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Admission Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Admission to a CS Master's program will normally require a four-year Honour's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science from a reputable university, college or institute with an average of at least 75% (or a GPA of 3/4.0) as determined by the Department. However, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Applicants for admission to the PhD program must possess an MSc degree in Computer Science from a reputable university, college or institute. At least a 75% average (or a GPA of 3/4.0) in the MSc program as determined by the Department is required. However, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Since we receive so many applicants who meet our minimum requirements, each year we must turn away many well-qualified students. For the most part, it is unrealistic to expect that you will be admitted with an average less than 78% (based on the grades of the last two academic years). Please note that in the past few years, most of the accepted MSc students have had over 82% average and most of the accepted PhD students have had over 85% average.

Entry into MSc Program for Applicants with non-CS Undergraduate Degrees

If you do not hold a four-year Honor's degree in Computer Science, to be eligible to apply for admission into the MSc program you must have the equivalent of the following:

• A 4-year Honor's-level Bachelor's degree with very high standing from a reputable university, college, or institute. As admission to our graduate program is highly competitive, only very strong students interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research will be considered.
• Computer Science 2212 (Introduction to Software Engineering), Computer Science 3340 (Analysis of Algorithms I), plus two additional Computer Science courses at the third-year or fourth-year level.

If you do not have the equivalent of the above you may register as a special under graduate student. Information concerning the general requirements for admission as a special undergraduate student is specified in the UWO Admissions Website.

Entry into PhD Program for Applicants with non-CS Undergraduate Degrees

If you do not hold a four-year Honor's degree in Computer Science, to be eligible to apply for admission into the PhD program you must have the equivalent of the following:

• A 4-year Honor's-level Bachelor's degree with very high standing from a reputable university, college, or institute. As admission to our graduate program is highly competitive, only very strong students interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research will be considered.
• Computer Science 3305 (Operating Systems), Computer Science 3307 (Object Oriented Design and Analysis) or 3342 (Organization of Programming Languages), Computer Science 3331 (Foundations of Computer Science I), Computer Science 3340 (Analysis of Algorithms I).
• One Computer Science course at the third-year or fourth-year level, different from those listed above.
• Two additional Computer Science courses at the fourth-year level.

If you do not have the equivalent of the above courses, you may register as a special undergraduate student. Information concerning the general requirements for admission as a special undergraduate student is specified in the UWO Admissions Website.

Direct Entry into PhD from BSc

For those who have a BSc in Computer Science with a very high average and wish to be admitted to the PhD program without having a MSc degree, they can only apply to a CS thesis MSc and if they academically prove themselves within the first three terms, they can ask to be transferred to a CS PhD program without completing their MSc degree. If this request is approved by their supervisor and the Graduate Executive Committee, all credits collected during the MSc program will be automatically transferred toward the PhD degree.

English Requirements

If your first language is not English and you have not completed a university or college degree in a country where English is the official language, you must provide proof of English language proficiency. Test results must be valid within two years of the first term of registration at Western University.

The Department of Computer Science accepts the following English language proficiency tests:

• TOEFL (iBT)
  Minimum overall score of 4.5 on the current 1–6 scale, with no individual section score below 4. Scores are calculated as an average, with a maximum possible score of 6. Western’s TOEFL institution code is 0984.
• IELTS (Academic)
  Minimum overall score of 6.5 out of 9, with no individual band below 6.
• Duolingo English Test
  Minimum overall score of 115.
• Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB)
  Minimum overall score of 85, with at least 80 in each section.
• Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment
  Minimum overall score of 60 out of 100.

Applicants must arrange for the testing agency to send official results directly to Western University. Permanent residents may also be required to provide proof of English language proficiency.

Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL, IELTS or test of English proficiency requirement if they have at least two full-time years of post-secondary education in an English speaking institution which is located in a country whose primary language is English.

The list of eligible countries is as follows: Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Canada, Eswatini, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

Contact Information

If you still have questions regarding admission requirements, you may want to visit the CS Graduate studies FAQ page. If you still have more unanswered questions, please direct all correspondence concerning our Graduate Programs in Computer Science to: