How to Apply to Engineering at Carleton University: 16 BEng Disciplines in the Faculty of Engineering and Design, Direct Admission to Your Program, and Prerequisites and Timelines for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Carleton University is in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. Undergraduate engineering is offered by the Faculty of Engineering and Design, leading to the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng). Computer science sits in the School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science and has its own guide on this site, so it is not covered here. This guide follows Carleton’s website for domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents), international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students, for fall 2027 entry.

1. Disciplines, accreditation and how you are admitted

• BEng disciplines (admissions site list, 16): aerospace; architectural conservation and sustainability; biomedical and electrical; biomedical and mechanical; civil; computer systems; electrical; engineering physics; environmental; mechanical; mechatronics; software engineering (BEng); sustainable electrical power; sustainable energy; systems security; and telecommunications engineering. The admissions site list also has a separate “Software Engineering (Computer Science)” entry, which is not covered here. The faculty’s accreditation page uses slightly different names (for example Communications Engineering and Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering), so use the names shown in the application and the calendar. The calendar shows that some disciplines, such as aerospace, have streams.
• You apply directly to a discipline: the engineering requirements table on the admissions site lists minimum cut-off ranges by discipline, which suggests admission by discipline with separate cut-offs. All programs have limited enrolment, meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission, and the overall average is set each year program by program. The calendar and pages we read do not describe a common first year or GPA-based allocation after first year; this is not published there, so ask the Engineering Academic Support Office (ECORSupport@carleton.ca).
• Program length: the calendar shows 21.0 credits for programs such as aerospace and computer systems engineering, and requires the degree to be completed within eight calendar years of initial registration. The co-op option may add up to one extra year.
• Accreditation: the faculty’s accreditation page says Carleton’s undergraduate engineering degrees have a long history of accreditation and lists the year each began (for example mechanical, civil and electrical since 1965, aerospace since 1992, software engineering since 2003); accreditation for mechatronics will be sought when its first class graduates. The page does not use the term “CEAB”, and it points to Professional Engineers Ontario as the licensing body in Ontario.
• Co-op: every engineering program is available with or without co-op. Requirements: full-time status, at least 5.0 credits completed with an overall CGPA of 8.00 or higher, and the zero-credit COOP 1000; BEng students complete four work terms of four months each to earn the co-op designation, with the sample work/study patterns in the calendar starting work terms in the summer of second year. You can apply from high school (grades are reviewed two terms to a year before the first work term) or after you start. The calendar says employment is not guaranteed; international students must be legally eligible to work in Canada and are advised to talk to the international student services office, and federal government jobs give priority to Canadian citizens.
• Additional materials: the additional admission requirements page lists architecture, industrial design, information technology (some streams), nursing, music and social work, but not engineering, so no portfolio or supplementary application is listed for engineering.

2. Prerequisites and minimum cut-off ranges

• Ontario (OSSD): at least six 4U/4M courses; the prerequisites must be 4U with no individual grade below 60%: Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry and Physics. A 4U English or French is recommended, not required. Co-op credits do not count among the six courses.
  The admissions table gives these minimum cut-off ranges (they apply to the overall and prerequisite averages; actual cut-offs are set each year per program):
  • Aerospace and mechanical: 88–90%
  • Biomedical and mechanical, civil, electrical, engineering physics, mechatronics, sustainable energy, systems security: 80–85%
  • Architectural conservation and sustainability, biomedical and electrical, computer systems, environmental, software, sustainable electrical power, telecommunications: 75–80%
  The 2026-27 calendar words the Ontario requirement differently: Advanced Functions, Chemistry and Physics plus one of Calculus and Vectors (recommended), Biology, or Earth and Space Science. The admissions site makes Calculus and Vectors required. The two pages disagree; rely on the admissions site and your offer.
• British Columbia: a diploma with four academic Grade 12 courses; prerequisites Pre-Calculus 12, Calculus 12, Chemistry 12 and Physics 12, each at least 60%; Grade 12 English recommended. The admissions site gives no cut-off range for BC applicants, only that averages are set each year per program and all programs are limited; no specific score is published.
• Alberta: five courses numbered 30 or 31; prerequisites Math 30-1, Math 31, Chemistry 30 and Physics 30, each at least 60%; English 30 recommended. Other provinces are in the drop-down on the admissions site.
• Testing: the Canadian high school entries list no SAT or ACT requirement; U.S. high school applicants are encouraged to submit SAT or ACT scores.

3. Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents)

• How to apply: through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), including for Canadian high school students outside Ontario (the admissions pages say to apply online at the OUAC website). OUAC’s own fee is set by OUAC; we did not visit OUAC.
• Deadlines: the general fall deadline is June 1, 2027 (for students whose transcripts come from Canada or the U.S.), and Ontario secondary school students submit to OUAC by January 15, 2027; some programs have earlier deadlines. Ontario high school students accept offers by June 1. Only a limited number of programs admit in January (winter), with a November 15, 2026 deadline; whether engineering is open for winter is not stated on the pages we read (see the January Admissions page).
• Tuition (2026-2027, including compulsory ancillary fees, university-wide, not engineering-specific): Ontario residents $7,580–$14,515; Canadian residents outside Ontario $9,212–$17,935. For the engineering figure see carleton.ca/fees. Residence: from $14,010.36 for eight months (traditional double, guaranteed).
• Scholarships: students admitted with an average of 85% or higher from high school or CÉGEP are automatically considered for a renewable entrance scholarship ($1,000–$3,000 a year, renewable with an A- average, per the international page). Applicants with 90% or higher may apply for Prestige Scholarships (application and a letter of reference by March 1, 2027). Entrance bursaries (apply by June 30) and leadership entrance bursaries (by May 1) are also listed, and Ontario residents can apply for OSAP.

4. International applicants

• How to apply and deadlines: apply directly through Carleton 360 (processing fee $100 CAD) or through OUAC. The main fall deadline is April 1, 2027 (transcripts from outside Canada and the U.S.); for transcripts from Canada or the U.S. it is June 1; some programs have earlier deadlines. Most programs are assessed on a rolling basis once the application and grades are in, and most offers are conditional.
• English (admission with no further ESL requirement): IELTS Academic 6.5 (no band below 6.0); TOEFL iBT taken before January 21, 2026 86 (minimum 22 in writing and speaking, 20 in reading and listening), and the new scale 4.5 (no band below 4.0); Duolingo 120 (110 in writing, reading and speaking, 105 in listening); PTE 55 (47 per skill); CAEL 70; Cambridge C1/C2 176 or above. Three years of full-time study in English in the listed countries can also satisfy the requirement (the ESL page has the country list); time in ESL courses does not count.
• Admission with an ESL requirement: lower scores (IELTS 5.0 with no band below 4.5, Duolingo 80, new TOEFL 3.0, PTE 31) can lead to admission with Academic ESL courses, which can take up to three terms. The list of programs that are not open to students with an English requirement does not include engineering.
• Tuition (frozen for 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29, per academic year September to April): Bachelor of Engineering $55,000; miscellaneous fees about $2,500 (UHIP health insurance, transit pass, on-campus health care, athletics and so on, an estimate). Living costs: residence and meal plan for eight months about $14,010, books about $1,400 and personal expenses about $3,000; off-campus housing and food about $16,000.
• Scholarships: automatic entrance scholarships of $1,000–$3,000 a year (based on prior grades, renewable with an A- average); the President’s Welcome Award for International Students, automatically considered for September 2027 applicants entering directly from high school and paying international fees, a one-time $2,000–$5,000 for first year; and Prestige Scholarships (average over 90%, application required by March 1), $5,000–$14,178 a year.
• International curricula: the IB requires the full diploma (three SL, three HL) with at least 28 points (some programs are higher); prerequisite subjects need 4 or better: SL or HL chemistry and physics, and Analysis and Approaches SL/HL or Applications and Interpretation HL. HL grades of 5 or better may earn up to 3.0 transfer credits. British A-levels: five GCSE/IGCSE/O-level subjects plus two A-levels or four AS-levels; chemistry, physics and math at A or AS level (chemistry may sometimes be at O-level). U.S. high school: at least 16 academic units in grades 9–12 and a B- average in the final years; prerequisites chemistry, physics and pre-calculus (math and physics at grade 12); AP scores of 4 or better can earn up to 3.0 credits.
• Proof of funds: not stated on the pages we read (not published there); check Carleton’s Study Permit Information page and the Canadian immigration website.

