How to Apply to Chemistry at McGill University: Science Entry by Program Group, With Program Placement to Be Confirmed on the Website, and Requirements for Canadian, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

McGill University is in Montreal. The admissions pages read for this guide list the Faculty of Science B.Sc. entries by program group. The pages do not list which chemistry programs, degree variants (honours, major, minor, accredited streams) or research projects sit in each group; that is not published on the pages read for this guide, so please check the Faculty of Science and the chemistry department pages. This guide covers the key points for September 2027 entry for Canadian, international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants. Where a page prints no year for a date, check that it applies to 2027 entry. Engineering programs such as chemical engineering sit in the Faculty of Engineering and are outside this guide; see the McGill website.

1. How admission works: program groups in the Faculty of Science

• The Science entries are grouped as: Biological, Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bio-Physical-Computational Sciences; Physical, Earth, Math and Computer Sciences; and a new Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences stream for Fall 2027 whose grades are listed as TBD.
• Which group holds chemistry, whether you choose a program at application, and when and on what conditions you declare one after arrival are not published on the pages read; please check the McGill website.
• On the international page one prerequisite line covers the three main groups: mathematics plus at least two of biology, chemistry or physics. Canadian pages word the prerequisites by province (below).

2. Canadian applicants (by type of school)

• Ontario high school: reviewed on McGill’s “Top 6” of 4U, DU and 4M courses, at least six courses, at least four of them plus all prerequisites at 4U or DU, no more than two at 4M; all programs need a 4U English or French. Science prerequisites: 4U English or French, 4U Calculus and Vectors, and two of 4U Biology, Chemistry or Physics; math and science prerequisites must have been completed within the last five years; an OSSD is required before classes start. Last year’s cut-offs (no year printed): Biological, Biomedical and Life Sciences, Top 6 low to mid 90s and math and science courses low 90s; Bio-Physical-Computational, low to mid 90s on both; Physical, Earth, Math and Computer Sciences, Top 6 low 90s and math and science high 80s to low 90s. Meeting a listed range does not guarantee admission. Deadlines: application February 1, supporting documents May 4, Major Entrance Scholarship February 7; grade self-reporting has an optional period (February 1 to March 1) and a mandatory one (April 1 to May 15). No year is printed, so check the dates for 2027 entry.
• Other Canadian provinces: reviewed on the “Top 5” Grade 12 courses. Science prerequisites: Grade 12 English or French, Grade 12 math (precalculus or calculus) and two of Grade 12 Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Typical ranges: Biological, Biomedical and Life Sciences and Bio-Physical-Computational, low to mid 90s for both Top 5 and math and science courses; Physical, Earth, Math and Computer Sciences, Top 5 low 90s and math and science high 80s to low 90s. Deadlines: application February 1, documents May 4, scholarship February 7; self-reporting January 6 to February 1 (optional) and March 1 to May 1 (mandatory).
• Quebec CEGEP: reviewed on the overall R-Score and a core R-Score for the prerequisite courses. Science prerequisites (previous DEC): Biology NYA, Chemistry NYA and NYB, Math NYA, NYB and NYC, Physics NYA, NYB and NYC (course codes on the site); the new Science DEC and new Arts & Science DEC have their own codes. McGill writes that applicants with all prerequisites generally have an advantage in competitive programs, but students may be accepted with a minimum of four prerequisites including Math NYA, Math NYB and any two science prerequisites, with missing courses added at McGill. Graduates of the DEC in Sciences, lettres et arts (700.A0) are eligible for all programs and are not disadvantaged. Minimum R-Score (overall/core): Biological, Biomedical and Life Sciences 30.4/30.4; Bio-Physical-Computational 29.0/29.0; Physical, Earth, Math and Computer Sciences 28.0/28.0; Neuroscience 34.1/34.2. Deadlines: application March 1, documents April 15, scholarship March 7.
• The Ontario page says IB or AP (College Board) courses must be declared on the application, but admission is normally based on the high school Top 6, with advanced standing credit possible after admission based on final results.

3. International applicants: English requirement and exemptions

• Applicants who have lived and attended high school and/or university for at least four consecutive years in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language need no proof (the site lists the countries, including Canada, the USA, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa). Other exemptions include IB Group 1 English with a 5 or better, A-Level English with a C or better, GCSE/IGCSE/O-Level English with a B (or 5) or better, and an English CEGEP DEC in Quebec. McGill states that proof is required even if you consider English your first language or attended an English-medium school in a non-English country, unless an exemption applies.
• Minimum scores for Science and most other programs: TOEFL iBT 90 with 21 in each section; on the new 6-point TOEFL scale (tests from January 21, 2026) 4.5 overall with 4.5 in reading, listening and writing and 4.0 in speaking; IELTS Academic 6.5 with 6.0 in each component (One Skill Retake not accepted); PTE Academic 65 with 60 in components; Duolingo 125; CAEL 70 with 60 in components; Oxford ELLT 7 with 6 in components; Cambridge C1 Advanced grade B or better or C2 Proficiency grade C or better. Institutional test versions are not accepted and results must come directly from the testing organization.
• Other credentials (French Baccalaureate, India, HKDSE and so on) and U.S. high schools have their own pages, which are not published on the pages read for this guide; please check the McGill website.

