How to Apply to Psychology at Queen’s University: Arts or the Biological and Cognitive Sciences Gateway, Choosing Your Plan After First Year, and Requirements and Timeline for Canadian and Chinese High School Students and Transfer Students

Queen’s University is in Kingston, Ontario. Its Department of Psychology is part of the Faculty of Arts and Science, and you can study psychology for a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) or a Bachelor of Science (Honours). Like Toronto, Waterloo and Western, Queen’s does not let you choose the psychology program when you apply: you apply to Arts or Science and choose your plan after taking introductory psychology in first year. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on Queen’s official information, for students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students and international students in Canada), students at high schools in China, and transfer students.

1. What to apply to

• For the B.A.: Arts (OUAC code QA). Last year’s competitive average was in the low 80s.
• For the B.Sc.: Biological & Cognitive Sciences (QSB). Queen’s has replaced the single Science (QS) program with four science gateways. Psychology sits in QSB, along with biology, biochemistry, chemistry, biotechnology, health studies and life sciences. Last year’s competitive average for Science (QS), before the change, was also in the low 80s.
• How decisions are made: Queen’s admits on grades and supplementary information, with preference for the strongest overall applicants. Published averages are last year’s minimums, change each year and may be higher. Arts and Science do not require a Supplementary Application (only Commerce, Health Sciences and Nursing do).
• Up to three programs: Queen’s does not make alternate offers, so apply to every program you want, up to three, such as QA and QSB. You may hold more than one offer but can accept only one.
• Three ways to apply: applicants in Canada, or anyone also applying to other Ontario universities, use the OUAC; applicants outside Canada can also use the Common App, or Queen’s own international application if Queen’s is the only Ontario university they apply to.
• Psychology plans: the department offers Specializations (B.A. and B.Sc.), Majors (B.A. and B.Sc.), a Minor, and a Biology and Psychology Specialization (B.Sc.). Specializations require 60 units of psychology, including advanced statistics and research methods, offer a thesis pathway and are the most research-intensive; the B.Sc. Specialization adds 12 units of science. The Major is 48 units, with no psychology thesis option.

2. Academic requirements: Canadian high schools

• BC high school students: a BC high school diploma and four academic Grade 12 courses, including English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12. Biology 12 may replace Anatomy and Physiology 12.
  • Arts (QA): English Studies 12 plus three additional academic Grade 12 courses.
  • Biological & Cognitive Sciences (QSB): English Studies 12, Pre-Calculus 12, plus two of Anatomy and Physiology 12, Calculus 12, Chemistry 12 or Physics 12; Calculus 12 is recommended.
  • Check the course list: Psychology 12 is not an acceptable academic course for admission, nor are Creative Writing 12, Computer Programming 12 and others. Courses not on Queen’s acceptable lists should be treated as not acceptable.
  • Grades: enter your Personal Education Number (PEN) correctly on the OUAC so your grades are sent automatically.
• Other students outside Ontario: have your school send all completed Grade 11 courses plus your current and planned Grade 12 courses.
• When decisions come: Queen’s reviews applications on a rolling basis and may make conditional offers using Grade 11 marks, so make sure you are registered in all required Grade 12 courses.

3. Academic requirements: high schools in China

• General requirements: a high school graduation certificate. Current students submit their Huikao/Xuekao graduation examination results; graduates submit Gaokao results. Both must be verified by CHESICC.
• Arts (QA): no prerequisite subjects.
• Biological & Cognitive Sciences (QSB): Senior III mathematics plus two of biology, chemistry or physics.
• Queen’s does not publish separate averages for Chinese students; the published guidelines are based on Canadian high school grades.

4. English requirements

• IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0.
• TOEFL iBT: 4.5 overall with no skill below 4.0; for tests before January 2026, 88 overall with at least 20 in each section. Institution code 0949.
• Other tests: PTE Academic 60; Duolingo 120; Cambridge 175 (no component below 170); CAEL 70 (no band below 60); LanguageCert Academic 70 (no score below 65).
• Validity: results are valid for two years before you start. Scores must come directly from the testing body, with the same name, date of birth and gender as your application. All documents, including English scores, are due by March 31, 2027.
• Waivers: an IB Diploma (SL English B is not enough); or living in a country where English is the primary language for the most recent three years; or three years of full-time study at an English-medium school. If you are asked for a score but believe you qualify, email Queen’s and have your school send documentation of the language of instruction.
• If you are close: academically competitive applicants who fall short on English are automatically considered for QBridge, with no separate application, and submitting a lower score does not hurt your application. QBridge Accelerated is an eight-week summer program starting in early July for students with IELTS 6.0 or equivalent; a B lets you start your degree in September. Students with lower scores (from IELTS 5.5) may take one or two terms of English for Academic Purposes first.
• Compared with other schools: the IELTS requirement matches Western (6.5, no band below 6.0), while the Duolingo requirement of 120 is higher than Western’s 115.

