How to Apply to Chemistry at Queen’s University: Apply Through a Faculty of Arts and Science Science Entry, Choose a Chemistry Plan After First Year (Honours Specialization, Environmental Chemistry, Honours Major) With Enrolment Limits, and Admission and Prerequisites for Canadian Students, International Students (Including Applicants from China) and Transfer Students

Queen’s University is in Kingston, Ontario. Chemistry is offered by the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Arts and Science: you apply through a Faculty of Arts and Science entry and choose a chemistry plan after first year. This guide summarizes the pages for 2027 entry for Canadian students, international students (including applicants from China) and transfer students. Where the website does not say, we write “not published” and point you to where to check.

Chemistry: degrees and directions

• Department: the chemistry plans on the department’s undergraduate degree page are all in the Faculty of Arts and Science, taught in Kingston.
• Honours Specialization, CHEM-P-BSH (Bachelor of Science Honours): described as the “flagship plan” giving an in-depth introduction to all sub-disciplines of chemistry. The unit counts printed on the page are 78.0 core/option units plus 30.0 elective units, 108.0 in all. The plan is accredited by the Canadian Society for Chemistry and includes a fourth-year research project. Enrolment limits: 10 students in Year 2, 10 in Year 3 and 10 in Year 4. First year: CHEM112/6.0, PHYS104/6.0 or PHYS106/6.0 or PHYS115 and PHYS116, and MATH121/6.0.
• Environmental Chemistry, ECHM-P-BSH (Bachelor of Science Honours): offered jointly by the Department of Chemistry and the School of Environmental Studies, also accredited by the Canadian Society for Chemistry, with a background suited to graduate study in environmental science or chemistry. Its first year adds BIOL111 or BIOL102, GPHY101 (or GPHY100) and GEOL104 to CHEM112, MATH121 and physics.
• Honours Major, CHEM-M-BSH (Bachelor of Science Honours): the page prints 72.0 core/option/supporting units plus 48.0 elective units, 120.0 in all. It is accredited by the Canadian Society for Chemistry and includes a fourth-year research project. Enrolment limits, including Major-minor and Major-general programs where chemistry is the major: at most 45 students in each of Years 2, 3 and 4. The website suggests at least 6.0 further units of 300- and 400-level chemistry if you may go to graduate school.
• Three-year general degrees: CHEM-G-BSC (B.Sc.; 27.0 core + 9.0 option + 12.0 supporting = 48.0 as printed) and CHEM-G-BA (B.A.; 6.0 core + 24.0 option + 6.0 supporting = 36.0), each limited to 10 students in Years 2 and 3, plus a CHEM-Z Chemistry Minor (27.0 core + 21.0 elective = 48.0) taken with a major in another Arts or Science subject. The website says transfer from the general B.Sc. to CHEM-M-BSH is possible if the acceptance criteria are met; ask the undergraduate chair.
• Other: the page also lists an Accelerated MSc Program, whose page was not read.
• Research and accreditation: the website says all major and specialization students do research in fourth year; the plans are accredited by the Canadian Society for Chemistry (see above).
• Work experience: the chemistry pages do not describe a work year. The Department of Biology’s site describes the Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Program (QUIP), a paid, career-related 12–16 month internship for second- or third-year students in Arts and Science and other faculties, open to domestic and international students; whether chemistry students can join is something to confirm with the Department of Chemistry.
• Careers: the website says the honours Major or Specialization prepares students for graduate study in chemistry and for work as chemists in government or industrial laboratories or in technical sales, and is suitable preparation for professional programs such as law, dentistry, medicine and business administration; the three-year general degree is often taken by students who enter a professional program after third year. It lists environmental chemistry, chemical sales, food and flavour chemistry, geochemistry, hazardous waste management, science writing, medicinal chemistry and catalysis among the options.
• Outside this guide: biology, biochemistry, nursing and health sciences are not covered here; see the program overview.

