What University Admissions Really Looks For in Your Grade 12 Year

Ontario university admissions has changed significantly over the last decade. Competition for spots in programs like engineering, health sciences, nursing, and business at Toronto, Western, Queen's, Waterloo, and McMaster has intensified every year. Understanding exactly how the system works — and where students lose points they do not realize they are losing — is the first step to protecting your admission average.

How the Ontario Admission Average Is Calculated

Most Ontario universities calculate your admission average using your six best Grade 12 U or M-level courses, with specific required courses depending on the program. A common mistake students make is not knowing exactly which six courses their target program will count.

For example, Engineering programs at Waterloo and Toronto require English (ENG4U), Advanced Functions (MHF4U), Calculus (MCV4U), and Chemistry (SCH4U) as mandatory prerequisites. The remaining two spots in your top-six are filled with your best optional courses. A student who takes an easy optional course hoping to boost their average — but gets a 78 — when they could have gotten an 88 in a course they enjoyed, has actually hurt their own application.

"The best strategic move is usually the one that matches your genuine strengths — not the one that looks easiest on paper."

Grade 12 vs. Grade 11 Grades: What Actually Gets Submitted

For most Ontario universities, the admission offer is based on your Grade 12 midterm grades (usually released in February) for the current school year. Your final Grade 12 marks then confirm the offer. Some universities will also look at your Grade 11 grades for early consideration — particularly if you are applying to competitive programs.

This means your Grade 11 performance matters more than most students think. A strong Grade 11 record can result in early conditional offers and fewer headaches during the high-stakes second semester of Grade 12.

The Programs With the Highest Cutoffs in Ontario (2024–25)

• Computer Science — University of Waterloo: Unofficial cutoff typically 90%+, plus AIF (Admissions Information Form) and contest grades for CS and Software Engineering
• Engineering — University of Toronto (St. George): Low-to-mid 90s for most streams; Electrical and Computer Engineering historically highest
• Commerce — Queen's University: Mid-to-high 80s with strong extracurriculars weighted through personal statement
• Health Sciences — McMaster: High 80s; significant weight given to supplementary application
• Nursing — Various Ontario schools: High 70s to low 80s, with clinical volunteer experience often expected

What Students Get Wrong About Extracurriculars

Most Ontario university programs are primarily marks-based — but the gap between programs that use only grades and those that also weigh a supplementary application is significant. Waterloo's AIF, Queen's personal statement, and McMaster's supplementary form all ask you to demonstrate leadership, sustained commitment, and genuine interest in the field.

Students who join ten clubs in Grade 12 for the sole purpose of having something to write about tend to come across exactly like that. Admissions readers see thousands of applications. What stands out is depth: a student who spent three years coaching a youth soccer team, or who built a real software project, or who tutored peers consistently — not a laundry list of surface-level involvements.

The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do Right Now

Know your target programs' requirements inside out — required courses, minimum averages, supplementary application deadlines — before the end of Grade 11. Students who are informed early make better course selections, plan their optional courses strategically, and have time to improve before midterm grades are submitted.

If your grades in any required course are not where they need to be, Grade 11 or early Grade 12 is the time to close the gap — not the week before applications are submitted.