Now that the application deadline has officially passed, I can confirm that we received a total of 14,548 applications for admission to undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Engineering. There are a total of 257 applicants that appear twice in the count. This happens when an applicant applies to both the architecture program and an engineering program. Some architecture applicants, but not all, apply to engineering programs. Applicants are not allowed to submit applications to two or more engineering programs at the University of Waterloo. This means that there are 14,291 individuals who have applied to one (or more) of our programs.
I have also received the official undergraduate intake targets for the Fall 2022 admission cycle. Table 1 summarizes the new admit targets for the Fall 2022 admission cycle.
Plan | Domestic | Visa | Total |
Architecture | 70 | 5 | 75 |
Architectural Engineering | 82 | 8 | 90 |
Biomedical Engineering | 85 | 5 | 90 |
Chemical Engineering | 123 | 20 | 143 |
Civil Engineering | 100 | 15 | 115 |
Computer Engineering | 190 | 45 | 235 |
Electrical Engineering | 100 | 20 | 120 |
Environmental Engineering | 65 | 10 | 75 |
Geological Engineering | 24 | 4 | 28 |
Management Engineering | 80 | 10 | 90 |
Mechanical Engineering | 185 | 25 | 210 |
Mechatronics Engineering | 185 | 25 | 210 |
Nanotechnology Engineering | 105 | 10 | 115 |
Systems Design Engineering | 85 | 5 | 90 |
Software Engineering | 110 | 15 | 125 |
Total | 1,589 | 222 | 1,811 |
Intake targets should not be confused with class sizes. The number of students enrolled in our first year programs will often be slightly larger than the intake targets. There are some students who are required to repeat first year. However, our class sizes often differ from the number of students enrolled. Some departments blend students from several programs in first year classes and some departments subdivide classes into separate co-op streams in first year. There is also the practical issue of admitting the right number of applicants to achieve the intake targets. These issues can lead to our class sizes being smaller or larger than the intake targets. In first year, typical class sizes in our engineering programs range from 80 students to 140 students.
Intake targets can be controversial. We have some programs that are in very high demand and other programs where demand is lower. I often get asked why we do not increase the targets for high demand programs. There are many factors that affect the intake targets. Some of the important factors include the following:
- Applicant demand
- Availability of qualified instructors
- Availability of support staff
- Class sizes
- Lab room capacities
- Long range plans
- Government grant funding
- Co-op employment opportunities
- Post-graduation employment opportunities
- Effects on other programs
No significant changes were made to our intake targets for this admission cycle. No new programs were added. No existing programs were removed. Small changes were made to the targets for Biomedical Engineering and Systems Design Engineering in an effort to ensure that the first year classes in these programs do not exceed 100 students.
I am sure that many of my blog readers would like to know exactly how many applicants applied to each program. This is not information that I feel comfortable sharing. There are a number of reasons for my reluctance:
- Applicants should always apply to programs based on their interests, not based on their likelihood of receiving an admission offer.
- Application numbers are not a good indication of the competitiveness of a program. A program with 100 strong applicants may be more competitive than a program with 200 applicants.
- Some applicants will withdraw their applications between now and our final admission round in May. This may happen when an applicant receives an offer to another university that they prefer to attend. It can also happen for other reasons such as an illness delaying completion of high school degree requirements.
- Some applicants will not complete the Admission Information Form by the deadline. These applicants are removed from the applicant pool.
On the subject of the Admission Information Form, February 18th is the hard deadline for submitting the Admission Information Form for applicants who have applied to undergraduate engineering programs. I just wanted to remind our applicants of the importance of completing the Admissions Information Form (AIF) on time. Every year, we have a handful of applicants that miss submitting the Admissions Information Form (AIF) by the deadline. Applicants who do not submit the Admission Information Form (AIF) are not be eligible for admission. If you have not already submitted the form, I encourage you to do so soon. You do not want to risk missing the deadline due to a computer problem or unexpected illness.
I will leave you with an image of South Campus Hall at the University of Waterloo. I took this photo about a week ago on a day when the sun was shining. It shows the welcome sign that faces University Avenue as you enter the campus. I have no doubt that many of our undergraduate students saw this sign for their first time this past week as in-person classes resumed on campus.
