Bachelor of Science, Honours (4 years)

Prerequisites

Biological Sciences:

• ENG4U
• MHF4U
• 2 4U Science courses
• 2 additional 4U/M courses

Physical Sciences:

• ENG4U
• MCV4U
• 2 4U Science courses
• 2 additional 4U/M courses

Acceptable 4U science courses include Biology (SBI4U), Chemistry (SCH4U) and Physics (SPH4U. Completion of all 3 is strongly recommended. Applicants lacking the third science course will be required to take a replacement course in semester one.

IB and AP Requirements

• IB Admission Information
• AP Admission Information

Language Requirements

You will be required to present evidence of English proficiency if:

• your primary or first language is not English and
• you have had less than 4 years of full-time secondary school or postsecondary study, demonstrating satisfactory academic progress, in an English-language school system.

Notes

• Francophone Canadian citizens educated in Canada will not be required to meet the English-language proficiency requirement.
• You will also be considered as having met the English-language proficiency requirement if you completed the International Baccalaureate diploma where English was the language of instruction. 

More about English-language requirements

Integrated Admission Pathway (IAP)

Academically qualified international students who have not yet achieved English-language proficiency may be interested in the Integrated Admission Pathway (IAP). Through IAP you can complete degree-credit courses through the University's Open Learning and Educational Support department and at the same time study English language courses to achieve the Certificate of English proficiency.

The IAP includes a combination of classroom-based and fully online degree course offerings and provides a flexible option for guaranteed admission to select degree programs at the University of Guelph.

More information about the IAP

Acceptable English Proficiency Tests and Scores

Offers of Admission

Basic Requirements for Admission

1. Ontario Secondary School Diploma
2. Six 4U/M courses including the required courses for your chosen degree.
3. ENG4U (required for all degree programs)

We use your top 6 completed 4U/M (or equivalent) courses, including required courses, to calculate your admission average. Where not available, we use a combination of the top 6 completed or in-progress 4U/M and completed 3U/M courses, including required subjects.

Estimated Cut-off Admission Ranges

Estimated cut-off ranges are based on the admission averages from previous years and are provided as a point of reference. Exact cut-offs for the current cycle will be determined by the quantity and quality of applications received and the number of spaces available in the program. Co-op averages will often exceed the estimated cut-off ranges. Having an admission average within the estimated cut-off range does not guarantee an offer of admission.

Subject Requirements

Subject requirements vary by program. Detailed subject requirements.

Student Profile Form (SPF)

We recognize that non-academic factors play an important role in students’ lives. If you are a high school applicant, the Student Profile Form (SPF) is your opportunity to tell Admission Services about activities you have been involved in that have helped you develop leadership and citizenship qualities. We will also consider factors beyond your control that have negatively affected your academic performance, such as illness or extenuating circumstances.

If your admission average in May does not meet the cut-off for the program you have applied to, we may consider your SPF if your average falls within a discretionary range of the final cut-off. Submission is optional but strongly encouraged. 

Supplementary Information Form for Students With Disabilities

We strive to provide equal opportunity for academically qualified students with disabilities. If you are a high school applicant and feel your admission average does not reflect your true academic ability as a result of a disability, we encourage you to complete the Supplementary Information Form for Students with Disabilities (SIF-D). We take this form into consideration along with academics for applicants whose admission average falls within a discretionary range of the final cut-off. 

Both forms are currently available online.  

Submission Deadline: April 1, 2026

Rank

High school applicants will be considered for admission to all programs they apply to.  We do not consider rankings on the OUAC application.

If you are a transfer applicant (i.e., have attended any postsecondary institution), and you apply to more than 1 program at the University of Guelph, you can expect to receive only 1 offer of admission from the University. The highest-ranked choice will be considered first. Only if you are not admissible to your highest choice will your next choice be considered. If you want to reorder your U of G program rankings, please amend your application on the OUAC website.

Failed and Repeated Courses

The University of Guelph will use the highest grade reported from a Ministry-approved institution for any repeated courses.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate

International Baccalaureate (IB)

If you are applying with an IB Diploma, you should present a minimum score of 28, although many programs require a higher score for admission consideration. Reported bonus points will be taken into consideration. You should complete the diploma with 6 subjects: 3 Higher Level and 3 Standard Level. You should also include specific subject requirements for the program you are applying to among your Higher and Standard levels. You should ensure that your predicted scores are submitted using the 7-point scale. 

Note: Math Studies/Standard Level Applications and Interpretations are not an acceptable prerequisite for programs that require Grade 12 Advanced Functions, Calculus or equivalent.

Ontario high school students registered in an IB program will typically have their IB courses converted into Ontario U- and M-level courses. IB scores will be converted into grades on a percentage scale out of 100 by the applicant's high school. Admission and scholarships will be determined using the conversions as submitted. Upon receipt of official final results from the International Baccalaureate Organization, we will assign specific transfer credits, where applicable, to a maximum of 2.0 credits (4 courses), for grades of 5 or better on Higher Level courses where the applicant has been awarded the IB Diploma or DP Course.

Advanced Placement (AP)

If you completed Advanced Placement Examinations with a minimum grade of 4, you will be eligible to receive university-specific transfer credits (where applicable) to a maximum of 2.0 credits (4 courses), subject to the discretion of the Degree Program Admission Committee. Transfer credit will be assigned once Admission Services receives an official College Board AP exam score report.

Timing and Process for Admission Decisions

Calculating your Admission Average

We use your top 6 completed 4U/M (or equivalent) courses, including required courses, to calculate your admission average. Where not available, we use a combination of the top 6 completed or in-progress 4U/M and completed 3U/M courses, including required subjects. If no 4U/M courses are in-progress or completed, we will use your top six 3U/M courses to calculate your admission average.

Admission Plan

Alternate Offers 

There are a few programs where we will automatically consider you for an alternate program:

• If you don’t have the admission average for co-op, we’ll consider you for the regular program (except for the Bachelor of Engineering, which is co-op admission only). 
• If you don’t have the admission average for BA: Criminal Justice and Public Policy, we’ll consider you for BA: Justice and Legal Studies. 
• If you don’t have the admission average for BA: Honours Psychology, we’ll consider you for BA: Honours Sociology. 
• If you don’t have the admission average for BSc: Animal Biology, we’ll consider you for BSc: Zoology. 
• If you don’t have the admission average for BSc: Bio-Medical Science or Human Kinetics, we’ll consider you for BSc: Biological Science. 

Note: If you receive an alternate offer of admission, it means that with the grade information we have to date, we are not able to offer you admission to your first-choice program. We will continue to consider you for admission to your first-choice program as well as any other program choices through all rounds of offers.

All offers of admission are conditional upon:

• completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent; and
• completion of six 4U and/or M courses, including required subjects, or equivalent; and
• a minimum final average as outlined in the offer letter.

​Note: Your offer of admission will outline all conditions you will be required to fulfill.

Alternative Offers

If you do not possess the admission average for BSc Human Kinetics or Bio-medical Science, you will be considered for BSc Biological Science.

If you do not possess the admission average for BSc Animal Biology, you will be considered for BSc Zoology.