I am excited to announce that I am now offering tutoring services for students who are looking to improve their grades and increase their chances of getting into the University of Toronto and other schools. I have received many requests for help with assignments and homework from UofT applicants, and I am now accepting new students for my 1-on-1 tutoring business. Please visit my website at www.YYZTutoring.com for more information and to book a 1-on-1 session.
Goals of this post: How to get into UofT Engineering
- Discuss the following:
- Admission Statistics for Engineering programs
- Online Student Profile
- Tips on How to Stand Out
Note: This post is not affiliated with the university.
Additional Note: This will be updated each year
Over the years, UofT has seen a huge increase in applicants to their Engineering programs. Many times exceptional applicants are left out due to the shear amount of competition that is present. This post will help those looking to get into Engineering at UofT.
Admission Average
University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering offers one of the best undergraduate engineering programs in the world. Admissions to each of the faculty’s 10 entry options is extremely competitive and the overall entrance average is increasing each year. As shown on the figure on the left, the entrance average for 2018 was 93.6%. Following this trend, the entrance average for 2019 seems to be around the 94% mark.
Chances for 2020 Admission
Please Note: Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) admissions are done together
Note: This is not officially posted by the University, but rather is made using past averages of previous admitted students and also those who have not gotten in.
It is not to say that if you have a low average you wont get in and vice versa. In the past, applicants with high 90s have gotten rejected while applicants with lower averages have gotten in. Other factors are not taken into consideration for this graph (Example: Extracurriculars).
Numbers of Applicants
Total Applicant Pool
Each year, the Engineering faculty receives over tens of thousands of applications. In 2018, a record of 13272 applicants was received for just 1062 spots. Out of those 13272 applicants, only 3380 were given offers (more offers are given since not everyone will accept the offer).
Number of Spots
Over the past couple of years, the amount of registered students in first year engineering is about 1147 over 10 programs. Here is the breakdown for the number of students in each program over the past 7 years:
It is also to note that in recent years, the applicant to available spot ratio for ECE, Track One, and Engineering Science has gotten more competitive compared to previous years.
Average amount of space in each program seems to be:
Online Admission Portal & Process
This section will show the steps in which you will apply inside the engineering portal.
1) Engineering Applicant Portal Dashboard
When you enter the UofT Engineering Applicant portal for the first time, you will be greeted with the dashboard. In the dashboard you will find your personal information alongside with which sections of the profile you have completed.
It is also to note that the dashboard is also where you will get your letter of acceptance if you do get in.
2) Program Rankings
After the dashboard, you can rank up to 4 programs in the order you would like to be considered for. In the past, strong applicants who got rejected from their first option are considered for their alternative choices.
You cannot put Engineering Science or Track One anywhere other than your first choice due to the high volume of applications.
Note: It does not matter what Engineering program you chose on OUAC, the admissions team will only look at this portion of the profile. In addition, you are allowed to change your choice around, however it is not recommended to do so near the early acceptance admission period or the final admission period.
3) Applicant Timeline
The applicant timeline will give the admissions committee a brief outline of your full time activities from the time you began your high school studies until the end of high school.
4) Additional Information (Test scores, Special Circumstances, and etc)
This section may not be for most students, but for those who would like to submit any additional information, you may do so here.
5) Academic Profile
In the academic profile section, you are to list your courses you have taken along with the name of your high school(s).
6) Extracurricular Activities
The extracurricular activities section is probably the most important section. Here, the admissions committee will distinguish which applicants get in compared to others with similar averages.
- Write the name of your extracurricular followed by the date and a description
- Choose which category your extracurricular belongs in
- Enter the scope (Example: Provincial, Municipal, Community, Local, National)
- Enter the date started and completed
- Lastly, fill your reference information with a short description of who they are
- Do not lie here, you will be caught and your application will be dismissed
- The admissions committee will check upon your references
7) Personal Profile (Video Interview)
Another vital part of the profile is the personal profile section. You will be in an interview like setting where the admissions committee will look at how you answer each question, your personality, how you present yourself, and your ability to comprehend and analyze a situation. The questions that are asked to you are pre-recorded and are chosen from a large question bank.
- First Question (Video)
- Introduce yourself. Why are you interested in engineering? Why UofT?
- Second Question (Written)
- Involves you writing a short essay for a past experience you have had
- Here the admissions committee will pay attention to the way you portray your thoughts and present them in a timed manner.
- Example: Describe a stressful situation when working with a group and how you handled it.
- Third Question (Video)
- You are given a situation, and an incomplete set of information. What 3 pieces of additional information would you select to find a solution?
- Example: Describe the 3 step process you would use to determine how many elementary schools there are in a city of 5 million people.
- You are given a situation, and an incomplete set of information. What 3 pieces of additional information would you select to find a solution?
Tips on Getting In
1) Think about the following questions when applying: Why engineering and why engineering at UofT? What do you bring to UofT that others don’t?
Remember, tens of thousands students apply each year. What you write needs to stand out to the admissions committee. Talk about why you want to pursue an Engineering degree at UofT. What makes UofT so special to you? What past experiences have you had that show that you love to problem solve?
Many students can state many reasons why they would like to pursue engineering, but have weaker arguments as to why they want to go to UofT. Most applicants also tend to generically highlight UofT’s academic reputation and rankings, rather than focus on what specifics they are drawn to.
2) Participating in extracurriculars
High grades will not always get you in. Yes having a high average will give you a competitive edge over others, but you also need to be well rounded. Joining clubs and participating in extracurriculars helps to show that.
3) Starting the application process early
Starting the application early will give you enough time to put detailed responses into each of the portal sections. This also is important if you want to be considered for early acceptance.
I remember I had all my extracurricular responses already filled in a Microsoft Word document and other information that was required well before I even applied.
4) Use your resources
If you have any questions, here are some available resources:
- UofT Reddit (Use the admissions megathread)
- Engineering Undergraduate Admissions
- Alumni from your high school who went to UofT
- University fair, March break open house, Engineering campus tour
- Read some of my previous posts
Interview Tips
1) Look presentable
You don’t need to dress super fancy or anything, but don’t look like you just woke up. Always put your best self forward.
2) Sit somewhere quiet and where you won’t be disturbed
Sitting somewhere quiet will help you keep your train of thought. You don’t want to be disturbed during your process of thinking or saying something. If you get interrupted by noise or someone calling you, it will not look good on your behalf.
3) Practice
Before I attempted the interview when I applied, I made sure to do the other interviews for other universities first to get the most practice. I also searched possible questions and answered them out loud. In addition, you will have the opportunity to have unlimited mock interviews that will be provided to you before the actual interview.
4) Take notes while the questions are being presented
When the questions are being asked to you, take down notes. After each question, you have a minute or so to think about what you are going to say/write.
5) Relax
Take a chill pill. The only way you will do good is if you relax. Even if you make a mistake, do not stress about it. I even remember myself completely messing up one of the questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Does UofT Engineering have Co-op?
Yes. UofT Engineering has ESIP and PEY Co-op. ESIP is a 4 month summer internship program and PEY Co-op is a 12-16 months long internship. PEY Co-op can be declared after 2nd or 3rd year.
2) What minors can I take?
You have the option to minor in 1 of 10 areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Bioengineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Sustainable Energy
- Engineering Business
- Robotics and Mechatronics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanoengineering
- Music Performance
3) Does it matter how I rank U of T Engineering on my OUAC application?
From the Admissions FAQ: “Highly competitive applicants can expect to receive an offer of admission regardless of choice. However, where we have a select number of spaces to offer to students that are found to be equally competitive, we believe that those students who have indicated a strong preference to be here will ultimately be more successful in our programs.”
4) Does Engineering have POSt?
POSt is only for those students in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Everyone in Engineering moves on to second year, provided they not on academic probation.
Concluding Thoughts
The application process may seem daunting, but if you start early and prepare for the interview, you will be fine. This may be a stressful time for some so good luck to all applying. Enjoy grade 12, join clubs, go to prom, do some calculus and live in the moment 🙂 .
Sources for this post:
Bikramjit Narwal 
Hi:
I really like your web site with specific information.
My son is interested in Medical school but off course he has to go for Bachelor of Science first. Can you recommend us a web site like yours for this purpose that help us?
Thx in advance for your help.
LikeLike
Thanks for reading! Unfortunately I do not know any website like that, sorry.
LikeLike
Hello. I greatly appreciate your informative post. I am applying for computer engineering this year. What are recommendations would you give me for the video interview preparation? Currently, I made a list of responses to the common questions, but don’t know how to cope with “the number of elementary schools” type questions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey there, thanks for reading! Honestly speaking, the video interview should feel like a normal conversation. Do not try to memorize things because that can make it start to sound robotic. For the thinking question, you will have lots of time before you actually get to answer it. During these few minutes, write down any answers you have. Elaborate on why your chose these answers and how they solve the problem given to you. I highly recommend doing the practice interviews provided to you as many times as you need before doing the actual interview.
LikeLike
Hi,
Do you think it’s safe or at least a good chance to get in with a 90 average for chemical engineering at UofT 2020 with only one or two extracurriculars?
Thanks,
LikeLike
Hey there,
In my opinion, a 90 is probably a bit low for Chemical Engineering. If you had some more extra curricular’s than maybe you would have more of a chance. At the end of the day, it all depends on how many applicants apply to Chemical Engineering and how the averages are this year. I would look at my graph to see where you stand.
LikeLike
Hi,
I am applying to UofT chemical engineering and I was wondering If extracurriculars really count that much. Unfortunately, I joined only one team during my high school years but my average will be around 90-91. Judging by the picture here, do you think I would get in with a good chance. It would be awesome if you can use your vision of the applicants you had when you applied. I plan on joining the same team but that will only begin next spring and by then, my application would have been submitted so I don’t know If I should include this year’s team in my extracurriculars. Do extracurriculars really matter that much? Have other applicants still got in with barely any extracurricular activities with low 90s? Also, I am applying to four engineering programs so is there more chance of me getting into at least one program than to just apply to one program itself.
Thanks
LikeLike
Hey Alex,
Judging by your average and extracurriculars, I would not say you would get in with a *good* chance. Now, you also have next semester to raise grades and join clubs, so I would definitely try really hard for that. I would include the team you are going to join, but just have the date set to when you would join it.
Like I’ve stated before, admissions each year depends on how many apply and how the averages of each applicant looks like. In addition, yes I have met people with low 90s and 1-2 extracurriculars, so sometimes it can be a gamble if you get in or not.
Applying to more than Engineering program in different *competitive* categories can help. For example, I would not recommend just applying to the 4 hardest to get into Engineering programs. However please note, you can also be rejected to all 4 choices.
LikeLike
Hi, I am applying Chemical Eng to U of T during 2020. my average is around 93-94% but I don’t have many extracurriculars. Will I have a good chance to get into it? Thank you!
LikeLike
I think you’ll be fine. Good luck!
LikeLike
Hi,
How can I be able to list extracurricular activities after I submit the application and is it risky? I know there will be a few contests during the spring time and obviously a cricket team that I joined last year. And also how many extracurricular activities are considered average? Thank you so much for taking your time out of your studies.
Thanks
LikeLike
For extracurriculars after submission of the application, put a generic date like February 1st, 2020 and give contact information.
I would say somewhere between 3-5 extracurriculars would be considered average, but that just an estimate since I do not have statistics for extracurriculars.
LikeLike
I have repeated physics grade 12, i did the first one in grade 11 first semester, due to some family circumstance, i got 71%, i repeated it last summer and scored 94%, do thy look at my first attempt ?
Now, i have 93.5 % average, what is my chances for ECE ?
LikeLike
From the admission FAQ page: “While we do not discourage applicants from repeating courses, it is the policy of the University of Toronto Engineering Admissions Committee to consider only first attempt marks. The Admissions Committee in general does not consider repeated course marks. However, we will consider any extenuating circumstances that perhaps had a negative effect on academic performance. You will need to provide documentation to explain how the circumstance affected your academic history with a specific timeline. Please note that if the circumstance is medical in nature, official medical documentation must be provided as well.”
As in terms of competitiveness with your average, you seem to be in the typical “ECE average” ballpark. If you can increase your average a bit more and get some extracurriculars, you can increase your chances.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Does it matter what number you rank your universities on OUAC ?
Do they see all my choices, or just the options of their corresponding university ?
LikeLike
I would say no, universities do not care what you rank them for the most part (I mentioned how UofT Engineering looks at OUAC rankings in the FAQ section). In addition, I would not know what they can or cannot see since I am not with the admissions committee.
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit,
I noticed that in your graph that Industrial is one of the more difficult programs to get into. I have a 90-91% top 5 average right now with pretty good extracurriculars since my average is not that high I was planning to apply to Industrial first and Mineral second. I was under the impression industrial was one of the easier programs to get into as it had the second-lowest median average for the 2018 round at 90.0%. Would you recommend just putting mineral at first with my average, I really want to go to UofT engineering as I have to stay in Toronto due to financial reasons and it is a huge step above RyeU and York. Also if I were to put mineral 2nd how much would that reduce my chances of getting into mineral, I ask this because I know a school like Waterloo almost never gives you your second engineering choice.
LikeLike
Hey Eman,
To begin please note the following: Those who put ‘program X’ at their 1st will be considered before others who do not put it first, thus leaving a chance for the program to be filled completely before considering those who put it as their alternative choice.
Now to answer your question, if you want to really get into UofT Engineering and want to be 100% safe, I would put a less competitive program and switch after first year (many people are currently doing this and have done this in the past). UofT Engineering often times gives applicants their alternate choices, however last year some applicants were deferred to Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Also, Industrial Engineering is starting to get popular recently, hence the rise in average on my graph. You mentioned you had great extracurriculars and a pretty good average, you should have a good chance!
Good luck!
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit,
In your opinion, is track one admission average usually higher or lower than ECE ?
As you said take less competitive program and switch after first year , from the “Chances for 2020 Admission” chart you provided, i see that Min Eng. has the lowest admission requirements, what is the chances / requirements to switch after 1st year to ECE ?
LikeLike
I would say Track One has a slightly higher average since it allows you to go into any Engineering program seamlessly (except EngSci). However, I would see Track One getting less competitive than ECE in upcoming years since transferring programs at UofT Engineering is not that hard (everyone takes the same first year courses for the most part).
For transferring programs within UofT Engineering, please see this link: https://undergrad.engineering.utoronto.ca/academics-registration/enrolment-registration/transfers/transferring-between-programs/
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit,
I’m thinking of applying to the Track One engineering program. I attend an Ontario high school and I have an average of just over 95% (95.5 ish). My extracurriculars are fairly diverse (sports teams, member of school clubs, executive of school clubs) but I don’t have any major competition or contest wins. Also, I wouldn’t call any of my extracurriculars “impressive” at all, but I have do have about 10 things listed.
I know you probably get a lot of people asking you this, but in your honest opinion, do you think I have an okay chance at getting in?
LikeLike
I think you have a strong chance of getting in due to your average and diverse extracurriculars. The average for Track One over the past couple of years has been around the 94-95% mark.
LikeLike
Hi,
I am hoping to get into computer engineering at UofT this year.
1. Would putting Computer engineering and electrical engineering as my top 2 choices increase my chances of getting admitted to computer engineering? Should I put another engineering discipline with a lower admission average and then transfer into comp eng later?
2. I predict I will finish grade 12 with around a 93% average in my top 5, have fairly good extracurriculars, and I think I did well on the video interview portion of the application. What are my chances for computer engineering at UofT?
Thank you!
LikeLike
1. ECE admissions are done together. If you put Computer Engineering as your first option, consider putting something other than Electrical Engineering as your second choice.
2. I cannot speak for sure, but looking at the past averages for ECE, the closer one is to 95%, the more likely they are to get accepted. I think you have a decent shot with your extracurriculars + average.
LikeLike
Oh, is your response number one true? I’ve never heard of that before. I’ve also put the first and second choice as CE and EE. Should I change EE to something else?
LikeLike
Pretty sure that is the case. In our second year seminar course they said they would call the entire program “ECE” if they could, but they have to branch into CE and EE due to rules from PEO (Professional Engineers of Ontario). I will however email someone I know from admissions and get a solid answer back for you.
LikeLike
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit,
Where in the application portal i explain a situation for the admission committee to consider.
In my case i repeated only one course because of a family circumstance. and my second attempt was way better than the first one ?
Regards,
Moneer
LikeLike
Look under section 4, the one with the test scores.
LikeLike
Hi Moneer,
I was wondering if you are able to change your response for explaining repeated courses after saving it? Because on the webpage it says once you save your answer you cannot go back and change it.
Thanks,
Yipei
LikeLike
Ur da boss.
LikeLike
Hi,
What exactly do we include under applicant timeline. I didn’t do anything but attended my primary high school and a private school in the summer for one month and I see those schools listed on my applicant timeline. Do I just leave it like that?
Thanks
LikeLike
If all institutions are listed since you began high school, then yes leave it like that. In your case, everything is fine as is.
LikeLike
Hi,
I realize that according to that graph above, I will have a 55-65 percent chance of getting in. This is because I think my projected average will be 90 to 91. Do you think i will get in to civil engineering as my first choice and mineral engineering as my second choice. Do you think that ranking four choices would at least increase my chances for getting to at least one of them. Like my number of extracurricular activities are only 2. I don’t think i’ll even get in.
Thanks,
LikeLike
I think going through some of the other comments and checking the graph I made will help you know where you stand. I cannot say if someone will get in for sure or not.
In addition, ranking 4 choices will increase likelihood of offer.
LikeLike
Hi Mr. Narwal,
I just realized that I’m going to get a low mark in data management (around 60-70). I’m currently taking two other courses next semester (aside from the 5 courses required) that may potentially make up for my top 6. Question is, will the admissions committee look upon the lowest mark like data management?
Thanks,
LikeLike
UofT Engineering only looks at the prereqs for Engineering (Top 5).
LikeLike
Don’t they consider the 5 prereqs as well as one extra course to calculate Top 6 average?
LikeLike
At the end of this: https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/files/2018/12/06c-Report-3608-ADM-Admissions-Cycle-2018-FC.pdf , it states “Based on final grades in six courses required for admission, including Chemistry, Advanced Functions, Calculus & Vectors, Physics, English (if required) and one additional subject. These averages differ from the values used for admission decisions, which are based on interim grades *without inclusion of the sixth subject*. ”
LikeLike
Hi,
About the personal profile are there specific questions for question 3. I was a bit confused on question. Also, as a student from Nigeria what average is considered good enough to get into the Civil engineering program.
Thank you
LikeLike
Also for a Nigerian student who has attended two different schools and placed on the applicant timeline the first school for grade 7 – grade 11 and the second school from grade 11- grade 12 will that be alright. And what transcripts does toronto require like what grade to be specific.
LikeLike
my top 5 is going to around 93.7, but I got 78 on physics, high on other 4. I don’t really feel like repeating the course as UofT really doesn’t like it and I already have alot of other courses to take. On the website it states that you need to have minimum 70 in prerequisite courses. Do I still have a chance. Thank you
LikeLike
Overall average seems good and individual course mark is above 70% so I would not worry.
LikeLike
Hi,
Do you think I’ll have a reliable chance or at least a good chance of getting into any program in the yellow line of the graph and the program in the black line? And by selecting four programs, does that increase the chance of getting to UofT Engineering itself (not just one program)? Like, are students likely admitted to their other engineering programs. Or is it likely that they are just rejected out of UofT Engineering itself after rejection from the first choice engineering program? I think my projected average might be an 88. I participated in only two extracurricular activities. I think that judging by the graph I might have a 40 to 50 percent chance of getting in. But I don’t know If I’m right.
Thanks
LikeLike
It is hard for me to give an exact answer if you will get in or not.
Yes selecting 4 programs increases likelihood of offer. Last year many students were deferred completed from Engineering to Math and Physical Sciences.
LikeLike
hey there, you have amazing advice and tips for my of us who are trying to apply. I was just wonder if uft uses your top 6 marks or does the top 6 must include your prerequisites? thank you !
LikeLike
Thank you!
UofT Engineering uses top 5 marks for admission.
LikeLike
Hey! I love your website, it’s very helpful. I was wondering if I apply to a program such as civil engineering and end up not liking it, is it possible to switch to a different engineering program? If so, is it difficult to switch and how long do you have?
LikeLike
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words 🙂
It is really easy to switch programs, one of the many things I love about UofT Engineering. Most first year courses are same, so switching is really easy. You just fill out a form and that is about it. You will be placed in the new program the following year (first year to second year transition).
Some programs might require a prerequisite (ECE requires C Programming, and Mechanical Engineering requires Dynamics), if that is the case, you can take it during the school year or the summer, your choice.
LikeLike
Hi! So in that case, would you be able to switch from ECE to Eng Sci for instance or is it not allowed because Eng Sci is hard?
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure some people have done that, but it’s very rare. You’ll need high grades to prove you can handle EngSci workload.
LikeLike
Hi. I’ve heard that most of the U of T engineering students use i-pad (or some other kinds of tablets) instead of printed paper textbooks. Would you recommend getting one?
I only have a laptop, so I’m thinking of getting a new cheap one, but not i-pad because it’s too expensive. Which affordable model should I buy?
LikeLike
iPads are not necessary but many students do have them. They can be convenient but not a must have item. Regular notebooks will be fine.
LikeLike
You can choose not to answer this but based on your experience, have all the people you have known applied to any of these engineering programs have averages above 90? Because I’m trying to enter with a projected average of about 88-89 (Top 5 counting English). I selected Civil first and then Min second since they both are related. (otherwise, I would be putting Min last). Materials third and Mechanical last. Also, based on the people you have known, are chances increased to even get in at least one when applying to more than one program (Top 4) because I don’t really care which one to get into, I just want to get in the Uni itself.
Thanks,
LikeLike
Hey Bobi, most students I have talked to do have 90+ averages, but I have also talked to a few students who have high 80 averages. To answer your other question, selecting 4 programs does increase likelihood of offer, but this does not guarantee admission, it just gives your application more reviews from your alternate choices. Last year many strong applicants did not get their 2nd or 3rd alternate choices, but rather they were completely deferred to Math and Physical Sciences.
LikeLike
Ok, thanks! And even if I were to be deferred to those programs…will I still be able to transfer back to engineering? If so, is it considered “easy”? Or are there a lot of stressing steps I must follow. I want to see if it’s something I can rely on.
