Faculty of Science

Return to: Admission Requirements by Faculty   

Admission to the Faculty of Science is competitive. The number of high school and transfer admissions or readmissions to the Faculty is limited. Presentation of the minimum admission requirements and average does not guarantee admission. (See Undergraduate Admission, Admission Decision Process ) Applicants will be assessed on the basis of their academic records as described below.

Grade 12 courses listed below are based on the Alberta Education curriculum.

Required Grade 12 Admission Subjects

1. English Language Arts 30-1.
2. Mathematics 30-1.
3. Two of Biology 30; Chemistry 30; Mathematics 31; Physics 30; Computing Science (CSE) Advanced Level-Career and Technology Studies (CTS).
4. Subject from Group A, B, or C

Note: Only 5-credit courses will be used for admission purposes.

Applicants to the BSc (Specialization in Science and Education) and BEd (Secondary) Combined Degree must present Biology 30 and Chemistry 30.

Note: Applicants should be aware that their chosen program may contain courses for which there are specific Grade 12 prerequisites that must be met in addition to the subjects used for admission. Please see the Bachelor of Science Course Pre-requisites webpage for more information.

BSc General Admission Requirements

1. High School Applicants

High school applicants will be considered for admission based on their average on the required five admission subjects outlined above. See High School Applicants  for minimum grade and admission average requirements.

2. Nonmatriculated Applicants

Nonmatriculated applicants are considered for admission based on their average on the three admission subjects noted below.

Required Admission Subjects

1. Mathematics 30-1.
2. Two of Biology 30; Chemistry 30; Mathematics 31; Physics 30; Computing Science (CSE) Advanced Level-Career and Technology Studies (CTS).
3. Presentation of Faculty competitive average on (1) and (2).
4. Presentation of no more than ★6 of postsecondary level course work. Any applicant who has completed more than ★6 of postsecondary level course work will be considered a transfer applicant.
5. Presentation of minimum competitive AGPA on any postsecondary level course work presented.

Note: Only 5-credit courses will be used for admission purposes.

Other Requirements

1. A minimum passing grade in each admission subject is required.
2. See also general nonmatriculated requirements Nonmatriculated Applicants .

Note: Nonmatriculated applicants are only eligible for consideration to the BSc General program. Successful applicants may apply to transfer to other programs after completion of at least one Fall/Winter in the BSc General program.

3. Postsecondary Transfer Applicants

A transfer applicant is any applicant who has ever registered at any postsecondary institution.

See Postsecondary Transfer Students for information pertaining to the admission and readmission of postsecondary transfer applicants.

4. After Degree Applicants

After Degree applicants must declare a major and minor on application to the program (see Science After Degrees ).

BSc General—Minor in Business

Admission of BSc General program students to the minor in Business is competitive. As described below, admission to the minor is normally by application at the end of Year 1.

Admission Requirements

1. Present an AGPA of at least 2.3 [the AGPA is calculated as defined in Admission Grade Point Average (AGPA) Calculation  and
2. Present an average of at least 2.3 on the following courses which must have been successfully completed:
   1. ★6 junior ENGL or ★3 junior ENGL and ★3 junior WRS
   2. ECON 101  and ECON 102   
   3. One of MATH 113, MATH 114  or MATH 117  
   4. ★3 additional in Mathematical Sciences (Mathematics, Computing Science, or Statistics)
   5. ★6 chosen from Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics or Science Psychology.

In ranking applicants for admission to the quota, 40% weight is given to the applicant’s AGPA and 60% weight to the applicant’s average on the required courses listed above. If an applicant has repeated a course, the first passing grade is used to calculate the applicant’s ranking. Admission to the minor in Business is normally at the end of Year 1, and preference is given to students who apply at that point in their program. With the exception of ECON 101 , applicants who do not have all the required prerequisites noted, but who have a competitive GPA are encouraged to apply. If admitted, such students will make up any course deficiencies during the first Fall/Winter in the Business Minor program.

BSc Honors and BSc Specialization Admission Requirements

Consideration for the first year of an Honors program requires a minimum application average of 80%, or 75% for Specialization, on the required five admission subjects outlined in Required Grade 12 Admission Subjects above.

Students need not apply to Honors or Specialization in the first year and may instead apply to the BSc (General) program and take ★18-★30 (in each Fall/Winter) with an appropriate selection of courses. Students may then apply in any subsequent year for transfer into an Honors or Specialization program by submitting an Application for Readmission and Internal Transfer to the Office of the Registrar by the application deadline. Admission beyond first year requires the minimum competitive GPA and course load in each of the preceding Fall/Winters (refer to Admissions Chart 7  for specific details for each program).

BSc/BEd—BSc (Specialization in Science and Education) and BEd (Secondary) Combined Degree

1. High School Applicants

High school applicants will be considered for admission based on the average on the required five admission subjects outlined in Required Grade 12 Admission Subjects.

2. Spoken English Requirement:
   Applicants must also meet a Spoken English requirement (see Spoken English Requirement ).

3. All qualified Year 2 BSc students in this program will be promoted to Year 3 in the Faculty of Education provided that

1. A minimum Fall/Winter GPA of 2.3 is presented,
2. A 2.3 GPA in the declared Major is achieved and
3. A minimum of ★51 applicable to the BSc (Specialization in Science and Education)/BEd (Secondary) program has been successfully completed [see BSc (Specialization in Science and Education)/BEd (Secondary) Combined Degrees Program [Science] ].