How to get into chemistry

• At application: apply through a Faculty of Arts and Science entry. The pages read do not say which application code leads to chemistry; the science entry streams and their requirements are listed under Prerequisites below.
• Choosing a plan: the department says plan selection and acceptance thresholds are explained on the Faculty’s Plan Selection page, which was not read, so the course grades and averages needed for each chemistry plan are not published in this guide; check that page. What is clear is that each plan has the enrolment limits above, and meeting a threshold does not by itself guarantee entry.
• Example courses (Honours Specialization): second year CHEM211/212/213 and 221/222/223; third year CHEM311/312/313, 321/322/323 and CHEM397/6.0; fourth year CHEM497/6.0 plus 9.0 units of chemistry. The page notes that timetabling may push second-year courses into third year.

Prerequisites

• Entry requirements for Ontario applicants: see the Canadian applicants section below. The Physical and Chemical Sciences entry (QSP) needs Chemistry 4U or Physics 4U; the website does not require Chemistry 4U for chemistry as such.
• First-year courses: the chemistry plans all start with CHEM112/6.0 and MATH121/6.0 (the Specialization and Major add physics). The website does not describe high school prerequisites or placement tests for these university courses; ask the Department of Chemistry.
• AP/IB credit: the website has a transfer credits page that was not read; check it. No chemistry admission test or interview is mentioned.

School level: how and when to apply (2027 entry)

• Three ways to apply (see how to apply): the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), for applicants within Canada and for applicants outside Canada who also apply to another Ontario university; Common App, for applicants from the United States or outside Canada who want to use it; and the Queen’s International Application, for international applicants not applying to another Ontario university. Five to seven business days after applying you receive an acknowledgement with an 8-digit student number and NetID activation instructions; your personal to-do list then appears in SOLUS, and it differs for each applicant.
• Supplementary application: required for Commerce, Nursing and Health Sciences, and auditions for music programs. The Faculty of Arts and Science science options covered here are not listed as needing one, but your to-do list may differ, so check SOLUS.
• Timeline (the deadlines page prints the years): applications open October 1, 2026; applying through OUAC by November 20 is recommended so that you can reach the Major Admission Award application; the Major Admission Award application is due December 8 on SOLUS; February 1, 2027 is the deadline for Commerce, Health Sciences and Nursing, with their supplementary applications due February 15; March 1 is the deadline for all other first-year full-time programs; March 31 is the deadline for all documents including transcripts and English test scores; and on April 30 Queen’s receives Ontario high school grades from OUAC. Whether the Life Science & Biochemistry (QL) code follows the February 1 Health Sciences date is not stated on the page; ask the admission office.
• Application fee: not published on the pages read; check the application system or the admission office.
• Standardized tests: the pages read do not require SAT or ACT scores.

Canadian applicants

• Ontario (see the Ontario page): the general requirement is the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and six 4U/4M courses, which must include ENG4U, with the other five being 4U or 4M (francophone school students may offer EAE4U or FRA4U in place of ENG4U). The website calls the science options “competitive entry streams” and suggests applying to the pathways that appeal to you most. Quoting the page: Physical and Chemical Sciences (QSP) needs English 4U, Calculus and Vectors 4U, and Chemistry 4U or Physics 4U, plus three other 4U or 4M courses; Biology and Cognitive Sciences (QSB) needs English 4U, Calculus and Vectors 4U and two of Biology 4U, Chemistry 4U or Physics 4U, plus two other courses; Life Science & Biochemistry (QL) needs English 4U, Calculus and Vectors 4U, Biology 4U and Chemistry 4U, plus two other courses.
• Competitive averages: the website has a “competitive average” page that was not read, so the grade levels for each code are not published in this guide; check the website.
• Other provinces: the requirements page has separate pages for British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon, the French Baccalauréat and the IB; those were not read, so check the website.
• In-province versus out-of-province and tuition: not published on the pages read; the tuition fee calculator is linked from the admission site.
• Scholarships: the deadlines page mentions the Major Admission Award (a separate online application in SOLUS, due December 8) and, around February 15, 2027, the online Commitment Scholars and Promise Scholars applications and a recommended date for the Financial Aid and Awards Profile. Eligibility and amounts were not read; see the financial aid pages.