LikeLike
Yes it is possible, not sure if it will be easy. I am not sure of the steps to transfer from outside of engineering.
LikeLike
Hi,
I have been meaning to ask this question but what average do they ask you to maintain after second semester midterm or like after they get your marks?
Thanks,
LikeLike
70% 🙂
LikeLike
Hi,
Ok so, do they take your top 5 or top 6. I was really confused about this topic. If it is the top 5, is it just the courses that require prerequisites right? Not any other courses (let’s say art or business). Also, I’m aiming at an 89 average with 2 extracurriculars. Do you think I’ll get in with a chance I can rely on or is it too hard? I’m applying for the programs in the yellow curve and the black curve on your graph there.
LikeLike
Yes, it is only top 5 average.
Also, it is hard to say without knowing any of your extracurriculars or how your interview went.
LikeLike
Hello,
For English grade 12, i got an 80% but my other 4 courses in the top 5 were in the mid 90s. Does the low English mark impact my admission in any way?
LikeLike
When your profile gets evaluated, the admissions team will only care about the top 5 average. If your top 5 average is still competitive, I wouldn’t dwell on the English mark.
LikeLike
Hi, My top 5 average is 93.5 from the 1St semester of grade 12. How UofT will take my 2nd-semester mark as I am trying hard to make it 95% Is there any chance to get into the engineering science of UofT. thanks
LikeLike
I’d say anything below a 95% is risky for Engineering Science. Also, as stated in my blog, there are multiple factors that are considered about applicants when their profiles get reviewed (not just marks).
LikeLike
Hi, How does the UFT Engineering Program calculates averages for GCSE & A level students (British Curriculum) as they mostly are graded from A* to E.
LikeLike
Sorry, I am not sure. I haven’t looked into this.
LikeLike
Hi,
Thanks for making such an informative post. My average is not very strong, about 87% top 5, but my extracurricular are well written and very strong.They include things like DEEP which is a UofT Engineering Camp. In your graoh you say i have about a 43% chance of being accepted into Min. How certain are you of those chances because a 43% seems really high with only an 87%. Do you know anyone in mineral what got in with such an average? If these probabilities hold true I should have a strong chance considering my extracurricular.
Thanks
LikeLike
Yes, I do know those who have gotten in with the high 80s into Mineral Engineering. In my opinion, I see the average for Mineral rising each year (will look into this). This is due to the fact that it has the lowest admission average, so lots of applicants desperately apply and switch out after the first year.
LikeLike
Hi. I got an early offer from computer engineering yesterday! Thank you again for your helpful posts!
I am an international student, so I am now applying for a student residence. But I’m not sure which one’s the good one. I am also considering living off-campus at the same time cause the fees are insanely high for internationals.
Do you have any suggestions?
LikeLike
Hey Justin, congrats on the offer!
I personally lived off-campus first year and I still made great friends and felt included in the SKULE community. If you can stay in residence I would recommend it because you’ll find it easier to make friends while at the same time not having to worry about finding a place of your own in downtown. The typical residence Engineering students stay at is Chestnut Residence.
If you have more questions shoot me an email.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for your kind reply. Your new post about summer internship was also very helpful. You’re blog is giving me a nice roadmap of my future.
LikeLike
Hi!
Thanks for your analysis, it’s really helpful.
I’m currently a grade 11 student in Ontario, I’ll be applying for Industrial Engineering in UofT next year. I really like the program and UofT is the only university that provides this program in Canada. My first question is, I’ve heard that Universities look at your school and treat your mark differently depending on their impression to your school, is that true? And also, I don’t know if volunteering in a program in YMCA centre would count as an extracurricular activity to fill the form, and does math contests count? I’m getting high 90s for my grade 11 courses now and would probably end up a 95 for grade 11, I did very well in contests too, do you think the contests would help to add my chance of getting accepted?
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Hey there, thanks for the kind words!
UofT Engineering hasn’t explicitly come out and said that look at your high school and treat your mark differently depending on their impression of your school, but I believe that they do some analysis on that. I can’t really say more about this since I do not have any facts.
I would say anything that you do outside of school can be counted as an extracurricular since it broadens your skill set. Math contests would not be considered as an extracurricular, but if you do well on them I would for sure mention them in your application.
Good luck
LikeLike
Thanks
LikeLike
Thank you for writing this, and thank you for your patience in answering the many comments (many of which are “will I get in with X?” Which must get tiresome). This post could remain popular for many years, like a post I saw written in 2008 about the various colleges at UofT, which is still getting comments 10 years after the author has presumably graduated!
A couple of quick notes:
(1) I was confused by the references to “ECE” throughout, until I got to the comments, where this was explained (it’s a combination of “Electrical Engineering” and “Computer Engineering”). Thank you from preventing my son from “wasting” a choice by putting them both down separately.
(2) So many potential applicants seem aware of the “backdoor” of applying to minerals that I think by now this avenue must be closed. in fact, with 30 spots (among the fewest), I think minerals must be fast-becoming the most competitive, even though no one intends to stick with it (which must frustrate some professors, and also admissions!)
(3) I wanted to discuss the concept of having a “safety”. You alluded to the fact that those who don’t get into engineering are offered some opportunity in math/physical science, and I’m wondering if you can elaborate? On the application one gets 3 choices, so if one selects Engineering as #1 (which then allows you to create a profile and rank 4 choices within engineering that needn’t match the original selection); then Computer Science (“CS”) as #2 (which I hear is equally difficult to get into – mid-90s?); and then “X” as 3rd, then:
(a) should “X” be a “safety” (and what would that even be?! – even “life sciences” seems extremely competitive, and one couldn’t even pick it since it’s in the same faculty as CS and therefore can’t be selected anyway!); and
(b) should the applicant just choose 3 very hard to get into programs, because UofT will “find a spot for you” elsewhere if you don’t get in (ie: the math/physics option you touch on, which I’d like to hear more about).
