9th February, 16th March, 13th April.
One should find the course they are interested in, either by searching the categories provided or browsing the online course list. Then one must review the individual course details; check out the syllabus and any requirements particular to that course.
Each course duration is for six weeks, and lessons are published on Wednesdays and Fridays each week. One is not required to be online at any specific time.
When the final lesson is released, one will have two weeks to complete the final exam. It is an open-book, multiple-choice exam, and one needs to achieve a minimum of 65.00% to pass the course. There is only one opportunity to concede and pass the exam. A certificate of completion from Ed2Go is available for printing immediately upon successful completion, and a certificate from the University of Waterloo will be emailed to the candidate within two weeks.
Please register and make your payment at least two days before the class commencement date. They will send an email confirming one's registration with instructions on enrolling in and accessing their course on the Ed2Go/Waterloo site. University verifies all enrolled students.
University's Professional Development certificates provide a wide variety of tools and approaches to help one achieve their personal and career goals. Each certificate is comprised of 3 to 4 courses that are fully online and are accessible every month. There are no admission requisites and no deadlines for the completion of the certificate. All courses must be taken through Professional Development at the University to be eligible. Various certificates offered are:
University also offers several in-class and multi-week certificate programs. New online courses are supplemented throughout the year. Please regularly check for any available updates, or subscribe to the University's email list to receive their regular professional development news.
Professors/Lecturers must submit final grades to the Graduate Studies Office by the end of each course duration in which the course was given or by the beginning of the following term. Provisional grades may not be assigned. Once a grade has been accredited, it cannot be changed.
An incomplete grade (I.N.C.) will remain on a student's transcript for at max. 2 terms of enlistment following the term in which the course was taken. After that, I.N.C.s may only be sustained on a term-by-term basis by request from the Department and course educator. If a grade has not been submitted by the end of the 2nd term, the I.N.C. will by default convert to an F.T.C. (failure to complete incomplete course work, no credit awarded). For average calculation, the F.T.C. value equals 0. This status may not be omitted from the transcript except on appeal to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Such appeals would be granted only in exceptional situations, such as where failure to complete was the instructor's fault and not the student's.
The grading system of the University was amended in Fall 2001. Grades for all courses taken before Fall 2001 reflect on grade reports and transcripts either as one of the 15 letter grades from A+ to F or as numeric marks on a % scale depending upon the Faculty of enrollment.
W.e.f. All Faculties devise fall 2001, number grades on a scale from 0 to 100.
Averages are registered in all Faculties as percentages. Average evaluation values are accustomed for overall averages for students with letter grades on their records.
The following conversion table applies to courses taken before Fall 2001.
Letter Grade | Percentage Ranges | Weighting Factorsfor Letter Grades |
A+ | 90 to 100 | 95 |
A | 85 to 89 | 89 |
A- | 80 to 84 | 83 |
B+ | 77 to 79 | 78 |
B | 73 to 76 | 75 |
B- | 70 to 72 | 72 |
C+ | 67 to 69 | 68 |
C | 63 to 66 | 65 |
C- | 60 to 62 | 62 |
F | 0 to 59 | 0 |
A.C.C. | Accepted (for thesis) |
A.E.G. | Aegrotat, the credit allowed due to illness |
AUD | Audit only, no credit awarded |
C.R. * | Credit awarded |
DNW | Did not write the examination, no credit awarded |
F.T.C. | Failure to complete incomplete course work, no credit awarded |
I.N.C. | Incomplete course work, no credit awarded |
N.A.C. | Not Accepted (for thesis) |
N.C.R. * | No credit awarded |
N.M.R. | No mark reported |
U.R. | Under review, no credit awarded |
W.D. | Withdrawn, no credit awarded |
Students must attain an average of at least 70.0% in the set of courses they present to achieve course requirements for any graduate degree. Some departments may require higher program averages or course grades for graduate degrees.
If a graduate student entails an undergraduate course for graduate credit, the above grading scheme will apply.
* Departments may offer, for graduate credit, courses that carry no grades, and satisfactory work in such courses will be reflected on the transcript by C.R. C.R. or N.C.R. courses are so designated in the calendar.
The application process at the University of Waterloo is well-defined. Candidates get complete guidance on how to apply to the University. The process of admission, right from submitting one's application to the acceptance of the offers, shapes like this:
Being a university in Canada, English is the only language used for educational and official purposes. Therefore, a candidate willing to study at the institute must be adequately adept in the language.
International candidates can prove their efficiency in the English Language by achieving promising scores in various English Proficiency Tests.
Some tests are acceptable as language proof at the University, as in the table below
Acceptable Exams | Score |
Internet-based TOEFL | 90.0 overall; writing 25.0; speaking 25.0 |
I.E.L.T.S. Academic | 6.50 overall; writing 6.50; speaking 6.50 |
PTE Academic | 63.0 overall; writing 65.0; speaking 65.0 |
Admission Portal: Apply online at the official website using the O.U.A.C. application.
Application Fee: 125 CAD
Basic Academic Requirement: 75% or above in the last two years, a 4-year bachelor's degree or equivalent.
Additional Requirement: Minimum 2 letters of reference (preferably academic).
The University has not delineated how an application is contemplated for Undergraduate Admissions. But, a very simple & straight path for Graduate Admissions has been laid down.
