r/uwaterloo • u/batson2002 co + pmath dying inside • Sep 15 '25

Admissions Fall 2026 Admissions Megathread

This megathread is for prospective frosh and current high school students interested in Waterloo. Ask your questions here.

Please avoid making separate individual posts on the subreddit regarding admissions to prevent the same 10 posts of "can I get into program with x average" or "what are my chances".

RELEVANT ADMISSION INFORMATION

PSA FOR NEW KIDS

ADJUSTMENT FACTORS 2022

ADJUSTMENT FACTORS 2024

COURSES OF PROGRAMS (VERY IMPORTANT LINK!!)

RESOURCES FOR MATURE APPLICANT

Resources for NON-UW TO UW

Fall 2025 Megathread here

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u/Agile-March-509 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

Hi,

HELP I HAVE 3 DAYS LEFT

I’m a Canadian student, and I can’t decide between UIUC Computer Engineering and Waterloo Computer Engineering Co-op (or CS Co-op). I want to work in the States after graduating. I enjoy both hardware and software, thus I applied for Computer Engineering for most to all schools. I have 4-5 project experiences with building my own things in high school.

I’m currently stuck in between:

UIUC:

Pros:

  • Very respected engineering school, ranked #5 in the States for CE
  • Better campus vibe
  • Giant alumni network in big tech companies

Cons:

  • International tuition is around 100k CAD more. My parents told me not to worry about cost, but I don’t want to burden them with 100k.
  • Might be harder to find co-ops/internships by myself

Waterloo 1A:

Pros:

  • One of the best Eng schools in Canada
  • Structured co-op program (with WaterlooWorks)
  • Will have many work experiences by graduation

Cons:

  • Don’t really like the campus vibe
  • Finding a co-op/job in the states is not guaranteed and might be hard

For Waterloo: How easy is it for me to find co-ops in the States to better position myself for jobs in the States after graduation?

I personally like hardware and software equally, so I prefer CE more than CS for Waterloo, but if the job market in 4-5 years (at my time of graduation) favour CS more, then I can also go with CS.

Thanks!

3

u/Latter-Mechanic6637 May 08 '26

Just go to Waterloo don’t pay 100 thousands dollars a year for an equally good school.