University of Waterloo

USP, Ranking and History

The main USP of this university is it is the home of the largest co-op program in North America. An entire building named the Tatham center is entirely dedicated to the co-op. The university is ranked 154 according to the QS world university rankings. The university was founded in 1959 which means the university is 63 years old. 

Accreditation

There is no national University accreditation system in Canada and all the education systems and institutions are regulated provincially.  The University of Waterloo is a member of Universities Canada, which regulates standards of quality for all Canadian degree programs.

Campus, Labs and Courses

The main campus of the University of Waterloo lies within the city of Waterloo in the Ontario province. The campus is situated near the Grand River and in the northwest of the campus, the Laurel creek conservation area is situated. This suggests the scenic beauty of the university campus is one of the best and students can also enjoy several other amenities along with the natural beauty.   There are restaurants, sports centers, gymnasiums, swimming pools, basketball courts and tennis courts on the campus and centers for other leisure activities for students can also be found. The oldest building on the campus is called the Graduate house which is a firm house dating back to the 19th century. There are several laboratories for research programs on campus. 

Streams, Programs and other offerings

The University of Waterloo offers a wide range of courses and degree programs on various subjects and topics for its students. Some of the best courses offered by the university are Accounting and financial management, applied mathematics, bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, biochemistry, biological and medical physics, co-op programs, communication studies, computing mathematics, computing and financial management, data science, economics, electrical engineering, environmental business, geography and aviation, international development, legal studies, Liberty of studies, life sciences, management engineering,  business administration, mechanical engineering, medicinal chemistry, music, nursing, optometry, peace and conflict studies, pharmacy, philosophy, physics and astronomy, science and aviation, software engineering, statistics, system design engineering, therapeutic recreation, theater and performance, sexuality, marriage and family studies, recreation and sports business, religious studies, social development studies, recreation and leisure studies and so on.    

Acceptance Rate

The rate of acceptance at the University of Waterloo is 53%. That means the university is moderately selective when approving new applications. The acceptance rate also suggests that the student with average exam scores can get admission into the University of Waterloo.

Admission eligibility criteria

The University of Waterloo has different eligibility criteria for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Students applying for the university need to fulfill the criteria to get admission. 

Undergraduate

The criteria set by the University of Waterloo are as follows. 

• High school diploma or equivalent degree with a minimum of six Grade 12 U or M courses, including all required courses.
• Grade 12 U or M courses must be completed through schools that are accredited by the Ontario Ministry of Education.
• Admission averages depend on the number of applications received and the number of spaces available. 
• Students can also do repeated courses and that may be taken into consideration depending on the program. 

Postgraduate

The criteria set by the University of Waterloo for postgraduate students are as follows.

• 75% or more overall percentage in a 4-year bachelor's degree program.
• The resume or CV of the student is based on his activities in undergraduate studies. 
• IELTS score of 80 for foreign students for the English language efficiency test. 

  Documents Required

  • Scorecards of previous courses.
  • Student visa of Canada for foreign students. 
  • Letter of statement. 
  • Letter of recommendation from a local educational supervisor.  

  Popular courses

  Some of the popular courses at this university are recreation and sports business studies, system design engineering, software engineering, and so on.