How to Apply to Engineering at the University of Toronto: Direct Admission to a Specific Engineering Program or Engineering Science, the Mandatory Online Student Profile, and Requirements for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At the University of Toronto, undergraduate engineering is offered on the St. George campus by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and the degree is the Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc). Based on the university’s website, this guide covers September 2027 entry for domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents), international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer Science is in the Faculty of Arts & Science and has its own guide on this site; Computer Engineering belongs to the engineering faculty and is listed below.

1. Programs, accreditation and how admission works

• Core 8 programs: Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial, Materials, Mechanical and Lassonde Mineral Engineering; you apply directly to one of them.
• Engineering Science: also a direct-entry program, with two foundation years of engineering, math, science, computing and design, then a choice of eight majors: Aerospace, Biomedical Systems, Electrical & Computer, Energy Systems, Engineering Mathematics, Statistics & Finance, Engineering Physics, Machine Intelligence and Robotics Engineering.
• Accreditation: the Faculty Calendar states that all programs it lists are regularly evaluated and accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) of Engineers Canada, so graduation may lead to licensure as a Professional Engineer (PEng) under each province’s or territory’s rules. It also requires every student to complete at least 600 hours of practical experience before graduation; completing a PEY Co-op work term satisfies it.
• The “undeclared” option is paused: the Calendar’s Track One page (First Year Undeclared Engineering, a common first year before choosing a program) says the Faculty is pausing admission to Track One, not affecting students entering in fall 2026. Whether any such option exists for fall 2027 should be confirmed with the Faculty’s admissions site; on this wording, plan to apply directly to a specific program.
• Selectivity: the Calendar says admission is competitive, with more applications than places, and that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The Faculty considers academic performance, subjects taken and the mandatory Online Student Profile. Program-by-program admission averages are not published on the pages we read (not publicly stated; ask admissions@engineering.utoronto.ca).
• How the university reviews: the emphasis is on your most recent two years of results, including marks in prerequisite courses.
• After you are admitted: the Calendar says admission to a Core 8 program carries a guaranteed place in later years, subject to satisfactory standing.

2. Changing programs and leaving engineering

• Between Core 8 programs: after first year you may request a transfer to another Core 8 program, usually without extra courses. Places are limited, and in recent years some programs could not accept everyone. Students with a clear first-year record, a Winter Session average of 65% or higher and a request filed before May 15 receive preferential placement; students with honours in both sessions are automatically allowed into the program of their choice. Moving into Electrical or Computer Engineering requires APS105 (C programming); students in other programs can switch to it by November 25.
• From Engineering Science: new students can transfer to any Core 8 program at the start of fall; with a Fall average of 60% or higher, before the add deadline for Winter; with a Winter average of 55% or higher and a request before May 15.
• Into Engineering Science: possible only after a full year and with a superior record.
• Leaving for Arts & Science or another faculty: an internal transfer (Internal Application, $98), assessed on your overall record and most recent full-time year, plus the target program’s prerequisites; deadlines are often early.

3. Prerequisites and application materials

• Ontario (Faculty Calendar): eligibility for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and at least six Grade 12 U or M courses including ENG4U (English), MHF4U (Advanced Functions), MCV4U (Calculus & Vectors), SCH4U (Chemistry), SPH4U (Physics) and one more U or M course. Prerequisites must be completed within 5 years of the intended year of entry.
• Other provinces and territories (Faculty Calendar): Quebec applicants need 12 academic CEGEP courses (the university page says Calculus 1 and 2 and Linear Algebra 1 are required for Engineering from CEGEP Year 1); others need Grade 12 matriculation including English, mathematics (with calculus), physics and chemistry. For reference, the university’s equivalency table lists, for BC: English Studies 12, Calculus 12, Pre-Calculus 12, Chemistry 12, Physics 12; for Alberta: ELA 30-1, Math 31, Math 30-1, Chemistry 30, Physics 30. The Faculty’s province-by-province details are on Discover Engineering, which we could not read; use it as the final word.
• Online Student Profile: the Faculty Calendar calls it a mandatory “Online Student Profile”; the university’s deadlines page says all Engineering programs require the Engineering Supplemental Application (ESA), due January 15. The names differ and the pages do not say outright that they are the same item; the questions and submission steps are in the Engineering Applicant Portal after you apply. Interest in PEY Co-op is indicated there.
• Standardized tests: the China and U.S.-patterned pages say SAT and ACT are optional, but applicants to Engineering must fully disclose all test scores.

4. Application route, fees and timeline (fall 2027)

• Route: apply through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC). Applicants who live outside Canada, have not studied in Canada and are not applying to another Ontario university can use the university’s International Application, with a non-refundable $196 fee; applicants also applying to other Ontario universities use OUAC. The OUAC fee amount is not stated on the page we read; check OUAC.
• Timeline: applications typically open in late September. For Engineering the recommended early date is November 7 and the deadline is January 15; documents are due January 15; students who apply by November 7 and submit available documents by December 1 can be considered in the first round.
• Decisions: generally released from late January through late May. The university closes December 24 to January 5, and admissions processing is on hold.
• Conditions: offers are typically conditional, and all courses and graduation requirements must be completed by the end of June of the year of application.

5. Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents)

• Tuition (2026-27, Applied Science & Engineering bachelor): $14,180 for Ontario residents under the university’s freeze schedule (or $14,460 under the alternative schedule with the province’s 2% allowed increase), and $17,730 for non-Ontario residents; incidental and ancillary fees are extra. Domestic fees for 2027-28 are not yet published.
• Scholarships: many admission awards are considered automatically. The Faculty Calendar lists the National Scholarship (school-nominated, about 15 winners, covering tuition, incidental and residence fees for up to four years), the University of Toronto Scholars Program (over 800 awards of $10,000, automatic) and the President’s Scholars of Excellence ($15,000; the Calendar says about 120 recipients while the admissions site says about 150, so the pages differ). Need-based awards require a UTAPS application, and first-year applicants are advised to submit it in March.
• Province-based differences: besides the Ontario resident / non-Ontario resident tuition difference above, the pages we read give no separate admission treatment by province.

