University of Toronto vs UBC vs Waterloo: Application Differences for Indian Students

The University of Toronto vs UBC vs Waterloo decision changes how your child applies, not just where. Toronto and Waterloo both start with Ontario’s OUAC form, then add their own portals: U of T asks for supplementary applications in some programmes, and Waterloo uses its Admission Information Form (AIF) and, for Engineering, an online interview. UBC uses EducationPlannerBC and a Personal Profile for almost every degree. For 2027 entry, U of T, UBC and Waterloo Engineering close on 15 January 2027, and Waterloo’s other programmes on 1 February 2027.

Updated October 2026 for 2027 entry. Requirements and dates are from official university sources, linked below.

All three read Indian board marks differently too, and they disagree on whether your child needs an English test. If you’d like help with the applications themselves, see our Canada undergraduate admissions support.

Toronto vs UBC vs Waterloo: the application at a glance

	University of Toronto	UBC	Waterloo
Platform	OUAC Undergraduate application, then the Join U of T portal (or the Engineering Applicant Portal)	EducationPlannerBC	OUAC Undergraduate application, then the Waterloo applicant portal
Fees (CAD)	OUAC 159 for three choices, 51 per extra choice; U of T document evaluation 98; some programme fees, e.g. Engineering 69, Rotman Commerce 52	173.25 for study-permit applicants; Sauder Commerce Personal Profile fee 97.25	OUAC fees as for U of T; Waterloo document evaluation 95; Engineering programme fee 60
Choices	Up to three programme areas, one per area	A first and second degree choice, on either campus	Up to three programmes, only one in Engineering
Application deadline	15 January 2027 (early consideration: apply by 7 November 2026)	15 January 2027	Engineering 15 January 2027; other programmes 1 February 2027
Extra written material	Only in some programmes	Personal Profile for almost every degree	AIF for Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science and Computing and Financial Management
Interview or video	Some supplementary applications may ask for a video response	Video interview within the Sauder Commerce profile	Online interview for all Engineering programmes except Architecture
Decisions	In rounds, January to late May	Continuously, November 2026 to June 2027	December to May

One practical point: because U of T and Waterloo both use OUAC, a single Undergraduate application covers both, and the CAD 159 base fee covers your first three choices in total. Students outside the Ontario school system apply as “Group B” applicants.

Supplementary materials compared

Most U of T programmes look only at marks. UBC’s Personal Profile and Waterloo’s AIF are where many decisions are made between students with similar averages.

Item	Who must submit it	What it asks	Due for 2027 entry
U of T supplementary applications	Engineering, Rotman Commerce, Computer Science, Kinesiology, Architecture, Music, and some Scarborough and Mississauga programmes	Varies: short answers or essays, a personal profile or a video response	Engineering 15 January; Rotman Commerce, Computer Science and Kinesiology 1 February 2027
UBC Personal Profile	School-leavers applying to almost any degree (not Music, Dental Hygiene or the Design in Architecture degree)	Short essays of 500 to 2,100 characters, up to five activities, and two referees, one a school official	With the application, 15 January 2027
Waterloo AIF	Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computing and Financial Management	Four questions with a 150-word limit, plus activities with hours for January to December 2026	Engineering 1 February; others 15 February 2027
Waterloo online interview	All Engineering applicants except Architecture	Recorded online responses	1 February 2027

Two details are worth knowing. Waterloo says its AIF is scored by trained human readers and by an AI system, with a second human reader if the scores differ significantly, and that it may reject an application if the AIF was written by someone else. UBC may contact your referees to verify the activities in your profile, and says neither referee should be a friend, family member or paid agent.

How Indian board marks are evaluated

	What they assess	Maths rule
University of Toronto	CBSE or ISC; strong state board results considered individually. Conditional offers based on the previous year’s grades (Class 11) and in-term or mid-term Class 12 results.	Programmes that need Calculus, such as business, engineering and science, require CBSE Class 12 Standard Mathematics; Applied Mathematics does not count.
UBC	All Class 11 and 12 academic courses for the overall assessment, plus a programme-specific core assessment. Wherever possible, UBC excludes the lowest-graded academic course if it is not required or relevant to the degree.	Degree prerequisites follow its Canadian list, for example Pre-Calculus 12 for Commerce and Engineering; check UBC’s country tool for the Indian equivalent.
Waterloo	Class 10 board results, final Class 11 grades and predicted Class 12 board results from your school.	Standard Mathematics required; Applied Mathematics is not accepted. Computer Science minimum: 90% in Maths and one other Class 12 course, 85% overall.

These are minimums. Waterloo’s Mechanical Engineering, for example, lists 70% in each of Maths, Physics, Chemistry and English plus one more course, with 85% across the five; competitive applicants usually present more.

English requirements: where Indian students differ most

	Route without a test	IELTS Academic	Deadline
University of Toronto	Only if English is the first language you learned at home, or you studied in a listed country. India is not on the list.	6.5, no band below 6.0	Document deadline: 1 February 2027 (Engineering 15 January)
UBC	CBSE or CISCE school and at least 75% in senior English; UBC uses Class 12 Term 1 results while you are still at school	6.5, no part below 6.0 (scores from 1 January 2025)	15 February 2027
Waterloo	Your last four years fully in an English-language school system, confirmed by official transcripts or a school letter	6.5 overall, 6.5 writing and speaking, 6.0 reading and listening (tests from 1 May 2025)	Document deadline: 1 or 15 February 2027

The new TOEFL scale also differs: since 21 January 2026, U of T asks for 4.5 overall with 4.5 writing and 4.0 speaking, while Waterloo wants 4.5 overall with 5 in writing and speaking.

