Wilfrid Laurier University
Overview
Welcome to Wilfrid Laurier University, a leading Canadian university known for academic excellence and a culture that inspires lives of leadership and purpose. With more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Laurier has a distinct commitment to teaching, research and scholarship combined with a strong student focus, high levels of student satisfaction and a deep sense of community.
Laurier is a leader in integrated and engaged learning, connecting academic programming to co-curricular activities. The university specializes in arts and social sciences, business and economics, music, science, social work, education and theology.
Laurier has campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, as well as locations in Kitchener, Toronto and Chongqing, China. The university was established as the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada in 1911 and remains the home of the affiliated Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. The university is also home to the internationally acclaimed Penderecki String Quartet, WLU Press and the Robert Langen Art Gallery. Wilfrid Laurier University has been the host institution for the Academic Council on the United Nations System secretariat since 2003, with offices located at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, part of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Campus.
Students attending Laurier must have excellent proficiency in the English language to benefit from university instruction.
If your first language is not English, you’ll be required to submit acceptable evidence of your English proficiency to our International Recruitment and Admissions office (address below). Normally, evidence of English proficiency is an acceptable score on one of the following tests (see exemptions below). You must make your own arrangements to write the test and have the results forwarded directly to our office.
Students who do not meet our English language requirements can choose to pursue an intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) program offered by one of our education partners or our Laurier English and Academic Foundation (LEAF) program. We’ll provide conditional offers of admission to academically qualified students who are completing an English language certificate program at one of our ESL partners or through LEAF.
Some testing centres may require our institution code. Laurier’s code is 0893.
The following testing results apply to all of our programs except our double-degree programs with the University of Waterloo (BBA/BMath and BBA/BCS). Testing results for these 2 double-degree programs are listed afterward.
When you have chosen the program you want to apply to, and you are interested in applying to Laurier only, you can apply online through our International Application website. This option will allow you to apply for up to 3 Laurier programs.
Or, if you wish to apply to Laurier and other Ontario universities at the same time, you can apply through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) using the 105F application form.
If you don’t meet Laurier’s English language proficiency requirements, you can apply to our LEAF program the same time you apply to a program.
If you’re applying to Laurier through our International Application website, check the “LEAF” option. If you’re applying through the OUAC website, download the LEAF application form and follow the instructions on the form.
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible to allow enough time for processing and for you to obtain your study permit. Please be advised that spaces in our LEAF program are limited.
Applications and copies of required documents for September (fall-term) entry should be received by May 1. If you are interested in January admission, check the OUAC website at the end of October for program and space availability.
Check to ensure your senior secondary school subjects include the prerequisite coursework required for your program of choice.
We will accept the higher of any repeated courses for admission.
In order for us to assess your eligibility for admission, Laurier requires the following documentation. Do not wait until the deadline to submit your documents; the earlier we receive your documents, the earlier we can consider you for admission.
If you are currently not in full-time studies, or if there are gaps in your academic history, ensure you fully complete the “background information” section on the online application
Your admission assessment is based primarily on your academic transcripts. While we welcome documentation that tells us about your extracurricular activities, it is entirely your option to include this supplementary information with your transcripts.
If you have previously attended a post secondary institution and are seeking transfer credit, you must send official detailed course descriptions and outlines for all courses taken at the college/university. Acceptable types of course descriptions include:
The deadline to have all official, final documents to our International Recruitment and Admissions Office is Aug. 15 for a September (fall term) start, unless otherwise stated on your offer of admission letter.
Laurier’s Waterloo campus offers a broad range of full- and part-time graduate and undergraduate degree programs through seven faculties: Arts, Music, Science, Education, Social Work, Graduate Studies and the School of Business and Economics. Laurier’s highly regarded cooperative education program offers options in Arts, Science and Business.
Laurier’s Brantford campus is dedicated to innovative programming within the liberal arts. Its core interdisciplinary program in contemporary studies can be combined with a number of other programs including law and society, leadership, journalism, human rights and human diversity, and health studies. Laurier’s Brantford campus also offers concurrent BA/BEd degrees in conjunction with Nipissing University as well as consecutive and embedded college programs with Mohawk and Conestoga colleges.
Laurier offers doctoral and master’s programs, including the only master of music therapy program in Canada. Laurier’s innovative MBA programs include Canada’s first 12-month MBA, the largest part-time weekend MBA (based in Toronto), and an innovation and entrepreneurship MBA. Programs linked to the Balsillie School of International Affairs include Laurier’s master’s in international public policy and a PhD in global governance (joint with the University of Waterloo).
Laurier Toronto is located on the main floor of the Exchange Tower building at 130 King St. West, Toronto Ontario. Wilfrid Laurier University’s Toronto office supports co-op work placements and employer partnerships, student recruitment, alumni relations, university development activities and government relations.
The Toronto office also hosts a speaker series, Career Services workshops, GMAT Information Sessions, and events to connect Laurier alumni, friends and family in Toronto.