5. Applicants from China

• Which page: the “Chinese High School” entry on the admissions site’s international high school page.
• Admission average: calculated using all nine academic subjects at the highest level taken; the prerequisites (chemistry, physics and math) must be presented at grade 11 or 12.
• Final grades and diploma: offers are finalized on receipt of final grades and the official graduation certificate, which should be verified by the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD).
• Cut-offs: the entry gives no minimum average for Chinese high schools and no ranges by discipline; not published there. Ask international@carleton.ca.
• Gaokao: the entry does not say whether or how Gaokao or Huikao results are used; not published there. Ask Undergraduate Admissions.
• English: see section 4. China is not on the ESL page’s list of countries and territories that may qualify for an exemption, so an English test score is generally needed; the final decision is made when your application is assessed.
• Deadlines: transcripts from China follow the international deadline, April 1, 2027; some programs are earlier, and engineering is not among those listed with additional materials.

6. Transfer students (including college transfers)

• Ontario college transfers: at least one year of full-time study with a 3.0 GPA (B) in a diploma program; prerequisites remain Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry and Physics; private Canadian colleges are not considered; transfer credit is assessed after admission and detailed course descriptions may be requested.
• Other Canadian or Ontario university transfers: same prerequisites. The calendar says applicants for admission beyond first year are assessed on their merits, with individual subjects completed at C- or higher at another university or degree-granting college evaluated for standing, and that students entering engineering with advanced standing receive transfer credit for at most ten credits.
• Québec CÉGEP: one year with at least 12 academic courses; prerequisites Mathematics 201 (Calculus 1 or Differential Calculus), Chemistry 202 and Physics 203, none below 60%; more than 12 pre-university courses are considered for advanced standing.
• International post-secondary: no separate “transfer” application; your post-secondary studies are the basis of admission, with transcripts from every institution and official course descriptions (translated if needed) for credit; prerequisites pre-calculus, physics and chemistry.
• Internal transfers within Carleton: the same prerequisites; the GPA and capacity for moving into an engineering program are not stated on the pages we read, so ask the faculty’s Academic Support Office.
• Deadlines: the same as first-year applicants, fall June 1, 2027 (April 1 for international transcripts).

Checklist

Domestic applicants:

• Apply to your discipline through OUAC: January 15 for Ontario high school students, June 1, 2027 for other domestic applicants
• Ontario: Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry, Physics (4U, each at least 60%) and six 4U/4M courses; BC: Pre-Calculus 12, Calculus 12, Chemistry 12, Physics 12; aim for the range of your discipline, 75%–90%

International applicants (including China):

• China: chemistry, physics and math, an average over nine academic subjects, and a graduation certificate verified by CSSD; ask Admissions how the Gaokao is used
• IELTS 6.5 (6.0 per band), new TOEFL 4.5 or Duolingo 120; apply by April 1, 2027 with the $100 CAD fee
• Co-op requires legal eligibility to work in Canada; confirm with the university

Transfer students:

• College transfers need one year and a 3.0 GPA; prerequisites Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry, Physics
• University transfers into engineering receive at most ten credits

Sources: Carleton University, Engineering (BEng); Ontario high school graduates; Canadian high school students outside Ontario; International applicants; International Baccalaureate students; University transfer students; English language requirements; Deadlines; Additional admission requirements; USA and international costs; Domestic costs; Scholarships and bursaries; Accreditation of engineering programs; 2026-27 Undergraduate Calendar: Engineering. Information is for fall 2027 entry; the calendar states that its admission requirements are for 2026-27 only. Check Carleton for the latest details.