Scholarships for international students

	Automatic awards	Awards that need early action
University of Toronto	About 900 U of T Scholars awards of CAD 10,000 and about 150 President’s Scholars of Excellence awards of CAD 15,000, first year only	Lester B. Pearson Scholarship: about 37 a year, covering tuition, books, incidental fees and residence for four years. School nomination needed; for 2027 entry nominations closed on 9 October 2026.
UBC	International Major Entrance Scholarship, CAD 10,000 to 25,000 a year (2026/27 values), renewable; Outstanding International Student Award, one-time, CAD 10,000 to 25,000 (latest listed values)	International Scholars Program for students with significant financial need: school nomination, financial documents, essays, possible video interview. Apply by 15 November 2026. Applicants are not considered for the merit awards.
Waterloo	CAD 10,000 International Student Entrance Scholarship for international first-years in most programmes	Faculty of Mathematics International Awards: India, up to 15 awards of CAD 20,000 to 40,000; some Faculty of Science awards need an application

U of T says it cannot offer financial aid to international students, so families should plan to fund the full cost.

Co-op: Waterloo’s biggest difference

Waterloo’s co-op is chosen on the OUAC form, by ticking the co-op box, and students are admitted to co-op at entry. Most co-op students alternate four-month study and work terms from second year, with four to six work terms, and Waterloo says students typically earn CAD 9,600 to 23,400 per four-month term in Canada. A co-op degree takes a year longer. You pay tuition only in study terms, plus a co-op fee of CAD 836 in each term it is charged; how many times varies by programme. For families weighing cost and careers, co-op is often what puts Waterloo on the shortlist.

What a year costs: official figures

	Published international fees	Cycle
University of Toronto	Arts & Science year 1: CAD 66,110 programme fee (CAD 69,158.29 with incidental fees and health insurance). Engineering: CAD 72,860 programme fee.	2026–27
UBC	Per credit for students starting in 2026/27: Arts CAD 1,717.68, Science 1,769.40, Applied Science 1,789.18, Commerce 2,222.61. Increases capped at 3% a year for four years for these students.	2026/27
Waterloo	Estimated tuition and incidental fees for two terms: Arts CAD 58,000, Science 54,000, Mathematics 62,000, Computer Science 73,000, Engineering 75,000.	Students who started September 2026

Fees for 2027–28 are not yet published. For the study permit, IRCC also asks a single applicant to show CAD 23,448 a year for living costs, on top of tuition and travel.

Which university suits which student?

• University of Toronto suits students who want breadth, with 700+ program areas, and the option to explore within an admission category before choosing a major. Because offers lean on Class 11 and mid-term Class 12 results, Class 11 marks carry real weight.
• UBC suits students with genuine activities and the ability to reflect on them in writing. UBC reads the Personal Profile alongside marks, so activities and reflection count, and CBSE or ISC students with 75% in English may not need IELTS.
• Waterloo suits students set on mathematics, computer science or engineering who want paid work experience built into the degree, and who have the Standard Mathematics marks to back it up.

Mistakes we see, and what to do in Class 11 and Class 12

1. Choosing Applied Mathematics in Class 11. U of T and Waterloo do not accept it for calculus-based programmes. Decide on maths before Class 11 starts.
2. Treating the OUAC form as the finish line. The AIF, supplementary applications and documents are submitted later, in each university’s portal.
3. Sending certificates to Waterloo. Waterloo does not review recommendation letters or non-academic certificates, and it ignores links. Put achievements inside the AIF.
4. Listing the wrong activity hours. Waterloo’s AIF counts hours only from 1 January to 31 December 2026.
5. Booking IELTS too late. UBC’s English deadline is 15 February 2027, and Waterloo only accepts tests taken from 1 May 2025.
6. Missing nomination windows. Pearson and UBC’s International Scholars Program need the school’s support from September and October of Class 12. Class 11 families should raise this with the school early.
7. Letting AI write the answers. U of T prohibits generative AI in its award applications, and Waterloo says it may deny admission or withdraw an offer over untrue or plagiarised AI-written answers.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child apply to U of T and Waterloo on one application?

Yes. Both use the OUAC Undergraduate application. The base fee covers three programme choices in total, and you can choose up to three at any one university.

Is the Waterloo video interview compulsory?

For Engineering, yes. Waterloo requires the online interview for all Engineering programmes except Architecture. Other programmes do not use it.

Does UBC accept CBSE English marks instead of IELTS?

Yes, if the school is affiliated with CBSE or CISCE and your child has at least 75% in senior English. UBC reserves the right to exclude schools from this exemption.

Is it too late to apply for 2027?

No. The main deadlines are 15 January 2027 for U of T, UBC and Waterloo Engineering, and 1 February 2027 for Waterloo’s other programmes. The Pearson nomination window has closed, and UBC’s International Scholars deadline is 15 November 2026.

How GyanOne helps with your application

We help families compare Toronto, UBC and Waterloo on the details that decide outcomes: maths and English requirements, the AIF, the Personal Profile, supplementary applications, scholarships and deadlines. Students who already have a shortlist can choose Application-Only Support; families starting earlier can choose Comprehensive University Strategy, from Class 9 onwards.

We have no admissions partnership with any university and are never paid by one, so our advice is in the student’s interest. Get help with your Toronto, UBC or Waterloo application.

Sources

• OUAC: Undergraduate Application Guide and Undergraduate fees, checked October 2026
• University of Toronto: Dates and deadlines, Supplemental applications, Requirements by country, English language requirements, Pearson Scholarships, Tuition Explorer, checked October 2026
• UBC: Dates and deadlines, Complete the application, Personal profile, English language competency, International scholarships, Academic Calendar: tuition, checked October 2026
• University of Waterloo: Deadlines, Admission Information Form, English language requirements, Tuition, International scholarships, Co-op, checked October 2026
• IRCC: Proof of financial support, checked October 2026