5. After first year: entering a psychology plan

• PSYC 100 in first year: PSYC 100 (Principles of Psychology) is the prerequisite for all other psychology courses. For an honours psychology plan, PSYC 100 must be taken at Queen’s; it can only be waived for a similar AP, IB or college course with official transfer credit on your Queen’s transcript.
• Plan Selection in May: Arts and Science students with 24.0 units or more must take part in Plan Selection. Each plan has an automatic acceptance threshold and a pending list threshold: meet the first and you are in; meet the second and you go on a pending list reviewed by the department after Plan Selection, and you must also choose an alternate plan that accepts you automatically.
• Psychology thresholds (2026 figures; 2027 thresholds are released in January 2027):
  • Psychology Major (Arts or Science): cumulative GPA of 2.7 and an A in PSYC 100 for automatic acceptance; cumulative GPA of 2.3 and a B- in PSYC 100 for the pending list.
  • Psychology Minor: cumulative GPA of 2.7 and an A- in PSYC 100 for automatic acceptance.
  • Biology and Psychology Specialization (B.Sc.): no automatic acceptance; a cumulative GPA of 2.3 and at least B- in PSYC 100 and in BIOL 102 and 103 for the pending list, with the department deciding.
  Queen’s uses a 4.3 GPA scale. Since an A in PSYC 100 is needed for automatic entry to the Major, this course matters a great deal in first year.
• Plan combinations: a Major must be paired with a Minor, two Minors or a second Major; a Specialization can stand alone or take a Minor. A Science Major with another Science or Arts Major leads to a B.Sc.(Hons); two Arts Majors lead to a B.A.(Hons).
• If you miss the cut: you can enter a plan you qualify for and request a Plan Change in an upper year; departments decide based on capacity and grades, with no guarantee.

6. Transfer students

• Upper-year transfers cannot enter psychology: the Department of Psychology says it is at capacity and cannot accept upper-year transfer students into its honours psychology plans. Psychology is also absent from the Faculty’s list of plans open to transfer applicants. In practice, studying psychology at Queen’s means starting in first year.
• Fewer than 24.0 units: students with fewer than 24.0 university units (usually less than a year) are considered first-year applicants, take PSYC 100 at Queen’s and go through Plan Selection. Note that Queen’s admission awards are not available to students with prior post-secondary education.
• Upper-year transfers to other plans: students with 24.0 units or more need a cumulative GPA of at least 2.6 on Queen’s 4.3 scale, and some plans require more. BC college students in university transfer programs apply under the same rules. Applications run from February 1 to June 1, with documents by June 15, reviewed on a rolling basis. Up to 57 units can transfer from a university toward the 120 units of a four-year honours degree.

7. Timeline for September 2027 entry

• October 1, 2026: applications open.
• By November 20, 2026: apply on the OUAC if you want enough time to access the Major Admission Award application in SOLUS.
• November 26, 2026: Arts and Science Majors Night.
• December 8, 2026: Major Admission Award (MAA) deadline.
• February 15, 2027: recommended date to submit your current transcript and second-semester course list, and to complete the Financial Aid and Awards Profile.
• March 1, 2027: application deadline for Arts, Science and most other programs (February 1 for Commerce, Health Sciences and Nursing).
• March 31, 2027: deadline for all documents, including transcripts and English scores.
• April 30, 2027: Queen’s receives Ontario high school grades from the OUAC. Offers are made on a rolling basis.
• May 2028: at the end of first year, Plan Selection into psychology.

8. Scholarships

• Automatic scholarships (no application, for full-time students coming directly from high school): the Principal’s Scholarship goes to students in the top 3% of each program’s competitive admission average, worth CAD $7,000 for one year. You are notified with your offer; if not, Queen’s reviews final grades in July. Students can hold only one merit-based award.
• International students: Arts and Science International Admission Award: considered automatically based on academic achievement, worth CAD $5,000 to $25,000 a year, renewable for four years, for students paying international fees.
• Canadian students: Major Admission Awards (MAA): open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons, who may attend high school in Canada or abroad. They consider grades, leadership and involvement, and some also financial need; Queen’s says a high school average of 90% or more is expected to be competitive. One application covers several awards, including 50 nominated Chancellor’s Scholarships (CAD $48,000 over four years). The deadline is December 8, with results in late February. MAA recipients cannot hold other merit-based scholarships.
• Renewal: renewable awards generally require an 80% course load and a GPA of at least 3.5.
• Tuition: depends on your status and program; use the Registrar’s Fee Calculator.

Checklist

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply on the OUAC to Arts (QA) and/or Biological & Cognitive Sciences (QSB) by March 1, 2027
• BC: QA needs English Studies 12 plus three academic courses; QSB also needs Pre-Calculus 12 and two sciences (Calculus 12 recommended); Psychology 12 does not count
• Enter your PEN correctly on the OUAC
• Canadian citizens and permanent residents applying for major awards: apply by November 20 and submit the MAA by December 8

Students at high schools in China:

• Huikao/Xuekao results (current students) or Gaokao results (graduates), verified by CHESICC
• For QSB, Senior III mathematics and two sciences
• IELTS 6.5 (no band below 6.0), TOEFL, Duolingo 120 or another accepted test by March 31
• Automatic consideration for the Arts and Science International Admission Award

Transfer students:

• Upper-year transfer into psychology is currently closed; with fewer than 24.0 university units you can apply as a first-year student

Sources: Queen’s University, Department of Psychology: prospective students; Arts and Science: Plan Selection; Psychology plan thresholds (PDF); Science Gateways; BC high school requirements; China high school requirements; Competitive averages; English proficiency requirements; Admission deadlines; How to apply; Supplementary information; Admission FAQ; Arts and Science transfer applicants; Admission awards; Automatic awards; International student awards; Major Admission Awards. Information is for September 2027 entry; competitive averages and plan thresholds are from previous years. Check Queen’s for the latest details.