Hi!
I am currently looking into some Canadian universities, and wanted to hear some insight about the statistics for acceptances.
I have searched everywhere for the information and cannot seem to find it! McGill publishes their freshman profile, however these three universities seem to not.
Does anyone know the average ACT score and average GPA for these schools, I cannot seem to find it anywhere!
Canadian universities for the most part are not holistic. They are mainly grades driven. You should be able to find out the minimum averages required for different programs by contacting the admissions department of each university. Keep in mind that Canadian high schools grade on a different scale than American high schools.
U of T and Waterloo will have the highest cutoffs of the 3 you mention. Their profiles will look very similar to McGill’s. The minimum acceptable ACT score for U of T is 26. Waterloo will be similar. Typical Canadian students will have the equivalent of a 3.5 or higher GPA. Meeting the minimum does not translate into acceptance however. Each program within the university will have a different cutoff. It would probably take a 3.8 GPA and a 30 ACT or higher to get into engineering or computer science at either of these universities.
University of Ottawa will have lower standards than McGill, U of T or Waterloo.
@bouders You seem to be very knowledgeable on the subject of Canadian universities. What do you think of a 31 on the ACT and a 3.7 GPA for a major in the Arts, most likely Political Science. Do you think I have a chance at all of these schools? Also, I would be considered an international student, because I live in the United States!
You should be fine for an Arts major. The cutoffs are much lower for arts than for engineering etc. Whether or not you’re an international depends on your citizenship, not your residency. If you don’t have Canadian citizenship or landed immigrant status, you’ll be paying the international tuition.
I wouldn’t choose Waterloo for political science though. Their strength is in math, computer science and engineering. Also keep in mind that a political science degree in Canada will have some emphasis on the Canadian political system.
@bouders I heard that Canadian GPA scale is different from that of US. So my GPA is 3.5, which is about 90% in US will be a “4” in Canadian scale. What GPA scale do the Canadian universities will regard?
@ducminh97 If you are applying to a Canadian university you will be evaluated compared to other American applicants. They do not “convert”. Many Canadian schools publish minimum cutoffs. Look them up.
Also, top Canadian schools require the SAT or ACT for American applicants.
@ducminh97 You’re doing the conversion wrong. It’s true that a 90% is a 4.0 in Canadian GPA, but you have an American 90% average, which is more similar to a low 80’s if you were a Canadian student, i.e. a 3.5 GPA.
What is the average (or median) of students in your school? In many US schools, the average grade will be around high 80’s whereas in Canadian schools, the average grade is mid to high 70’s. This is why the percentage to GPA scale conversions are different between the 2 countries.
U of T, Waterloo and McGill will generally admit the top 25% of the class for humanities students and top 10% for more selective programs (commerce, computer science, engineering, life science). This is why an ACT or SAT score is required - because of variations in grading systems.