How to Apply to Business at Carleton University: Direct Entry to the Sprott BCom, Choose a Concentration in Second Year, and Requirements and Timeline for Canadian High School, Chinese High School and Transfer Students

Carleton University in Ottawa offers business through the Sprott School of Business. Its main program is the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Honours, which high school students can enter directly and specialise in later. Sprott also offers a separate Bachelor of Accounting (BAcc) and Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (BEnt). Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on Carleton’s official information, for students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver, and international students at Canadian schools), students at high schools in China (including international curricula), and transfer students.

1. Program and concentrations

• 20-credit Honours degree: first year covers financial accounting, information systems, introduction to business, micro and macroeconomics, business math, and psychology or sociology; second year covers managerial accounting, organizational behaviour, marketing, operations, data analytics, finance, business law, international business and entrepreneurship, followed by statistics, project management, business ethics and strategy. There are 8.0 credits of free electives.
• Concentrations: Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Information Systems, International Business, Management, Marketing and Supply Chain Management. The calendar says students normally declare before starting their sixth credit; a second concentration requires 6.0 credits and a CGPA of 8.0 (Carleton uses a 12-point scale). Optional streams can be added.
• International Business: for 2027 entry, the admissions site lists International Business as a BCom concentration and has no separate Bachelor of International Business (BIB) entry. The 2026-27 calendar still includes the BIB, with a required year abroad in third year; Carleton does not state whether it is open to new applicants, so confirm with Admissions.
• Career preparation: every BCom student completes the four-year Employability Passport. Carleton says 92% of BCom respondents from the 2020-2022 graduate surveys were employed within a year.

2. Co-op

• Co-op from high school: you must meet the cut-off and prerequisite averages (which may be higher than the minimum), be a full-time BCom Honours student and be eligible to work in Canada for off-campus placements. The job market may limit enrolment.
• Applying after you start: 5.0 credits completed, with an overall CGPA of at least 6.50 and a major CGPA of at least 8.00, maintained throughout. At least three work terms are needed for the Co-op designation.

3. Academic requirements: students at Canadian high schools

• BC overall: high school graduation with four Grade 12 academic courses and no prerequisite below 60%. Admission is based on your overall and prerequisite averages; cut-offs are set each year and all programs have limited enrolment.
• BCom prerequisites:
  • English 12 or English First Peoples 12;
  • Pre-Calculus 12;
  • Calculus 12 or Foundations of Math 12 (Calculus 12 recommended).
• Reference: the calendar says an overall average of at least 70% is normally needed to be considered and actual cut-offs may be considerably higher. Carleton does not publish past BCom admission averages.
• Supplementary materials: undergraduate business is not on Carleton’s list of programs needing portfolios or additional documents.
• How to apply: Canadian high school students apply through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC).

4. Academic requirements: students at high schools in China

• Chinese high school: your admission average is calculated from all nine academic subjects at the highest level taken; English and math prerequisites must be at grade 11 or 12. Offers are finalised on final grades and the official graduation certificate, verified by CSSD. Carleton states no Gaokao requirement.
• IB: the full diploma with at least 28 points (higher for competitive programs); one 3 is allowed if offset by a 5 or better, and prerequisites need a 4. The BCom needs SL or HL English plus SL Analysis and Approaches, HL Analysis and Approaches or HL Applications and Interpretation. HL grades of 5 or better may earn up to 3.0 transfer credits.
• A-Levels: five GCSE, IGCSE or O-Level subjects plus two A-Levels or four AS-Levels; the BCom needs English and Math at A or AS level. A-Levels at C or better may earn transfer credit.
• How to apply: international students whose transcripts come from outside Canada and the US apply directly through Carleton360.

5. English requirements

• Exemption: three years of full-time study at an English-language Canadian high school, or at an English-medium school in a country where English is the primary language; ESL time does not count.
• Scores for admission with no ESL requirement:
  • IELTS Academic 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each band;
  • TOEFL iBT taken after 21 January 2026: 4.5, minimum 4.0 in each band; earlier tests: 86 (22 in writing and speaking, 20 in reading and listening);
  • Duolingo 120 (110 in writing, reading and speaking, 105 in listening); PTE Academic 55 (47 in each skill); CAEL 70 (60 in each band); Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 176;
  • AP English Language or Literature at 4 or better, or IB English A at 4 or better, also qualify.
• Slightly lower scores may lead to an offer with an academic ESL requirement.

6. Timeline (September 2027 entry)

• September 2026: OUAC and Carleton360 applications open.
• 15 January 2027: OUAC deadline for Ontario high school students.
• 1 March 2027: Prestige Scholarship application deadline.
• 1 April 2027: main deadline for international students (transcripts from outside Canada and the US).
• 1 June 2027: general fall deadline for students with Canadian or US transcripts.
• Offers go out from October 2026; Carleton does not publish a specific BCom decision date.

7. Tuition and scholarships

• International tuition: $45,000 a year for the BCom, plus about $2,500 in miscellaneous fees (health insurance, transit pass and more). Carleton says international undergraduate tuition is frozen for 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29. Residence with a meal plan is about $14,010 for eight months.
• Automatic Entrance Scholarships: for high school students meeting academic and language requirements, $1,000–3,000 a year based on grades, renewable with an A- (10.0) annual GPA.
• President’s Welcome Award for International Students: automatic for international students entering from high school in September 2027, $2,000–5,000 for the first year only, on top of entrance scholarships.
• Prestige Scholarships: for admission averages over 90%, based on grades and leadership, service and activities, $5,000–14,178 a year; a separate application is due 1 March.

8. Transfer students

• Entering second year or later from another university: an overall CGPA of 9.00 (B+) or higher; or at least three of BUSI 1001, BUSI 1002, ECON 1001, ECON 1002, BUSI 1800 and MATH 1009 (or equivalents) with no grade below C+ and a major CGPA of 7.00 or higher. MATH 1007, 1004, 1052 or 1401 may replace MATH 1009.
• Prerequisites: equivalents of English, Advanced Functions and Calculus or Data Management are also required.
• Transfer credit is assessed after admission; detailed course descriptions may be needed.
• Current Carleton students apply as internal transfers, with the same prerequisites and cut-offs set by program each year.

Checklist

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

• Apply to the BCom through OUAC by 1 June with Canadian transcripts, or by 1 March if you want a Prestige Scholarship
• Take English 12, Pre-Calculus 12 and Calculus 12 or Foundations of Math 12 (Calculus recommended)
• Select the Co-op option when you apply if you want direct Co-op entry

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply through Carleton360 by 1 April 2027
• Keep your nine-subject average high, take English and math in grade 11 or 12, and have your certificate verified by CSSD
• IELTS 6.5 (6.0 per band) or TOEFL 4.5 (4.0 per band)

Transfer students:

• CGPA of 9.00 or higher, or three of the six listed first-year courses with C+ or better
• Prepare course descriptions for the transfer credit assessment after admission

Sources: Carleton University, Commerce (BCom); International Business concentration; Canadian high school (outside Ontario); International applicants; International Baccalaureate students; Canadian university transfer; Programs with additional admission requirements; English language requirements; Dates and deadlines; USA and international costs; Calendar: Business. Information is for fall 2027 entry. Check Carleton for the latest details.