Electrical Engineering at Waterloo: Admission Average
University of Waterloo · Waterloo, ON
What average do you need for Electrical Engineering at Waterloo?
Electrical Engineering at University of Waterloo typically admits students with averages in the low-to-mid 90s, roughly 88–94%. It ranks #3 of 18 Waterloo programs by admission average.
Strong co-op outcomes in hardware, energy, and communications.
How competitive is it?
Of the 20 universities we track that offer it, none ask for a higher average and 19 ask for a lower average.
As a rough guide, 94% or higher is above the typical range, 88% up to 94% is inside it, and 84% up to 88% is a reach. Cut-offs move every year, so apply to a mix of schools.
Ontario applicants are assessed on their top six Grade 12 U/M courses, including the program's prerequisites. Work out yours with the Best 6 calculator.
Electrical Engineering at other universities
- McMaster University – high 80s-low 90s
- Queen's University – high 80s-low 90s
- University of British Columbia – high 80s (BC) / low 90s (OOP)
- McGill University – high 80s-low 90s
- Western University – high 80s
- University of Ottawa – high 80s
- Carleton University – high 80s
- Ontario Tech University – high 80s
- University of Windsor – high 80s
- Toronto Metropolitan University – high 80s
- University of Victoria – high 80s
- Concordia University – high 80s
- University of Alberta – high 80s
- University of Calgary – high 80s
- Dalhousie University – high 80s
- University of Manitoba – high 80s
- University of Saskatchewan – high 80s
- University of New Brunswick – high 80s
- Memorial University of Newfoundland – high 80s
Typical high school prerequisites
- English
- Advanced Functions
- Calculus & Vectors
- Physics
- Chemistry
First-year courses
- Calculus I & II
- Linear Algebra
- Physics (Electricity & Magnetism)
- Introduction to Circuits
- Programming
These are typical for Electrical Engineering programs across Canada. About the Electrical Engineering degree
After a Electrical Engineering degree
Electrical Engineering usually takes 4 years. Many graduates go on to graduate or professional school.
- Electrical Engineer – $75,000 to $155,000
- Aerospace Engineer – $75,000 to $175,000
- Biomedical Engineer – $70,000 to $130,000
- Physics, especially electricity and magnetism, is the core foundation - strong G11/G12 physics is essential.
- The specialisation between power systems, microelectronics, and communications matters a lot for job outcomes.
- Clean energy and semiconductor chip design are the two fastest-growing areas for EE graduates right now.
Applying to Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is Canada's most respected technology and engineering university, and operates the world's largest post-secondary co-op program. It places more graduates at top global tech companies than any other Canadian school. Admission is highly selective, and the academic culture is intensely demanding - Waterloo attracts and produces some of Canada's sharpest technical minds. The AIF (Admission Information Form) is a critical part of every application and is read carefully.
University of Waterloo is in Waterloo, ON, was founded in 1957 and has about 42,000 students. Domestic tuition is about $6,300 a year, co-op is available and first-year residence is guaranteed.
Deadlines: OUAC (Ontario) January 15; direct application N/A - OUAC for ON students, direct for others.
- The AIF (Admission Information Form) is extremely important - Waterloo reads every word. Be specific and genuine.
- A strong CCC score (especially Senior) meaningfully improves CS/Math admission chances.
- Euclid contest scores are reviewed for Math and CS applicants.
Other Waterloo programs
- Computer Science – high 90s (95-98%+)
- Software Engineering – high 90s (94-97%+)
- Computer Engineering – low-to-mid 90s
- Mechanical Engineering – low 90s
- Systems Design Engineering – low-to-mid 90s
- Management Engineering – low 90s
- Biomedical Engineering – high 90s
- Nanotechnology Engineering – low-to-mid 90s
- Mathematics – high 80s-low 90s
- Computing & Financial Management – mid-to-high 90s
- Actuarial Science – high 80s-low 90s
- Statistics – high 80s
- Accounting & Financial Mgmt – low 90s
- Honours Economics – high 80s
- Kinesiology – high 80s
- Environmental Engineering – low 90s
- Architecture – high 80s