Get ready to apply (All other high school applicants)

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

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.

For students who repeat two or less courses, or a single course two or less, the highest mark is used to calculate an admission average. Students repeating more than two courses, or an individual course more than two times, may be asked to provide a letter explaining their circumstances. We will reach out if this is required

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 this form to be submitted is May 1st.

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

Current Ontario High school Students

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

Not Current Ontario High school Students

Canadian high school students outside of Ontario will be required to upload relevant documents to the McMaster Applicant Portal. You can review your required documentation there.

Please ensure that documentation is submitted by the appropriate deadlines listed on the Dates & Deadlines page. Do not send any documentation outside of what is required.

Updates can take up to three weeks from the date of receipt at McMaster. Do not upload the same documents multiple times before they are reviewed as this will put you further down the queue.

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.

Not Current Ontario High school Students

Documents uploaded to the applicant portal are deemed unofficial and will be used for the initial review and admission decision purposes. If you are granted a conditional offer of admission and decided to accept that offer, we will require final official transcripts at that time.

IELTS, TOEFL and other English Language proficiency results must be sent to McMaster directly from the testing center.

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 have access to your result, you can upload it on your student portal under the “English Proficiency” checklist item. Results do not need to be sent directly from the testing centre.

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.

 

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 an 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.

Non-by-selection programs

Supplementary application

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

Major/Minor

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.

High school curriculum

Your curriculum is your study program. You could be taking a country curriculum (your national education system). Or, you could be taking an international curriculum, like CBSE, IB, etc.

School Profile

A School Profile is an official document or brochure created by the school that elaborates on the school’s accreditations, curricula, course offerings, graduation requirements, diplomas awarded, and grading scale. It may also include information about the student body, graduation rate, school’s history, and notable facts of interest. The School Profile is a required component of the application for students studying an American or American-influenced curriculum. Please note that a School Profile is not simply a grading scale. To obtain a School Profile, please contact your school counselor or school administrator for assistance. 

Course Outline

A detailed course outline provides further information about the course content and delivery. The course outline should be as detailed as possible and include: a detailed list of topics/chapters covered, a list of textbook(s) used, class hours, weekly lesson plans, methods of evaluation (assignments/tests), etc. If the course outline is too brief or doesn’t provide the level of detail requested, or if the course outline doesn’t appear official, it may be rejected.