6. International applicants

• Academic background: the international high school page says applicants must present a senior/Grade 12 English course and other prerequisites at senior level; the Faculty Calendar requires senior-level math (with calculus), physics and chemistry. French Baccalaureate applicants to Engineering must present Physique-Chimie in both première and terminale and are recommended Mathématiques Expertes; British-patterned applicants need AS or A Level Mathematics for programs with a calculus prerequisite.
• IB: the full IB Diploma with English HL or SL, assessed on predicted or final results (excluding bonus points). Math Applications and Interpretations HL, or Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, satisfy the calculus and advanced functions prerequisites for science and business programs; the engineering math requirement is on Discover Engineering.
• English: required if English is not your first language, unless you have four or more years of full-time study in a recognized Canadian school or in an English-language school in a country where English is dominant. Accepted results include IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band under 6.0; TOEFL iBT on the new scale 4.5 overall with 4.5 Writing and 4.0 Speaking (for tests before January 21, 2026: 89 with 22 in Speaking and Writing), in a single sitting; Duolingo 120 overall and 120 Production (tests from July 1, 2024); PTE Academic 65 with no part under 60; Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 180 with at least 170 in each part; and IB English A at 4 or higher.
• Costs: 2026-27 international tuition for Applied Science & Engineering is $72,860 (the same for the 2023 to 2026 entering cohorts). The university’s planned 2027-28 figure is $75,770, shown for information and subject to change; it applies to students entering in 2027. International students also need the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP).
• Scholarships: as a public university, U of T cannot offer financial aid to international students, but they are automatically considered for the President’s Scholars of Excellence and the University of Toronto Scholars Program; the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship (about 37 per year, covering tuition, incidental fees, books and living expenses for four years) is a separate competition.
• Co-op (PEY Co-op): optional and paid; a 12-to-16-week summer work term after second year, then a 12-to-16-month work term usually after third year, normally making the degree five years. The Calendar states that international PEY Co-op students need a valid co-op work permit for a work term, and there is a program fee.

7. Applicants from China

• How the Gaokao is used: the university’s China page lists the minimum requirements as the Senior High School (Upper Middle School) Graduation Diploma issued by the Ministry of Education, the Academic Proficiency Test / Hui Kao results and the Gao Kao. SAT or ACT scores may be submitted, AP results are encouraged, and Engineering applicants must disclose all test scores.
• Dual-degree high schools (Sino-US, Sino-UK, Sino-Canadian and so on): use the requirements for the accredited high school diploma.
• Prerequisites: senior-level English, mathematics (with calculus), physics and chemistry; which Chinese courses count is not publicly stated, so ask the Faculty’s admissions office.
• English and costs: same as other international applicants; for China the university does not accept TOEFL Essentials, ITP or ITP Plus.
• The pages do not mention an interview or an accrediting agency for Chinese applicants.

8. Transfer students

• From other universities or colleges: the Faculty Calendar says candidates with acceptable standing elsewhere are considered case by case with transfer credit, that spaces for upper-year transfers are significantly limited, and that applicants who already hold a recognized engineering degree cannot do a second undergraduate engineering degree. The university page says transfer applicants to Engineering are not reviewed by the Admissions Committee until June.
• Prerequisites and credit: program prerequisites can be met at high school or university level; credits are assessed after admission and cannot be declined. The specific university calculus, physics and chemistry sequences and grade thresholds for engineering transfers are not stated on the pages we read (not publicly stated; ask the Faculty’s admissions office).
• Documents: current-year transcripts with first-semester results if possible. If you have completed more than two years at a recognized university, you may not be permitted to transfer into the same field.
• From a college: an Ontario college three-year or Advanced Diploma with an overall “B+” (all years completed in Ontario) can be considered, with program prerequisites met at the senior high school level; CEGEP applicants need at least 14 academic courses and Calculus I where required.
• From inside U of T: use the Internal Application ($98).

Checklist

Domestic applicants:

• Ontario: ENG4U, MHF4U, MCV4U, SCH4U, SPH4U plus one U/M course; other provinces: English, math with calculus, physics, chemistry
• Apply by November 7 (recommended) or January 15, submit documents and the Online Student Profile by January 15; choose a specific program

International applicants (including China):

• China: graduation diploma, Huikao and Gaokao results; senior English, math with calculus, physics and chemistry; disclose any SAT or ACT scores
• English evidence (IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 each, new-scale TOEFL 4.5, Duolingo 120); International Application ($196) by January 15; ask about the co-op work permit

Transfer students:

• Case-by-case review in June with very limited upper-year places; confirm course and grade expectations with the Faculty; engineering degree holders cannot apply

Sources: University of Toronto, Engineering overview; Engineering Calendar: admission requirements; Engineering Calendar: Faculty overview and programs; Engineering Calendar: accreditation and practical experience; Engineering Calendar: Track One; Engineering Calendar: PEY Co-op; Engineering Calendar: scholarships; Dates and deadlines; Applications and fees; Canadian high school requirements; International high school requirements; Requirements by country (China); English language requirements; How applications are considered; Canadian university or college transfer; Admission awards; Current students: transferring between programs; Current students: transferring between faculties; First-year FAQ; PEY Co-op; 2026-27 tuition fee report (PDF). Information is for September 2027 entry; 2027-28 international tuition is a planned figure shown for information only. Check the Discover Engineering site for the latest program details.