Ontario High school Students

So you’re ready to apply! Use the following to get your questions answered, understand the process and learn the lingo.

With the exception of Midwifery, we do not look at Grade 11 marks for admission.

For Midwifery, high school transcripts must show the Grade 11 prerequisite(s) as completed with a minimum grade of at least 75% and submitted by February 1, 2024 so that a preliminary eligibility and interview selection assessment can be made. Any offer of admission will be conditional upon successful completion of all Grade 12 prerequisites.

Unless otherwise stated, you do not need a minimum mark (beyond a passing grade) in each course required to calculate your admission average.

If you have repeated up to two courses, the highest mark reported will be used to calculate your admission average. If you repeat more than two courses, or an individual course three or more times, you may be asked to provide a letter explaining the need for the repeats. This information may be considered when determining admission.  
 
Courses completed after June 30 (immediately prior to the Fall intake) will not be included in your admission average calculation. 

Courses of this variety delivered by a Ministry-accredited institution/facility may be used for admission purposes without penalty. Summer courses taken immediately prior to the September entry, however, cannot be used for admission purposes.

International Baccalaureate (I.B.): Diploma or certificate students may request to be evaluated for advanced credit for completed Higher Level courses with a minimum final score of 5, at the discretion of the faculty.

Advanced Placement (A.P.): Applicants who have completed A.P. exams in acceptable courses with a minimum grade of 4 may be eligible for up to 18 units of advanced credit, at the discretion of the faculty.

Post-secondary: Please use McMaster’s transfer credit tool to search courses by McMaster or external courses.

If you have extenuating circumstances that may impact your academic performance, please reach out via this site’s chat function. You will be asked to submit a Request for Special Consideration form. We can direct you on the process and what is required for us to assess your situation as part of your admission. The deadline for form submission is May 1st.

 

You can find details about required documents on our dedicated Documents & Transcripts page.

Current Ontario High School Students

For current Ontario high school students, transcripts will be sent directly from your high school to OUAC. Students must request their English Language Proficiency test results be sent directly by the test provider either electronically or by mail.

Current Ontario High School Students

Current Ontario High school students must request that their English Language Proficiency test results be sent directly from the test provider either electronically or by mail.

 

We recommend that official documents, including SAT/ACT and AP test results, be sent via courier or a method that has tracking capabilities. All documents are non-returnable.

Please mail official documents to:

McMaster University
Admissions – GH 108
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8
Canada

Eligible documents may also be received electronically through the following service providers:
• OUAC EDI
• Parchment
• Naviance
• National Student Clearinghouse
• eScrip-Safe
• WES

 

You can find the list of acceptable tests, and possible exemption criteria on our English proficiency page.

If you do not meet our minimum English Proficiency requirements, you may wish to switch your program choice to our English Language Diploma (MELD) on OUAC. Please visit the MELD website for more information.

Current Ontario High School Students

Current Ontario high school students must request that their English Language Proficiency test results be sent directly from the test provider either electronically or by mail.

Non-current Ontario High School Students

Non-current Ontario high school students must request their English Language Proficiency test results be sent directly from the test provider either electronically or by mail. If you have access to your result, you can also upload it to your McMaster applicant portal.

 

Terms & definitions

OUAC

The Ontario Universities Application Centre. OUAC facilitates the process of applying to an Ontario university. When you apply, it will be through ouac.on.ca

Applicant portal

Once you apply on OUAC, you will get and email to access to your applicant portal. This is your place to submit documents, track your checklist and find your offer.

Go to applicant portal

By-selection program

By-selection programs assess applicants based on grades and the mandatory supplementary application.

Supplementary application

Supplementary applications are extra components that accompany some of our program applications. They help us learn more about you.

Find out more on our supplementary application page.

Major/Minor

A major is the main subject of focus for your degree.

A minor is a secondary subject that complements your major. It’s available to students enrolled in four or five-year programs.

Units

Units define the number of credits associated with a course.

A unit is roughly equivalent to one lecture-hour per week for one term or two hours of laboratories or seminars per week for one term.