Competitive Requirements
Competitive Admission
We encourage all students to apply early, as admission to the University of Alberta is competitive, works on a rolling basis and space in each program is limited.
The University of Alberta offers a range of programs, each with their own set of course requirements and admission averages, which vary from year to year. Specific admission averages are not available, but admission-average trends reflecting the last three admission cycles are listed below. We encourage students to treat these averages as a benchmark to gauge their potential eligibility for admission and to support their selection of program choices on their application for admission. However, they do not serve as a guarantee for future admission.
Admission Factors
Every applicant and enrolment cycle is unique, which is why we assess applications on an ongoing basis. It creates an opportunity to adjust what is considered a competitive application throughout the admissions period (October 1 - August 31) based on a variety of factors, such as:
- the number of qualified applicants to a particular program
- the averages presented by applicants that year
- program capacity.
Get Started
To be considered for admission, applicants need to:
- have the required courses for their program
- meet the minimum requirements for their program
- complete an application for admission
- pay the application fee.
Select Second-Choice Program
To increase your chances of receiving an offer of admission, select a second-choice program on your application that has a lower historical competitive average range. Applicants who are not accepted into their first-choice program will be assessed for their second-choice program if listed.
Minimum Requirements
Admission is competitive; meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Students who receive an offer of admission must meet the minimum requirements in all subjects and must meet all conditions stated in the admission offer letter in order to remain admissible.
Minimum Grades Required for Average Calculation
- Grade 11 subject mark: 60% or above
- Grade 12 subject mark: 50% or above
- 70% minimum average across five required subjects, based on the program you are applying to
HIGH SCHOOL Admission-Average Ranges: Three-Year Trend
The following admission-average ranges reflect the past three admission cycles. Admission is competitive. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission.
The University of Alberta strives to recruit First Nations, Métis and Inuit learners, and has equity averages to improve access to education for prospective First Nations, Métis and Inuit applicants. Contact our Indigenous Recruitment Team at indigenous@ualberta.ca to learn more.
Low 70s to low 80s
Arts - Low to mid 70s
- Bachelor of Arts Criminology - Mid 80s to low 90s
- Bachelor of Arts (Drama) / Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education Combined - Low to high 80s
- Bachelor of Arts Honors - Mid 80s to low 90s
- Bachelor of Arts (Planning) - Low to high 80s
Low 70s
Mid to high 80s
Low to mid 70s*
*For Bilingual Nursing program averages see Nursing.
- Elementary - Low 70s to low 80s
- Secondary (Art, Drama, Music) - Mid 70s to mid 80s
- Secondary (Others) - Mid 70s to mid 90s
Mid to high 80s
For students attending one of our Collaboration Transfer Programs please refer to our Collaborative Program Webpage.
- Bachelor of Kinesiology - Mid to high 80s
- Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology - Mid to high 80s
- Bachelor of Kinesiology / Bachelor of Education Combined - High 80s to low 90s
- Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport and Tourism - Mid to high 70s
Low to mid 70s
Mid 80s to low 90s
Mid 80s to low 90s
AGPA Ranges
The following AGPA range reflects transfer admissibility from previous admission cycles. Admission is competitive. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission. AGPAs change annually and within each admission cycle. If you would like to book an advising session to learn more about admissibility requirements for transfer students, please visit our Prospective Student Advising web page to book an appointment.
Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences - 2.2 to 2.7 (for all programs except those listed below)
- Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Food Science with Specialization in Dietetics - 3.0 and above
- Bachelor of Science (Honors) - 3.0 and above
Arts - 2.0 to 2.3 (for all programs except those listed below)
- Bachelor of Arts, Planning Major - 3.4 and above
- Bachelor of Arts in Criminology - 3.4 and above
- Bachelor of Arts (Honors) - 3.0 to 3.3
- Bachelor of Arts (Drama) / Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - 2.5 and above
Augustana - 2.0 to 2.3
Campus Saint-Jean - 2.0 and above (for all programs except those listed below)
- Baccalauréat - ès - Arts avec spécialisation - 3.0 and above
- Baccalauréat en Éducation élémentaire (après - diplôme) - 2.8 and above
- Baccalauréat en Éducation secondaire (après - diplôme) - 2.8 and above
- Baccalauréat bilingue en Administration des affaires - 2.7 and above
Education
- Bachelor of Education, Elementary - 2.0 and above
- Bachelor of Education, Elementary (After Degree) - 2.0 and above
- Bachelor of Education, Secondary (Majors in Art, Chemistry, CTS: Comp Sci, Drama, General Science, SL French, SL Spanish, Math, Music, Physical Sciences, Physics) - 2.0 to 2.5 and above
- Bachelor of Education, Secondary (Majors in English Language Arts, Social Studies) - 3.0 and above
- Bachelor of Education, Secondary (Major in Biological Sciences) - 3.0 and above
- Bachelor of Education, Secondary (Major in Physical Education) - 3.4 and above
- Bachelor of Education, Secondary (All Other Majors) - 2.0 to 2.5 and above
Engineering - 2.4 to 3.0
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering Plan Year 1 Qualifying Year 2 - 3.0 to 3.4
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering General, Co-op Program, Software Option and Software Option Co-op Program - 3.4 to 3.7
- Bachelor of Science in Mechnical Engineering, Biomedical Option Co-op Program - 3.4 to 3.7
Kinesiology, Sport & Recreation
- Bachelor of Kinesiology - 2.6 and above
- Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology - 2.6 and above
- Bachelor of Kinesiology / Bachelor of Education, Elementary - 3.4 and above
- Bachelor of Kinesiology / Bachelor of Education, Secondary - 3.4 and above
- Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism - 2.0 and above
Nursing
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Collaborative Degree and After Degree - 3.3 and above
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Honors (includes After Degree Honors) - 3.5 and above
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bilingual Program - 3.2 and above
Science - 2.3 and above (for all programs except those listed below)
- Bachelor of Science Specialization/Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - 2.3 and above
- Bachelor of Science (Honors) - 3.0 and above
- Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience - 3.3 and above
- Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience (Honors) - 3.3 and above
Competitive GPAs for Professional Programs
These programs require pre-professional (university-level) study.
Competitive Requirements (previous year)
- Minimum competitive GPA to apply: 3.3
- Competitive mean MCAT score: 128
Competitive Requirements (previous year)
- Minimum GPA to apply: 2.7
- Competitive GPA: 3.0
Overall GPA (OGPA) is NOT used to competitively rank applicants. Applicants that present at least an OGPA of 3.3 will be considered for admission selection.
For competitive averages for other admission criteria, please visit DDS Admission Statistics. Information about DDS admissions can be found at uab.ca/dds.
Applicants that present a minimum Overall GPA (OGPA) of 2.7 to be considered for admission selection. OGPA is used competitively to rank candidates along with other admission criteria.
For current competitive averages, please visit Dental Hygiene Admission Statistics. Information about Dental Hygiene admissions can be found at uab.ca/dhyg.
Competitive Requirements (previous year)
- Average GPA: 3.5 for Alberta applicants and 3.7 for out-of-province applicants