4. Applicants from China (high school graduation diploma)

• McGill has a page for the China (PRC) Senior High School Graduation Diploma. Applicants are considered on the senior high school transcript (Grades 1, 2 and mid-year Grade 3) and all available Huikao results, which must be in numeric or letter-grade format rather than pass/fail. If Huikao results are qualified/unqualified, or the province does not offer the Huikao or APT, additional external results are expected: ACT or SAT or final AP results are preferred, otherwise school graduation exams or class rank, and applicants without any are still considered case by case. For Hubei, where the Huikao is not offered, the page asks for external results such as SAT I and SAT II. SAT cannot substitute for the Huikao.
• The minimum is normally an average of 85% or higher in each year and in all prerequisite courses; many programs are more competitive, and meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission. Science prerequisites: mathematics and at least two of biology, chemistry or physics through senior high school, with Huikao results.
• If you write the Gaokao, final official results must be forwarded to McGill. If admitted you must have your school send the final transcript, graduation certificate and all final Huikao results and maintain your academic level. The page does not give a Gaokao cut-off or conversion.
• Deadlines on the China page: application January 15, supporting documents March 1, Major Entrance Scholarship application and documents January 21 (no year printed; check for 2027 entry).
• The McGill Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong Entrance Scholarship is a one-year award of CAD 10,000 for undergraduate applicants who are Chinese citizens or Hong Kong permanent residents applying from the Chinese Mainland or Hong Kong; Canadian permanent residents are not eligible. It needs a separate application by the entrance scholarship deadline.

5. Transfer applicants

• McGill notes that for many programs transfer and second-degree applicants are often considered exceptionally, depending on space, and standards vary from year to year. Review is on all university, college or CEGEP work, and also earlier studies; results in courses relevant to the program count most. Applicants who already hold a degree or many courses in the same subject, with a risk of duplication, are usually not eligible.
• Science transfer prerequisites: one semester each of differential and integral calculus, and two semesters of biology, chemistry and/or physics with labs. Lowest CGPA admitted (2024/2025/2026): Biological, Biomedical and Life Sciences 3.8/N/A/N/A; Bio-Physical-Computational 3.8/3.8–4.0/3.8–4.0; Neuroscience 3.8/N/A/3.8–4.0; Physical, Earth, Math and Computer Sciences 3.7/3.7–4.0/3.8–4.0. Math and science prerequisite results are also reviewed.
• Math and science courses used for science-based admission or credit should normally have been completed within the last five years. A minimum of 60 credits must be completed at McGill; transfer credit is decided only after you accept the offer, pay the deposit and submit documents, and most programs accept at most six McGill credits for online or distance courses.
• Deadlines: from universities or colleges outside Canada, application January 15 and documents April 30; from universities in Canada, application May 1 and documents June 1 (no year printed; check).

6. Fee, decision dates, tuition and scholarships

• Application fee CAD 140.16 (non-refundable); a second application for the same term and level costs nothing extra, and each further one is CAD 140.16. Applications open online from October 1 (no year printed).
• Estimated decision release for September 2027: U.S. high schools mid-November to end of April; other high schools outside the U.S. and Canada mid-November to mid-May; Canada outside Ontario and Quebec mid-January to mid-May; Ontario mid-February to end of May; CEGEPs and similar end of February to mid-May; transfer applicants from outside Canada mid-February to mid-July. Highly competitive programs may be later.
• Tuition for 2026-27 (fee pages): Quebec students CAD 103.92 per credit; Canadian students from outside Quebec admitted since Fall 2024 CAD 432.85 per credit (Rate A), earlier admits CAD 324.35 (Rate B); student services and other fees are charged on top. For international students admitted in Fall 2026, the BSc table lists tuition of CAD 64,785.90 and an estimated total of CAD 68,322.91 including other fees and international health insurance; McGill describes a guaranteed tuition model (cost per credit fixed for the degree) with other fees rising about 3% a year. The table does not state the period the amount covers, so check the PDF on the McGill website.
• Entrance scholarships: every applicant is automatically considered for a one-year CAD 3,000 award if minimum academic requirements are met (not guaranteed). Major Entrance Scholarships range from CAD 12,000 to 48,000 in total (CAD 3,000 to 12,000 a year, renewable up to 3 or 4 years), need a separate application due about a week after the admission deadline, and the CAD 12,000 level is only for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Transfer, mature, visiting and special students are not eligible for entrance scholarships.

7. What to check next

• Which Science group includes chemistry, and the degree types and research options (not published on the pages read);
• Whether the dates and ranges on your school-type page are updated for 2027 entry;
• Past ranges are guides only; McGill states they do not guarantee admission.

Sources: Admission requirements; Ontario high school; Canadian high school (outside Quebec and Ontario); Quebec CEGEP; China (PRC) Senior High School Graduation Diploma; Transfer, Second Degree, Special & Visiting; English proficiency; Decision dates; Finances; Entrance scholarships; Tuition & Fees 2026-27.