4. Postsecondary Transfer Applicants

1. Transfer into the BSc (Specialization in Science and Education)/BEd (Secondary) program: A student in an undergraduate program may transfer into the combined degrees program after the first year if all course and academic standing requirements of the BSc (Specialization in Science and Education)/BEd (Secondary) program and all admission requirements have been met at the time of transfer. Transfer will normally not be possible after the completion of two years (★60). Such applicants should apply for admission to either the BEd or BSc program and on completion apply to an After Degree program in Science or Education.
   A student transferring into the combined degrees program with transfer credit normally will be required to complete at least ★90 (normally the last ★90) while registered in the combined program.

Postsecondary Transfer Students

1. All postsecondary transfer applicants must meet the admission subject requirements as outlined in Required Grade 12 Admission Subjects to be eligible for consideration. They must be in satisfactory standing by the standards of the Faculty of Science (see Academic Standing ) and present a competitive Admission Grade Point Average (AGPA). Applicants who have been required to withdraw from the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta and have discontinued studies as outlined in Academic Standing  are also eligible for consideration.
   In determining the AGPA of any applicant, all attempted courses are deemed ‘transferable’ if they are transferable to the University of Alberta. If an applicant has repeated a course in which they previously obtained a passing grade at any institution, the repeated instance is not considered transferable and its grade will not be used in determining the AGPA.
   Transfer credit will be given for university transferable coursework with a minimum grade of C- as applicable to the applicant’s degree program in the Faculty of Science.
   1. Applicants who have never been required to withdraw (or equivalent by the standards of the Faculty of Science) in their postsecondary education and who have successfully completed ★24 or more transferable to the University of Alberta may be considered for admission or readmission on the basis of their AGPA and any other admission requirements applicable to the program that they are seeking.
   2. Applicants who have never been required to withdraw (or equivalent by the standards of the Faculty of Science) in their postsecondary education and who have successfully completed between ★9 and ★23.9 transferable to the University of Alberta may be considered for admission on the basis of both their high school average on the five required courses and their postsecondary AGPA. In order to be considered, both the high school average and the postsecondary AGPA must meet the competitive averages required for the program.
      Applicants with less than ★9 of transferable postsecondary work may be considered for admission using only their high school average on the five required courses.
   3. Applicants with one previous requirement to withdraw (or equivalent by the standards of the Faculty of Science) in their postsecondary education and who have chosen to requalify for admission by taking further postsecondary work may be considered for admission or readmission. Subsequent to having been required to withdraw, such applicants must present ★24 transferable to the University of Alberta with a competitive AGPA.
   4. Applicants with one previous requirement to withdraw from the Faculty of Science who have discontinued studies for at least one year may be considered for Fall readmission to the BSc General program on probation, subject to terms specified by the Associate Dean, Undergraduate. For students who have chosen to discontinue studies, if any coursework was attempted at any institution during this period, the grades may be taken into consideration for readmission purposes, but transfer credit will not be granted.
   5. Applicants who have failed Probation in the Faculty of Science or have been twice required to withdraw (or equivalent by the standards of the Faculty of Science) in their postsecondary education may seek consideration for readmission after a minimum five year period by submitting a written petition for readmission to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate. A formal application for readmission to the University of Alberta must be made by the appropriate deadline. If admission is offered, it will be on probation, subject to conditions specified by the Associate Dean, Undergraduate.
      Applicants who have been required to withdraw three times (or the equivalent by the standards of the Faculty of Science) are ineligible for readmission to the Faculty of Science.
      Applicants who have been expelled from any postsecondary institution are ineligible for admission to the Faculty of Science.
2. Credit by special assessment: A student who has completed systematic studies equivalent to a 100- or 200-level course that would be eligible for credit in the Faculty of Science may apply for credit by special assessment. Certain IB and AP courses or completion of online courses, for instance, may qualify a student for consideration for credit by special assessment. The application process is initiated through the department offering the course. The department may require the student to write a regular final examination covering the material of the course being assessed. With the exception of students who are eligible for consideration as a result of having completed IB and AP courses [see Applicants from International Baccalaureate (IB)  and Applicants from Advanced Placement Curriculum (AP) ], credit by special assessment is normally not available in laboratory courses. A fee for credit by special assessment will be levied by the Office of the Registrar except in the case of IB and AP courses. Credit by Special Assessment is not offered in courses in which a student has previously received a failing grade. See Credit by Special Assessment  for further information.

Aboriginal Applicants

Please refer to Admission of Aboriginal Applicants  for regulations and requirements.

Visiting Students

Students from other universities or colleges are eligible to be considered for admission to the Faculty of Science as visiting students if

1. They are degree program students at their home institution;
2. Their home institution provides a letter of permission;
3. They have completed a minimum of ★24 at the home institution;
4. Their academic record shows satisfactory standing.

Priority for visiting student status is given to students who are applying under the auspices of a formal exchange program. Visiting student status is granted for one academic year. Visiting students must reapply each year and present a new letter of permission from their home institution. As all admissions to the Faculty of Science are subject to enrollment management, visiting student admissions may be restricted.

Special Students

Special students are those who have been permitted to register over a one year period in one or more courses which are not being taken for credit toward a degree program. To be considered for admission as a special student, applicants must normally have received a university degree in science from an accredited postsecondary institution, must present a competitive AGPA, must meet English language proficiency requirements specified in Language Proficiency Requirements  and must provide a written letter of intent to the Faculty of Science Student Services Office by the application deadline. Priority in admission is given to applicants to degree programs and to applicants who have not previously attended as special students. There may be a limit on the number of special students admitted each year because the Faculty of Science is under enrolment management. Special students may not have access to all courses offered by Science departments.