(4) since you yourself chose an engineering path to work in big tech (via ECE), I was curious to know if (a) you also applied to CS at UTSG, (b) if you were admitted there also, and (c) how you chose between them? This, I’m sure, could be the basis for an entirely new post!
LikeLike
First of all, thank you, Mark, for the detailed questions and feedback! I truly appreciate the time you took to write everything. I just recovered from exam season, so I apologize for the time it took to respond back.
Now to answer some of your questions:
1) I completely agree with you. I should have mentioned ECE as Computer and Electrical Engineering from the beginning. I will change that immediately.
2) In my first year, the Mineral Engineering department would even invite their first-year students to talk about why Mineral Engineering is awesome with the intent of keeping some students in the program. This was great, but most of the students were only there as a way to transfer to other disciplines. As you mentioned, Mineral Engineering will probably become more competitive each year. I have a feeling that UofT Engineering will have a solution to counter this “backdoor” option in the upcoming years.
3) I think there is some confusion. Engineering has its own faculty. Computer Science, Life Sciences, and many other programs lie under the “Arts & Science” faculty. Each faculty has their own way of handling admissions. For Engineering, we have our own admissions portal which your son has used. In the Engineering portal, the applicant chooses up to 4 programs within the Engineering faculty. Let’s say this individual doesn’t get into any of their Engineering choices. Now two things can happen: the applicant can be completely rejected from UofT (provided they didn’t apply to other faculties), or they can be deferred to another program of the faculty’s choice (like Math & Physical Sciences). The reason they do this is that they wish to fill in space for these programs and this keeps the students although they weren’t competitive enough for the Engineering faculty. Now here is another scenario to help clear any further confusion: A student applies to Computer Engineering and Computer Science. This student would need to first choose these two programs on OUAC then complete each admission criteria (filling in the portal or whatever it might be). Now the student gets deferred from Computer Engineering to Mechanical Engineering, but this student also gets into Computer Science. Now the student has to make the decision of going into Mechanical Engineering (Engineering faculty) or Computer Science (Faculty of Arts and Science).
4) I personally did not apply to CS at UofT because of “pOST” which is a whole topic on its own. Basically, students in the Arts and Science faculty have to get a certain average in the first year in order to actually get into their program in 2nd year. Likewise, I did apply to CS at other universities like The University of Waterloo and Ryerson University. The reason I chose Engineering over CS is that Engineers solve conflicts ranging from building satellites to troubleshooting chemical processes thus they require intricate problem-solving skills. It would be honorary to have a job in which I would be able to solve puzzles regularly as it fascinates me. Acquiring an Engineering degree also opens doors to a variety of fields whereas this cannot be said the same in Computer Science.
If you have any more questions or feedback, I’d love to hear it! I enjoyed reading your thoughts and may I say that you have some incredible writing skills.
Thanks,
Bikramjit Narwal
LikeLike
Thanks for taking the time to respond during school, which I’d assumed was suspended due to Covid!
On #4, I believe that pOST (and the angst it creates among the student body) has been recently re-evaluated, and may have been recently changed. If so, that would be wise, though I do see a point of giving the U the opportunity to evaluate students, and not leave the determination of who is an “A” student completely up to the high schools (from your graphs in this post, it appears the Engineering admission average is approaching 100%, and some high schools are simply harder to get grades in than others! So I see why CS had this system in place).
On #3, I don’t think there’s confusion: I understand things as you described (that engineering is its own faculty where you select up to 4 choices (after selecting just one on the 101 or 105), and CS is part of the arts and science faculty, where CS would have to be your one and only choice there, and there would be no “2nd choice” within that faculty for something like life sciences). My question here is about choosing a “safety” because all these programs are very competitive (require high average). Let’s say a student has a 90% average and decent ECs (in other words, they are not a “sure thing” in either Eng OR in CS by any means). They put Eng #1, CS #2, and maybe Scarborough Campus CS as #3 (because there’s not much else to put #3 downtown… Kinesiology?). The Engineering admissions person says “Hmm: this person on their supplemental form chose EngSci, TrackOne, ECE, and Mechanical, and they aren’t competitive on #1, #2 or #3, and they MIGHT have been competitive on #4 if they put it first, but they didn’t, so we have no place for this student.” Meanwhile the CS admissions people come to a similar conclusion “Humpf!: This kid didn’t even put us first on the application, and anyway our average is 95% this year, so screw this guy – admission denied!” Now my question is this: is that student going to be deferred into ANY program downtown, or would UTSG just deny that applicant entirely? That’s where the “deferral into math” becomes important, because if the applicant didn’t APPLY to math, is it still a potential “safety” that Eng admissions has some access to? Could an applicant ask to be deferred into life sciences (or is it just into math?). Or put another way: if you knew your grades were borderline (92, 90…), what would your 2nd and 3rd choices have been (assuming you only wanted UTSG, for sake of argument)?
LikeLike
Honestly, the ‘straight deferral’ depends on each year’s situation. Maybe certain years fewer people apply to program X so UofT Engineering may just deffer applicants who have a certain competitive grade to that program X. For the past 1-2 years that program X has been the Math & Physical Sciences program. In addition, an applicant has no option to ask to be deferred into a certain program.
In my case, I only applied to Engineering at UTSG since that was the only program that interested me, hence I did not have any “safety programs” at UTSG. If I got rejected from UTSG, I would have pursued Engineering elsewhere.
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit! I tried to contact you through your email but I couldn’t find your address on your website.