For Graduate Admission, an application is assessed & evaluated in 3 steps: -
The first step is the analysis by the academic unit (Faculty or school). It takes into account various factors like course taken, overall performance, references, research, etc.
After this, The Associate Dean’s Office re-evaluates the application for admission requirements.
If approved by the Dean's Office, the application is sent to the Graduate Studies Office, again re-assessed. Here, activities like verifying the admissibility, evaluation of departmental requisites, etc., are done. If approved by G.S.O., an offer for admission is granted.
For Undergraduate Admissions, a general evaluation procedure will include – Checking general admission requirements, checking program-specific requirements, evaluation of academic performance and English proficiency scores.
U of Waterloo, while proposing admissions, doesn't look out for just poindexters but also seeks competent, sociable leaders in its students. To satisfy its specifications, the institute wants its aspirants to possess strong S.T.E.M. credentials.
The University also pays quite a weight on extracurricular activities, references and essays, and encourages its aspirants to appear for an interview to elaborate on their strengths. This not only helps the University make a better and just decision, but it could also bring you one step closer to landing one of the high-paying jobs in Canada within a few months of graduating from the University.
First-year tuition fees
Faculty or program | Approximate tuition | Books, supplies |
Faculties of Arts, Environment, Health, Mathematics, and Science | C$8,000 | C$2,100 |
Faculty of Engineering | C$16,000 | C$2,100 |
Accounting and Financial Management*, Sustainability and Financial Management* | C$8,000 | C$2,100 |
Architecture | C$12,000 | C$4,100 |
Business Administration and Mathematics Double Degree | C$12,000 | C$2,100 |
Computer Science, Business Administration, and Computer Science Double Degree | C$15,000 | C$2,100 |
Computing and Financial Management* | C$8,000 | C$2,100 |
Global Business and Digital Arts | C$14,000 | C$2,100 |
Mathematics/Financial Analysis and Risk Management | C$12,000 | C$2,100 |
Faculty or program | Approximate tuition | Books, supplies |
Faculties of Arts, Environment, and Health | C$42,000 to $43,000 | C$2,100 |
Faculty of Engineering | C$63,000 | C$2,100 |
Faculty of Mathematics | C$47,000 toC$48,000 | C$2,100 |
Faculty of Science, Biotechnology/Chartered Professional Accountancy | C$44,000 to C$45,000 | C$2,100 |
Accounting and Financial Management*, Sustainability and Financial Management* | C$43,000 | C$2,100 |
Architecture | C$61,000 | C$4,100 |
Computer Science, Business Administration (Laurier) and Computer Science (Waterloo) Double Degree | C$63,000 | C$2,100 |
Computing and Financial Management* | C$48,000 | C$2,100 |
Global Business and Digital Arts | C$46,000 | C$2,100 |
Fees are for 2 terms (Eight months) of school, based on September 2021, and a full course load (5 courses/term). Fees for September 2022 will be accessible in August 2022 and are likely to be higher. Candidate pays fees one school term at a time (not the entire year at a go).
These amounts are approximate and should be taken only for guidance. One’s costs will vary depending on his/her personal needs and lifestyle.
Estimated living costs for one person living in Waterloo, for a four-month academic term
Expense | Estimated cost (one term) |
Housing (off-campus) and utilities | C$2,500 -C$3,500 |
Food - groceries | C$950 |
Personal expenses | C$1,550 |
Books and supplies (depends on program) | C$1,000 -C$2,100 |
The U of Waterloo also comprises a Work Placement Program. This program allows students to get on-campus full-time jobs in different departments like Faculty, student service, and administrative support. The jobs are subject to eligibility requisites.
Ranked By | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) - Universities Rankings | #201 to 300 | #201 to 300 | #151 to 200 | #151 to 200 | #151 to 200 | NA |
QS - World University Ranking | NA | #152 | #152 | #163 | #173 | #166 |
THE (Times Higher Education) - University Ranking | NA | #173 | #201 to 250 | #201 to 250 | #201 to 250 | #201-250 |
US News & World Report - Global Universities | NA | NA | #215 | #217 | #217 | #210 |
Various residences offered by the University (in-campus) are:
The U of Waterloo also comprises a Work Placement Program. This program allows students to get on-campus full-time jobs in different departments like Faculty, student service, and administrative support. The jobs are subject to eligibility requisites.
Sector | Average Annual Salary(approx.) |
Education And Research | C$ 2,38,000 |
Executive Management & Change | C$ 1,53,000 |
IT & Software Development | C$ 1,23,000 |
Human Resources | C$ 1,21,500 |
Financial Services | C$ 1,15,000 |
Marketing Product & Communications | C$ 1,06,000 |
Degree | Average Annual Salary |
Doctorate | C$ 2,41,000 |
Masters in Finance | C$ 1,36,000 |
Bachelor(other) | C$ 1,16,000 |
Bachelor of Science | C$ 1,09,000 |
Master in Science | C$ 96,000 |
Master(others) | C$ 87,500 |
Some of the major scholarships offered by the University of Waterloo :
Value C$2,000 Entrance Scholarship
Value C$2,000 Entrance Scholarship
Value C$1,000 Entrance Scholarship
ValueSeveral at C$10,000 each