Actuarial Science and Direct-Entry Math at Waterloo: How Admission Differs From General Science
By Muntasir • Published Mar 22, 2026 • Updated Aug 22, 2026 • Education Planning, Canadian Universities & Colleges
At the University of Waterloo you do not apply directly to Actuarial Science. You apply to the Faculty of Mathematics as a whole, then choose Actuarial Science as your major at the end of first year, with admission averages for the faculty typically in the mid-80s.
🎓 Math applicants pick a specific major only after completing common first-year courses
📩 Waterloo Science works differently: you pick your specific program, such as a named science major or General Science, when you apply
⏱️ Six Grade 12 U or M courses are required for Math, including Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors and English
💵 Actuarial Science leads toward Society of Actuaries and Casualty Actuarial Society preliminary exams, which you write separately from your degree
Actuarial Science is a major inside Math, not a separate application
The University of Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics runs one common admission pool for every math program. When you apply as an Ontario high school student, you apply to Mathematics generally, not to Actuarial Science, Computer Science, Statistics or any other specific plan inside the faculty. Every admitted student takes a shared first-year course load, then declares a specific major, called a plan at Waterloo, at the end of first year, according to Waterloo's Actuarial Science program page .
This matters because your admission decision is not a decision about your eventual major. You are competing for a spot in the Faculty of Mathematics as a whole, and your specific choice of Actuarial Science, or any other plan, happens after you have already started your degree and completed a term of common coursework.
Admission requirements for the Faculty of Mathematics
Ontario applicants need six Grade 12 U or M courses, including Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, one 4U English course, and three other 4U or M courses. A Grade 11 Introduction to Computer Science course is recommended but not required. Every applicant also completes Waterloo's own Admission Information Form as part of the application, which asks about your extracurricular and academic background beyond your transcript.
Admission averages for the faculty typically fall in the mid-80s, evaluated through Waterloo's own individual selection process rather than a single fixed cutoff. Participating in math contests, such as the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest or the Euclid Mathematics Contest, is not required for admission but factors into some Faculty of Mathematics scholarships once you are admitted.
How this differs from Waterloo's Science admission
Waterloo's Faculty of Science works on a different model. Applicants choose a specific science program at the time of application, whether that is a named discipline like Biology or Chemistry, a professional stream, or General Science for students who are not ready to commit to one subject. That choice shapes your application and, in some cases, your first-year course requirements, rather than being deferred to the end of first year the way it is in Math.
The practical difference for you as an applicant: a Math application is a single bet on getting into the faculty, with your specific major decided later based partly on your first-year grades and interest. A Science application asks you to commit to a specific discipline or explicitly choose the undecided General Science route up front. If you are set on Actuarial Science specifically, applying to Math and performing well in first year gets you there. If you are unsure between several science disciplines, General Science keeps that decision open in a way Math already does by default for every applicant.
What comes after you declare Actuarial Science
Once you declare Actuarial Science as your plan, your coursework builds toward the preliminary professional exams set by the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society. These exams are separate from your Waterloo coursework and separate from your degree requirements. You write them through the professional bodies directly, not through the university, and many students write one or more preliminary exams while still completing their degree. Check the current exam list and syllabus on the Society of Actuaries site before you plan which exams to attempt during your degree, since the exam structure and prerequisites change periodically.
Quick comparison
| Faculty of Mathematics (includes Actuarial Science) | Faculty of Science | |
|---|---|---|
| What you apply to | Mathematics as a whole | A specific program, or General Science |
| When you pick your major | End of first year | At application |
| Admission average | Typically mid-80s, individual review | Varies by specific program |
| Required Grade 12 courses | Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English, plus 3 more 4U/M | Varies by specific program, usually includes relevant science and math prerequisites |
If Actuarial Science is your goal, focus your application on strong math grades and a solid overall average rather than trying to signal the specific major early. Waterloo decides your Math faculty admission first, and your plan choice comes once you are already on campus.