Anyways, I’m basically hesitating between U of T CE vs. Waterloo CS vs. Waterloo CE. I’m an international student without the PR, so the tuitions are all similar.
I hope I can go to one of the top-tier American engineering graduate schools like MIT/Stanford/Berkeley after my Bachelor’s because I want to become a professor. I’ve heard UWaterloo’s curriculum is more focused on getting a job right after graduation, whereas U of T is more theory-focused, which sounds more suitable for me.
Also, from what I’ve heard, Waterloo has a better overall reputation in computer subjects, but U of T’s high international ranking is very attractive. And, I am worried about the difficulty of getting a good GPA in the U of T.
In summary, would it be a bad idea if I prepare to go to graduate school in the U of T, over Waterloo CE/CS? I am also wondering how many U of T computer engineering graduates go to top-tier American graduate schools. Thanks for reading a long post 🙂
LikeLike
Hey Justin, the “contact” part of my website is linked to my email. Likewise, my email is bikramjitnarwal@hotmail.com.
It’s great seeing that you have planned a solid roadmap ahead of you. I do agree that Waterloo CE and CS will in no doubt give you an edge for landing jobs after graduation. Many of my Waterloo friends have landed great jobs so far.
UofT is known to be a harder school, but I know lots of people who get on the dean’s list (80+ average) each semester consistently. The amount of work you put in each class will be proportional to the grade you achieve. UofT also has some top tier research opportunities which would look great for your grad school application. I know many upper years who have gone to top American Universities. Most recently, I know of an ECE student who just graduated and is going to Stanford CS for his masters.
If you’d like to talk more, feel free to email me!
LikeLike
SSA/Hello
My son has been accepted into engineering science this year
Really appreciate your post since you had a fist hand experience at UTSG.We are from India and though my son is hardworking and an intelligent student the comments in reddit about the difficulty level, grading and being totally on your own is something I am concerned about.
Can you advise me regarding the same.
LikeLike
Hey Gurpreet, congrats to your son for getting accepted!
My advice would be to ignore the UofT subreddit for the most part. The UofT subreddit is an echo chamber of negativity. There are people who do post their positive experiences but I feel like the negative experiences stick out more.
In my first year, all the classes had an average of 70% or higher. Most international kids usually get higher marks then the class average since they have a great fundamental foundation of math and science. Don’t get me wrong, it will not be a walk in the park, but it won’t be impossible like some state on the subreddit.
In addition, I have never felt as if I was on my own. The Engineering community is my favourite aspect of UofT Engineering. Everyone is so caring, welcoming, and inclusive. There are tons of resources if you need help with something.
If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit!
Thanks for the encouraging reply.Just wanted to know if I can transfer to ECE from Engsci in the first few weeks of classes ?
LikeLike
Yes of course! Anyone in EngSci is allowed to drop to the core 8 Engineering programs at anytime (before the end of first year). I know people who switched into the core 8 from EngSci during the first day of school.
LikeLike
Hi Bikram,
Thanks for your blog, it really gives me hope! I’m applying to Mechanical engineering next year, do you know what the average is for that? Is it as prestigious as ECE?
Thanks!
LikeLike
Hey Derek, I think the 2021 average for Mechanical Engineering should be pretty similar to the one found on my graph. I will be conducting some research on the newly admitted students and their averages. If a change needs to be made, I will update the graph.
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit! First of all thanks for the website is very useful.
I will apply next year and I want to prepare a document with Extracurricular Activities.
It looks like Extracurricular Activities is just a list based on above picture from Online Admission Portal,
My question is do I need to write/describe/write short essay about all my Extracurricular Activities ?
Where I upload the details on the “Description” field mentioned above?If yes how many characters are allowed.
Or I will get a request later during application process like a supplementary? If yes how many characters?
Thanks
LikeLike
Thanks for reading the blogs! There is no “essay” component in which you would need to describe your extracurriculars. You’ll only need to briefly describe each them individually.
However, that isn’t to say that you won’t get an essay question regarding extracurriculars from the online video interview(E.g. How have your extracurriculars shaped the way you are today?). In this case, you’ll need to type the “essay” (500 words ish) on the spot.
LikeLike
Hi,
I just want your insight on APS111/112. What exactly is this course? Is it hard?
Thanks,
LikeLike
This course is basically an introduction to “product management”. APS111/112 are both dependent on how good your team is and also how difficult your TA marks. These 2 courses are kind of English heavy which many Engineering students hate. I remember having really hard TA’s both semesters. My group spent weeks on a report only to get an average mark. Although I didn’t like the English portion of these 2 courses, APS112 was one of my highest marks at UofT so far.
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit, thanks for providing the amazing information in details on this page. I am a grade 12 student currently attending school in BC. I am wondering if the admission committee would evaluate my application the same way they do to ontario highschool students. As you have mentioned here before, more candidates have been desperately applying to mineral engineering due to a lower admission average than others. Do you think i should consider placing civil as my first option or mineral? I am targeting uoft civil in the fall of 2021. My top five average is likely to be somewhat around 90-91. On top of that, i have a fair amount of extracurricular activities.
LikeLike
Hey Ivan, your application will be different than an Ontario student. I say you have a great chance for both Civil and Mineral Engineering. In the past, Mineral Engineering has had lower admission averages than Civil Engineering, but I don’t know if that will continue for future years. I would just put Civil Engineering as option #1 since that is your program of interest
LikeLike
Hi Bikram,
This is a great graph but when will you be releasing the one with data from 2020 admissions? Waterloo already released theirs and it’s a lot different from their 2019 one. I’m incredibly curious now as to if it is the same for U of T.
Thanks!
LikeLike
Hey Lisa, unfortunately, I will not be iterating the 2019 graph as of right now. It is really hard to determine how admissions will be run this year due to the whole pandemic situation. I still think my 2019 graph will be a great indicator for those applying in 2020.