International applicants (including applicants from China)

• International curricula: the requirements page lets you pick a curriculum (AP, British-pattern A-Levels, CBSE/ISC, Caribbean CAPE, French Baccalauréat, Hong Kong HKDSE, IB, West African WASSCE) or a country or region. Only the China page was read for this guide; check the website for the rest.
• International student pages: the website has pages for international students (study permits, border pass, winter entry and so on) that were not read; see the admission office site.
• Credential evaluation, proof of funds, international scholarships and study permits: not published on the pages read; check the website.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• General requirement (see requirements for China): the High School Graduation Certificate. Students currently in high school submit their High School Graduation Examination results (Huikao/Xuekao); graduates must submit Gaokao results. Both Gaokao and Huikao results must be verified by the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC).
• Subjects: the entries differ: Physical and Chemical Sciences (QSP) and Biology and Cognitive Sciences (QSB) both list “Senior III Level Mathematics and two of Biology, Chemistry or Physics”, while Life Science & Biochemistry (QL) lists “Senior III Level Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry”. The website does not say which entry leads to chemistry.
• Score levels: how Gaokao results are weighed and the grade levels needed for each entry code are not published on the pages read; ask the admission office (admission@queensu.ca).
• Supplementary information: the website says the transcript is just one piece of information, and each applicant has a to-do list showing exactly what else is needed.

English language requirement

• Who must submit a score (see English proficiency): applicants who did not study in an English-speaking country or whose first language is not English must prove proficiency by a test or the QBridge language pathway; your to-do list in SOLUS shows whether a score is required. Queen’s may ask any applicant for a result at any time. Results must be sent by the testing body, are valid for two years, and are due by the March 31 document deadline.
• Minimum scores: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0; the new TOEFL iBT scale 4.5 with no skill below 4.0 (Home Edition included), or 88 with at least 20 in writing, speaking, reading and listening for tests before January 2026; CAEL overall 70 with no band below 60; PTE Academic 60; Duolingo 120; Cambridge English 175 with no component below 170; LanguageCert Academic 70 with no score below 65; or completion of Queen’s School of English QBridge programming.
• Waivers: no test is needed with an IB diploma (SL English B alone is not enough), or if you lived in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language for the most recent three years, or attended an English-medium school full-time for the most recent three years; Queen’s asks the schools for documentation that instruction is entirely in English.
• Falling short: applicants below the minimum who are otherwise competitive are assessed automatically for QBridge, with no separate application. QBridge Accelerated is an intensive eight-week summer course starting in early July, with entry levels on the page including IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 80, PTE 55 and Duolingo 95, and a final grade of B required; QBridge English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lists entry levels including IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 58, PTE 40 and Duolingo 80 and is available for Arts and Science and Engineering programs.

Transfer students

• The “University, College or Other Student” section of the requirements page separates several cases: transferring to Queen’s from another university, applying from a college (including after at least one year of a Canadian college diploma program), a second undergraduate degree, readmission, changing faculty within Queen’s, online or part-time study, and the College to University Pathways; there is also a separate Transfer Credits page. Their detailed requirements (minimum averages, credit limits and deadlines) were not read, so check the website.
• The department’s pages do not say how transfer students enter the chemistry plans or how transfer credit is counted; ask the undergraduate chair and the admission office.

Costs and scholarships

• Tuition: not published on the pages read. The admission site points to the tuition fee calculator, where domestic and international tuition and any program-specific fees can be looked up.
• Scholarships: see above; the Major Admission Award application is due December 8, 2026. Whether international students are considered, and the amounts, are not published on the pages read; see the financial aid pages.

Sources: Queen’s University website chemistry undergraduate degree programs; future undergraduate students (Chemistry); undergraduate programs; admission requirements; Ontario requirements; China requirements; how to apply; deadlines; English proficiency; QUIP internship program. Dates on the pages carry their years and are summarized for 2027 entry; confirm against the latest website.