How to Apply to Commerce at McGill University: Direct Entry to the Desautels Bachelor of Commerce on Grades Alone, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At McGill University in Montreal, commerce is offered by the Desautels Faculty of Management, leading to a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom). High school students apply directly to the BCom; admission is handled centrally by McGill’s admissions office and is based on grades, with no essay or interview. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on McGill’s admissions website and Desautels, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC students and international students in Canada), and transfer students.

1. Program structure

• Credits: 120 credits to graduate. Students from high school start in U0 (foundation year) and complete 120 credits at McGill, typically four years; Quebec CEGEP graduates receive 30 credits and typically finish in three years; students with AP, IB, A-Levels and similar may receive up to 30 credits after admission.
• Core: students admitted from fall 2024 complete 42 credits of core courses, each with a C or better; a D must be repeated.
• Undeclared at entry: everyone is admitted undeclared and selects a Major or Concentrations in U1, starting specialization courses in U2 and U3. Options include majors such as Finance, Accounting, Marketing and Information Systems, two or three concentrations (five courses each), or a concentration plus a minor from another faculty.
• Only limited program: the Honours in Investment Management, which students usually apply to in January of U1.
• Every student completes at least 3 credits of approved Experiential Learning courses.

2. Students at Canadian high schools (outside Quebec and Ontario, including BC)

• Prerequisites: Grade 12 English or French (depending on your school’s language) and Grade 12 math (pre-calculus or calculus). Check McGill’s Canadian high school page for the exact course in your province.
• Assessment: McGill’s calculation of your top five academic Grade 12 courses, including prerequisites.
• Past ranges (Management): top five mid 90s, math course low to mid 90s, English or French high 80s to low 90s.
• Self-reporting: January 6 to February 1 (optional) and March 1 to May 1 (mandatory).
• Deadlines: application February 1, Major Entrance Scholarship February 7, supporting documents May 4.
• Ontario students: prerequisites are 4U English or French and 4U Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U), assessed on the top six 4U/4M courses; past Management ranges were mid 90s for the top six, low to mid 90s in math, and high 80s to low 90s in English or French.
• Fee status: international students at Canadian high schools pay international fees.

3. Students at high schools in China

• Assessment: senior high school grades 1, 2 and mid-year grade 3, plus all available Huikao results in numeric or letter form. If your Huikao is pass/fail only, or your province has none, McGill prefers ACT, SAT or AP results.
• Gaokao: if you write it, arrange for final official results to be sent.
• Minimums: normally 85% or higher in each year and in all prerequisites; many programs are more competitive, and meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission.
• Management prerequisite: mathematics through senior high school.
• Deadlines: application January 15, Major Entrance Scholarship January 21, supporting documents March 1.
• If admitted, maintain your performance and send your final transcript, graduation certificate and final Huikao results.

4. English requirements (higher for Management)

• TOEFL: 100 overall for tests up to January 20, 2026 (at least 21 in each section); 5.0 on the new scale from January 21, 2026 (Reading, Listening and Writing 4.5, Speaking 4.0). MyBest scores are not used.
• Duolingo: 130 for the B.Com. (125 for most programs).
• IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0; electronic results only, no One Skill Retake.
• PTE Academic (65 overall, 60 per component), CAEL (70 overall, 60 per component) and Cambridge English are also accepted.

5. When decisions come out

• High schools outside Canada and the U.S.: mid-November to mid-May.
• Canadian high schools outside Quebec and Ontario: mid-January to mid-May; Ontario: mid-February to end of May.
• Competitive programs may decide later; refused high school applicants can request reconsideration within two weeks.

6. Tuition and scholarships

• Tuition: McGill Student Accounts lists 2026-27 international B.Com. tuition of CAD 71,687.40 (30 credits) for students admitted in fall 2026, plus society, services, administrative and IT fees and CAD 1,212 international health insurance. Rates for 2027 entry will be published later.
• Entrance scholarships: one-year awards of CAD 3,000 are considered automatically for applicants meeting the academic standard; Major Entrance Scholarships need a separate application and total CAD 12,000–48,000 over four years, judged first on academics and then on leadership, with the CAD 12,000-a-year awards reserved for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Students in China can also apply for the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong Entrance Scholarship, also due January 21.

7. Transfer students

• Prerequisites: one semester each of university differential and integral calculus; applicants from Quebec institutions also need one semester of linear algebra.
• Grades: of the last three years, McGill lists a minimum admitted CGPA only for 2024, 3.9 (2025 and 2026 show N/A). Admission is extremely competitive and depends on space, and math prerequisite results are also reviewed.
• Not eligible: students who have completed, or are completing, a full year of university business or management courses are normally not eligible for the B.Com.
• Deadlines (McGill-wide): May 1 from a university in Canada, January 15 from outside Canada; decisions from mid-February to mid-July for universities outside Canada and early May to mid-July for universities in Canada. Transfer applicants cannot request reconsideration and are not eligible for entrance scholarships.
• Credit: Admissions grants the first 30 credits (including math exemptions), and the BCom Student Affairs Office assesses anything beyond that; transfers must complete at least 60 credits at McGill. All BCom students complete at least two-thirds of their degree at McGill, with at most four courses (12 credits) of a major and two courses (6 credits) of a concentration or minor taken elsewhere. Upload math course outlines to the Applicant Portal for math exemptions.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply to the Desautels B.Com. by January 15
• Math through senior high school and at least 85% each year; Huikao results; send final Gaokao results if you write it
• TOEFL 100 (5.0 new scale), Duolingo 130 or IELTS 6.5 (6.0 each)
• Apply for the Major Entrance Scholarship by January 21

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

• Grade 12 English and math (pre-calculus or calculus), with past top-five averages in the mid 90s
• Apply by February 1 and self-report grades in both periods; Major Entrance Scholarship by February 7

Transfer students:

• One semester each of differential and integral calculus; a very high GPA; a full year of business courses normally makes you ineligible
• Deadlines: May 1 from Canadian universities, January 15 from outside Canada

Sources: McGill University, Desautels BCom; BCom program structure; Finance program; Canadian high schools outside Quebec and Ontario; Ontario high schools; China (PRC); University transfer requirements; English proficiency; Admission decision dates; Transfer credit for BCom students; Undergraduate fees; Entrance scholarships. Information is for September 2027 entry (fees are 2026-27 rates); admission grades are past ranges. Check McGill for the latest details.