University of Waterloo: Waterloo Computer Science Acceptance Rate

The University of Waterloo is one of the world’s best schools for computer science! At Waterloo Computer Science, you'll develop a broad understanding of areas such as systems and networks, algorithms, and programming. Waterloo Computer Science graduates go on to work in leading technology companies and at top universities around the world!

Learn the admission strategies that top candidates of Waterloo and other top schools use by joining us in our free online webinar!

How many students are admitted to first-year?

Out of thousands of applicants every year, only 450 students per year are accepted into the CSE Department for the Computer Science and Computer Engineering degrees.

What is the Waterloo Computer Science acceptance rate?

This makes the average acceptance rate only 4.3% — this is a highly competitive program! U of Waterloo acceptance rates are known to be high, but CS UWaterloo is one of the highest!

The minimum required grade point average to get into Waterloo Computer Science is the 90% range; however, most students applying to the program have above a 95% average.

Therefore, the average GPA you should aim for to get accepted into Waterloo Computer Science is 95+%.

Below is a chart that explains the required courses and admissions average requirements for each program in Computer Science:

The University of Waterloo is one of the toughest institutions in Canada to get in. Apart from the grades, students are also assessed on the basis of their work experience, volunteer work, extra-curricular activities, skillset, and notable accomplishments.

Waterloo Computer Science First-Year Courses

In your first year at Waterloo Computer Science, you'll primarily take Mathematics and Computer Science courses to give you the foundations for your upper-year classes, along with a few electives. After first year, the majority of your required courses will be Computer Science! Keep reading to learn about CS UWaterloo courses and to see if Waterloo Comp Sci is the right choice for you.

NOTE: You can choose advanced-stream courses for algebra, calculus, and computer science in first year if you meet the requirements!

Here is an outline of the courses you can take during your first year:

September to December courses

• CS 135 - Designing Functional Programs
• MATH 135 - Algebra
• MATH 137 - Calculus 1
• One communication skills course
• One elective January to April courses
• CS 136 - Algorithm Design and Data Abstraction
• MATH 136 - Linear Algebra 1
• MATH 138 - Calculus 2
• Two electives

After your first year, you can customize your degree and add additional areas of expertise by including specializations such as artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, or bioinformatics.

Once you're a student, advisors can help you explore which minors or specializations may fit into your plans!

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Forget the guesswork and fund your future

If you want support to gain more assurance with getting into Waterloo Computer Science, then you’ve come to the right place! Discover the strategies that have helped over 20,000+ students secure admission to top schools such as Waterloo, and access comprehensive support to graduate debt-free. We help students finalize their scholarship essays, keep track of deadlines, prepare for interviews and develop all the tools you need to succeed.

Your first step to fund your future is to take our program assessment quiz. This is a great way to evaluate if our program is right for you, and how we can help you on your journey to graduate debt-free.