LikeLike
Hi Bikram: Because I don’t expect you to keep monitoring this page indefinitely (at some point you will graduate!), I’m wondering if you can direct me to a online forum (maybe on reddit?) where the discussion continues? That’s #1.
#2: I’m wondering what your thoughts are on the 2020 “By the Numbers” publication put out by the faculty (which you very helpfully linked to at the top of this post). The 2020 report updates statistics through 2019 at https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/files/2020/09/AR2020_INTERNAL_FINALrev_WEB.pdf
Some interesting things I saw:
-2019 had the first ever DIP in applications going back to 2010 [page 6], at 12,263 (but still close to recent highs);
-despite this dip, 2019 also had the MOST admissions going back to 2010 (3,937);
-Because of the prior 2 points, selectivity went up from 2018 (from .25 to .32, a level last seen prior to 2014)
-Yield (which I understand Universities obsess over) remained a consistent .31
Registrations went up by 140 from 2019, and was at the high end of the 2010-2019 range.
It would seem that 2019 was a good year to be applying: there were fewer competitors, more offers made, and the incoming class was 140 students larger than in 2018. Where those 227 incoming students landed is broken down on page 9, where Computer (up 30%) and TrackOne (up 23%) and mechanical (up 24%) seem to have grown the most, and Electrical actually shrunk! (from 84 to 64 – the ONLY one that became smaller)
On page 8 we see that after breakneck ‘grade inflation’ up to 2018, there was finally a dip to a [still astonishing] 93% average (pre-2016 levels). BUT, I could not find a breakdown of the admission average for each of the 10 streams (which I think allowed you to create the graph above). I’m just wondering what you’ve heard, if anything, about ‘what grades a student needs to have a good chance of admission for each of the 10 streams’? Is it possible they stopped sharing this stat because of Covid, and a push towards de-emphasizing grades in admissions? Or did I just imagine seeing it in a past ‘official report’ (maybe it was only here on your blog)?
LikeLike
Hi, I’m interested in applying to UofT engineering. Thanks for providing info re student personal profile. Do you know for each volunteering experience, do I need to upload a reference letter or just contact details of the person in charge? Or will UofT engineering contact them? In addition, do I need to ever upload reference letters from my high school teachers? Many thanks.
LikeLike
Contact person! No reference letters are needed, UofT Engineering will contact all references based on the information you provide.
LikeLike
Hey Bikram!
Thank you Bikram for posting such an informative and helpful blog! I am keen on applying to U of T industrial engineering ( also electrical eng) for fall 2021. I am an international applicant. I doubt that the graph given above illustrating the chances of admission as a function of percentages must be according to the Canadian curriculum. If it is indeed the case, then that would make it difficult for me to self assess my application as (competitive) percentages vary from country to country. If you have any idea about Indian applicants or have friends in your program from India , please help me in assessing the competitiveness of my application for industrial engineering as well as electrical engineering.
I study in CBSE(Indian) curriculum. My averages over years are as follow: 94% in class 9, 97% in class 10, 96% in class 11 and (predicted) 95% in class 12. I have fair share of extra curriculars ( Editor of my School newspaper, community service , award winning orator , Dancer, etc ). Do I have a good chance of getting into Indy or EE?
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit! Thanks for posting this. I am applying to computer engineering at U of T and I find your blog really helpful. You must be really busy, but I was wondering if you could write a blog post on the U of T interview experience. Thanks.
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit,
First of all, thank you for your great website. It is very useful and practical. Recently I have been preparing for the personal profile, the interview part. If it’s possible can you give examples for each question? Also, is only one of the questions related to logic or two? If not what is the other one related to?Thanks.
LikeLike
Thank you very much for your posts, that is really helpful. I am a student from Japan. My average is around 94%, do you think I have a chance to be admitted to U of T engineering?
LikeLike
I did my personal profile today, but messed up everything (even my english!) in the video responses a lot due to nervousness, and stuttering was another thing. Do you know how much weightage the personal profile has in the entire application, and chances if the grades and ECs are excellent?
LikeLike
Hi, I’m currently applying for engineering for UofT. Due to the pandemic, the year is split into quadmesters and for the first quadmster I was able to achieve a 95 in Chemistry but due to an unexpected medical episode I was only able to achieve a 90 in advance function. I feel quite confident in my other courses and a mid 90 seems possible. I also have some clubs for this year and and an exec position for one of them. My question for you is, do they care more about overall averages or individual marks? Also, what would you say my chances are for getting into chemical Engineering or mineral engineering?
LikeLike
Hi Bikramjit,
Take a look at the following post picture found on r/UofT
Do you know where these reports can be found? I dont trust a random screenshot posted on a toxic subreddit
LikeLike
Hello Bikramjit,
I want to sincerely thank you for all the information and insight you’ve provided on this page. I’m currently a grade 12 student attending school in ontario. For a long time now, I’ve dreamed of getting into eng sci at uoft. Recently, looking through some of the statistics has kind of discouraged me from my chances of getting in. I’m hoping to have a 95 or higher average with my top 5 (Regular day school) by the may round of admissions, however my extracurricular activities is where I feel i’m lacking, but not without reason. I’ve lived with a single mother for the past 7 years and had to dedicate significant amounts of time to helping out around the house, limiting me from joining any after school programs. In addition, my little brother fell ill a few months ago and some of my grades and extracurricular involvment was again limited as I had to take care of him. I still have various volunteer jobs and a lifeguard certification that I can reflect on in detail, but aside from those I have nothing. Will outlining my situation give me any edge in my application, specifically toward engineering science? Any sort of insight or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again for the blogs and information!
LikeLike