General Ontario College Transfer Policy

Laurier recognizes that students benefit from exposure to both the applied knowledge programs offered at a college and the more theoretical liberal studies offered by university programs. Review Laurier's program-specific college pathways.

Admission from college programs is based on the following criteria:

• Applicability of your college program to the Laurier degree/major to which you’re applying.
• Appropriateness of the courses taken.
• Your academic achievement.
• Completion of necessary prerequisite courses (as applicable).
  • All programs require a 4U English at a minimum of 60% (some programs may require a higher minimum grade). In many cases, college diplomas include a course that is equivalent to a 4U university-level English.

Note: Admission to programs with limited enrolment is highly competitive, and a higher academic standing than the stated minimum averages may be required. We will accept the higher of any repeated courses for admission.

Completed One Year of a Program

Applicants who have completed the first year of a college program with a cumulative admission average of 70% or higher will be considered for part-time admission into the first year of a Waterloo BA program, or a Brantford BA or BASc program. Applicants with a cumulative admission average of 75% will be considered for full-time admission into the first year of a Waterloo BA program or Brantford BA or BASc program.

All other Laurier programs (excluding competitive programs) will require a cumulative admission average of 80% (A-) or better in order to be considered for full-time admission into first year. Up to a half years’ worth of transfer credit may be granted, depending on academic achievement. A minimum grade of 70% (B-) must have been attained in any applicable courses for transfer credit consideration.

Competitive programs, including the Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, Bachelor of Business Technology Management and the Bachelor of Kinesiology, require outstanding academic achievement in college courses and high school prerequisites, as space for transfer students in these programs is subject to availability based on the number and calibre of applicants.

Completed a Two-Year Program or Two Years of a Three-Year Program

Applicants who have achieved a cumulative admission average of 75% will be considered for full-time admission to an appropriate program at the Waterloo Campus, and applicants who have achieved a cumulative admission average of 70% or better will be considered for full-time admission to an appropriate program at the Brantford Campus.

Up to a year’s worth of transfer credits may be granted, depending on academic achievement. A minimum grade of 70% must have been attained in any applicable courses for transfer credit consideration.

Completed a Three-Year Program

Applicants who have achieved a cumulative admission average of 75% will be considered for full-time admission to an appropriate program at the Waterloo Campus, and applicants who have achieved a cumulative admission average of 70% or better will be considered for full-time admission to an appropriate program at the Brantford Campus.

Up to a year and a half’s worth of transfer credits may be granted, depending on academic achievement. A minimum grade of 70% must have been attained in any applicable courses for transfer credit consideration.

University transfer students will be selected for admission on a competitive basis. Normally, a minimum cumulative admission average of 70% will be required for full-time admission. However, a higher admission average may be required for some programs (possession of the minimum requirements for entry does not guarantee admission). We will accept the higher of any repeated courses for admission.

You are responsible for requesting official transcripts from both secondary and post-secondary schools. Your transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution to the Recruitment and Admissions office at Laurier. When we have received all official transcripts and any supporting documentation, you’ll be notified of our admission decision.

If you have been required to withdraw from a university or post-secondary institution, refer to our sections on admission for withdrawal students below.

Credits you have satisfactorily completed at other accredited institutions will be considered as completed credits at Laurier (transfer credits) with the following conditions:

• Every credit you previously earned will be considered for transfer, but your grades for those credits will not be included in your cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) at Laurier (only courses taken at Laurier will be included in your cumulative GPA).
• Transfer credits will not be given for courses that are part of your Laurier major if the grade was less than 60% (C-).

Transferring into Kinesiology or Health Sciences

Transferring into the Kinesiology (BKin) program or Health Sciences (BSc) program at Laurier is a competitive process, and space is extremely limited. You’ll need a minimum GPA of 10.0 (low 80s) to be considered for either program, but higher grades may be necessary, depending on space availability and the number/calibre of applicants. You must also have the average and courses required of students entering the program from high school. An overall high school average of mid 80s is required, in addition to the following required courses:

Health Sciences:

• 4U English at 60%
• 4U Biology at 60%
• 4U Chemistry at 60%
• 4U Advanced Functions at 60%

Kinesiology:

• 4U English at 60%
• 4U Biology at 70%
• One of 3U/M Functions and Relations or any 4U Mathematics at 60%

We accept students for September entry only. Students will be accepted based on Faculty review for admission.

Transferring into Business Administration

Transferring into the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at Laurier is a competitive process, and space is limited. You’ll need a minimum GPA of 10.0 (low 80s) to be considered, but a higher grade will probably be necessary, depending on space availability and the number/calibre of applicants. In addition to postsecondary grades, high school grades will also be taken into consideration for admission. An overall high school average in the high 80s is typically required, in addition to the following required courses:

• 4U English at 70%
• 4U Advanced Functions at 70%
• One of 4U Calculus and Vectors or 4U Data Management at 60%

We accept students for September entry only and only to first year. Students will be accepted based on Faculty review for admission.

