How to Apply to University and College in New Brunswick: Steps, Deadlines and Requirements

No shared application portal

Unlike Ontario's OUAC or British Columbia's EducationPlannerBC, New Brunswick has no single application centre for its universities. You apply directly through the admissions website of each university you want to attend: UNB , St. Thomas, Mount Allison or Université de Moncton.

Applying to more than one school means filling out more than one application, each with its own account, fee and document upload system.

The two college systems work differently. New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) runs one application system that covers all six of its campuses, and CCNB runs the equivalent system for its French-language campuses. You pick your program and campus inside one application rather than applying separately to each location.

Steps for a university application

1. Pick your program and check its specific entry requirements on the university's admissions page, since requirements vary by faculty.

2. Create an account on the university's application portal and submit the online form with your personal and academic details.

3. Request your official Grade 12 transcript (or equivalent) sent directly from your high school to the admissions office.

4. Pay the application fee, which each university sets independently.

5. Submit any supplementary material a program asks for, such as a portfolio, audition or personal statement, common for programs like nursing, education, fine arts or engineering.

6. Track your file through the university's applicant portal and respond quickly to any request for more documents.

Steps for a college application at NBCC or CCNB

NBCC has run a staged opening pattern: it opened applications to international applicants for a Fall intake several months before opening the same intake to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, while Winter intakes have opened to all applicant types at once. Check NBCC's own current application dates and timelines page before you plan around a specific opening date, since the schedule shifts intake to intake.

NBCC also runs separate application pathways for specific groups: mature applicants, Grade 11 students, home-schooled students, Indigenous applicants, refugee claimants and protected persons, students who need accessible services, and participants in its Inclusive Education Pathway. If you fall into one of these categories, use the matching pathway rather than the standard one, since it can ask for different supporting documents.

Programs with limited seats fill on a first-qualified, first-admitted basis rather than by waiting for a fixed deadline. Apply as soon as the intake opens for your applicant type rather than waiting until close to the term's start.

What you need before you start

• Your official high school transcript, or GED/equivalent for mature applicants.

• Proof of any prerequisite courses your program lists, such as a specific math or science credit.

• Government ID and, for permanent residents, your PR card or confirmation document.

• A method to pay the application fee online.

• For supplementary programs, whatever extra material the program lists, such as a resume, references or a writing sample.

Applying as a mature or transfer student

If you are past high school age and returning to study, ask each university's admissions office directly about its mature applicant category, since the standard Grade 12 average requirement usually does not apply to you. Universities typically look at work experience, any prior post-secondary credits and sometimes an interview instead. If you already hold college or university credits from another institution, request a transfer credit assessment as part of your application, so the admissions office can tell you which of your existing courses count toward your New Brunswick program before you register.

Conditional offers and confirming your spot

If you apply while still finishing Grade 12, most New Brunswick universities issue a conditional offer based on your interim grades, then finalize it once your official final transcript arrives after graduation. Read the conditions on your offer letter closely: a program can set a minimum final average or a specific course grade you still need to meet.

Once your offer is unconditional, confirm your spot by the date the university sets and, where one applies, pay any tuition deposit to hold your seat.

If a program is full or you do not meet the entry requirements, ask the admissions office about a waitlist or an alternate program with space. Some universities let you start in a related first-year program and transfer internally once you meet the target program's requirements in your second year.

Timing your application

Apply for fall entry as early as your target school allows. University admissions offices process files in the order they arrive complete, so an early, complete application gets a decision sooner than one submitted close to the term's start.

For NBCC and CCNB, apply the moment your applicant category opens, since competitive programs stop accepting new applications once seats fill, regardless of any published deadline.

Grade 12 students should confirm their target program's specific course prerequisites well before their final year timetable locks in, since a missing required course can force a delay of an entire year.