BA/BS in Biology is a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences programme offered by University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 25,296 per semester (CAD 3,125 per semester for local students).
Also offered as: Master's Degree, Doctorate
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Biological Sciences
Delivery: On Campus
Local tuition: CAD 3,125 / semester
International tuition: CAD 25,296 / semester
Last checked September 2026 · Source: uwaterloo.ca ·
Program details
Overview
Biology at the University of Waterloo leads to a Bachelor of Science in Biology, at the undergraduate level, delivered in person on the Waterloo campus. The curriculum spans cell biology, genetics, microbiology, botany, zoology, ecology, and conservation, drawing on more than 80 biology courses. Students can pursue specialization options in Bioinformatics, Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Environmental Biology, or Microbiology, and can add minors in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Medical Physiology, or Neuroscience; a pathway to a Biotechnology Technician diploma through Conestoga College is also noted. The program is offered as a co-op option, typically alternating study terms with paid work terms from second year, or as regular full-time study. It suits students with an interest in living systems who are considering laboratory or field research, environmental assessment, teaching, or further study toward health professions such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or optometry, with past co-op roles including genetic counselling assistant, field and lab technician, and bioinformatics assistant.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Direct entry from Ontario high school into Life Sciences, with Biology chosen as the major. Required: six Grade 12 U/M courses including English (ENG4U), Advanced Functions and Calculus and Vectors, each with a minimum final grade of 70%, plus two of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics of Data Management, or Physics. Admission is competitive, with an average trend in the low 80s. As with most Waterloo undergraduate programs, admission also requires the Admission Information Form (AIF), submitted through the applicant portal, per the university's general admission requirements. International and non-Ontario applicants follow the equivalent OUAC route with the program's prerequisite subjects. Applicants whose secondary education was not in Canada or in English follow the same OUAC route and must meet Waterloo's institution-wide English proficiency requirement: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (6.0 minimum band, 6.5 in writing and speaking), TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall with 5 in writing and speaking for tests from 21 January 2026 onward (90 overall with 25 in writing and speaking for earlier tests), PTE Academic 63 (65 in writing and speaking), or Duolingo 120 (125 in Literacy and Production).
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Waterloo admits first-year students for September entry only, through the OUAC, with identical deadlines for domestic and international applicants. For Fall 2027, most programmes must be applied to by 1 February 2027 with documents due 15 February 2027; Engineering programmes (excluding Architecture) close earlier, on 15 January 2027, with documents due 1 February 2027, and require an online interview. Waterloo states a deadline may be extended if a programme is not yet full, but publishes no separate rolling-admission date and no explicit application-opening date. Pharmacy is a named exception with its own earlier deadline; Social Work and the Conditional Admission to Pharmacy stream are directed to programme-specific timelines outside this page. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