Social Work (BSW)

Minimum overall university average of 75%. Students will be accepted based on Faculty review for admission.

Homeschooled students will be considered for admission to Laurier Bachelor of Arts programs at the discretion of the faculties, provided that they submit satisfactory documentation of independent evidence of academic achievement. All homeschooled students can also be considered for admission to Bachelor of Arts programs at our Brantford campus or into the Faculty of Music at the Waterloo campus via specific admissions policies.

You may be considered as an adult student if you do not meet the necessary minimum requirements for admission to your program and you have never previously attended a college or university. If you have attended a postsecondary institution before applying to Laurier, you are considered a transfer student.

As an adult student, you are considered for admission if you meet one of the following conditions:

1. You graduated from high school and do not have the required six 4U and/or 4M courses  (or equivalent) and have 2 or more years of work experience prior to the first day of classes. (If you graduated from high school with six 4U and/or 4M courses, you are considered a high school applicant).
2. You are at least 21 years old and have at least 2 years of work experience prior to the first day of classes.

Adult students are normally admitted to part-time studies into a General BA or BSc program without designation. You can apply for full-time studies after one year.

During the initial period of assessment, adult students registered in part-time studies may register in a maximum of 1.0 credit (two courses) per term. To continue at Laurier, you must attain a minimum C- average (a Grade Point Average of 4.00) on 4.0 credits.

If you are 60 years old, or older, you can be admitted to part-time studies regardless of your previous academic background. You can register in courses for credit, or register as an audit student (take courses without receiving academic credit).

You can also be admitted to full-time studies – applications for full-time studies will be assessed on an individual basis.

As a student at Laurier, normal academic regulations will still apply to you.

Your tuition fees will be waived if you’re 60 years of age by the start date of lectures. You are still responsible for ancillary fees.

If you wish to attend classes without receiving academic credit, you can self-identify as an audit student. Tuition fees are normally half the regular course fee, with a few exceptions where you must pay full course fees. Fees are non-refundable.

You do not need to meet entrance requirements as an audit student. You don’t write mid-term or final examinations, but you may participate in classes to the extent allowed or required by the course professor.

If you were required to withdraw from Laurier, you can request readmission one year (12 months) after the date you were required to withdraw.

Note: Due to the competitive nature of the programs in our School of Business and Economics, students who were required to withdraw from Laurier are not eligible for readmission into those programs. You can apply to be readmitted to another program at the university.

For readmission into the faculties of Arts, Liberal Arts, Human and Social Science, Music or Science, academic upgrading is required. The Faculty of Music will also require you to re-audition. You must complete two academic college courses, each at a minimum grade of 80% (A-), or two university courses, each at a minimum grade of 70% (B-). These courses can’t be taken at Laurier and must not cover course material previously taken at Laurier. The courses must be academic in content and cover disciplines that are taught in the desired Laurier faculty. Business courses will not be approved. Any additional courses you have taken while on “must withdraw” status must be pre-approved by the Office of the Registrar.

Courses taken at college or another university to either meet upgrading requirements or taken for interest while you were on “must withdraw” status will not be considered for transfer credit if you are admitted to Laurier.

Readmission will be at the discretion of the faculty and is not guaranteed.

If you’ve been required to withdraw from another postsecondary institution, you can apply for admission one year (12 months) after the date you were asked to withdraw.

Academic upgrading is required: you must complete two academic college courses, each at a minimum grade of 80% (A-), or 2 university courses, each at a minimum grade of 70% (B-). These courses can’t be taken at Laurier or cover course material previously taken at another postsecondary institution. Any additional courses you have taken while on “must withdraw” status will be assessed by the admissions committee. Courses taken for upgrading purposes must be pre-approved by the admissions committee.

Admission will be at the discretion of the admissions committee and is not guaranteed.

Courses taken at college or another university to either meet upgrading requirements or taken for interest while you were on “must withdraw” status will not be considered for transfer credit if you are admitted to Laurier.

If admitted, you can enrol in part-time studies on academic probation. You’ll be limited to 1.0 credits a semester and must successfully complete 2.0 credits with a Grade Point Average of 5.00 (C) within two years. You’ll be limited to taking 2.0 credits until academic probation is cleared. Upon clearing academic probation, you can proceed into full-time or part-time studies in accordance with regular academic regulations.

If you’re registered at another university and wish to take courses at Laurier and transfer those credits to your home university, you can register at Laurier on a Letter of Permission. You are not required to submit transcripts.

Note: We cannot guarantee space in courses for students from other universities; preference is given to Laurier students.

If you are a student at the University of Waterloo, you can learn about our cross-registration procedures on the University of Waterloo website.