McMaster University Admissions: Requirements, Deadlines, and Acceptance Rate

McMaster University Admissions: Requirements, Deadlines, and Acceptance Rate

Hamilton, OntarioLocation
UniversitySchool type
Estd1887established year
33147enrollment
Public
Partner [2 Courses]
7.7/10
Shahid Murshed's profile photo

Shahid Murshed

Content Writer - Study Abroad

Admission Highlights

  • Deadlines: The application deadline for 2024 has already passed. Deadlines for 2025 admissions will be published around September-October 2024.
  • Requirements: Indian students need minimum 80% marks in class 12 for undergraduate admissions to McMaster. Minimum 75% marks in bachelors is required for graduate admissions. 
  • Application Fee: For undergraduate admissions, the OUAC application fee is 10,150 INR. The application fee is 6,727 INR for masters and 9,173 INR for MBA applications.
  • Admission Decisions: For most of the programs, the admission decision is released within 6-8 weeks from the date of application.

McMaster University admissions are offered thrice a year in early August, January and May and have an acceptance rate of around 56%. The August/ Fall 2025 intake deadlines will vary from February to April 2025. For the January or Winter 2025 semester admissions, the applications will open around September 2024. All India Senior School Certificates awarded by CBSE or the Indian School Certificate awarded by CISCE, are accepted by the university. McMaster University also considers Year 12 State Board Exams with excellent results. Indian students need at least 80% marks in 12th standard for undergraduate admission to this university. Graduate programs also require more than 75% marks in bachelors. For the English language proficiency exams, you can submit any one of the following minimum scores. 

  • IELTS: 6.5
  • TOEFL iBT: 86
  • PTE: 60
  • DET: 120
  • CAEL: 70

Indian students can also opt for MELD Program (McMaster English Language Development) diploma if they do not have enough scores. This works as an academic bridging program and helps students to move on to their undergraduate studies directly. If you have a conditional offer of admission from an undergraduate program, you can opt for MELD. 

Indian students need to apply via the OUAC (Ontario Universities’ Application Centre) portal. The application fee is 166 CAD (including base application fee of 156 CAD and international service fee of 10 CAD). McMaster University application fee is 110 CAD and 150 CAD for master and MBA programs, respectively. You can apply directly to the university for graduate admissions. 

Apart from academic requirements, McMaster University also reviews your non-academic background including your high school profile, extracurricular activities and other social contributions. If you are choosing McMaster for undergraduate admissions then be informed it is one of the best universities in Ontario for undergraduate programs, especially for Medicine and Health Sciences, Civil Engineering. Looking to graduate programs? Then plan for August intake, as it is the largest intake with the majority of the programs accepting applications. 95% of the graduate students are admitted in this intake.

McMaster University Top Programs

McMaster University is regarded as one of the best universities for Medicine and Health Sciences, and Civil Engineering. Graduate students are usually funded in part by research grants from their advisor (supervisor) and in part by TA/RA salaries from the university. The combination is guaranteed to be a minimum of about 13,500 CAD or 8.25 lakhs per year. Some of the top programs of McMaster University are tabulated below with their requirements. 

Programs Admission Requirements Documents Required GMAT/GRE Scores
M.S in Computer Science Honour bachelor’s degree with Grade B+ or 77% Statement of interest | Resume/CV Not Required
MSc Computational Science and Engineering A minimum average of B+ (77%) in the last two years of study Statement of interest | 2 LORs | CV/resume | Certified copy of transcripts Not Required
MSc Psychology Honour Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in psychology or a related discipline Statement of interest | 2 Academic LORs | Official transcripts Not Required
MA.Sc Mechanical Engineering An honours Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, in a related field (engineering or science) with a minimum average of A Statement of interest | LOR | Resume Not Required
M.Eng Civil Engineering A Bachelor's degree in a relevant undergraduate program with a minimum average of B in the last two years 2 academic LORs | Statement of interest Not Required
Master of Finance 4 Years bachelor's degree with B+ average of 77% 2 LORs | Resume GMAT score of 600
MBA Honours degree with Grade B or 75% SOP | 2 LORs | Professional Resume GMAT: 600 | GRE: 308

McMaster University Admission Deadlines

The deadline dates vary for most of the programs offered by McMaster. Moreover, deadlines vary for domestic and international applicants. International applicants are advised to submit their applications well before the deadline date. Application deadlines for 2024 have already passed. Application dates for 2025 admissions will be available from September-October 2024. The tentative dates for some programs are tabulated below. 

Faculty Tentative Application Deadline Supplementary Application Deadline Document Deadline
BTech/Computer Science/Health Sciences January 2025 January 2025 April 2025
Business February 2025 (Equal Consideration) | April 2025 (Final Application Deadline) February 2025 February 2025 (Equal Consideration) | April 2025 (Application Deadline)
Arts & Science January 2025 February 2025 April 2025
Nursing February 2025 April 2025 April 2025

Note: Applicants are advised to check the deadline day once by visiting the program page before applying. McMaster University may close the application process for a particular course before the deadline if seats get filled. Additionally, the deadlines for submission of supporting documents required along with the application may vary from application deadlines for some programs.

McMaster University Graduate Admissions

More than 100 McMaster University graduate programs are offered across six major disciplines of Study including - Science and Engineering, Business, Health Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities.

Application Portal: University Portal
Application Fee: 110 CAD

Admission Requirements:

  • Undergraduate transcripts
  • GPA required: 75-77%
  • Letter of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Professional Resume and/ or CV
  • English language proficiency:
    • IELTS - 6.5
    • TOEFL IBT - 92
  • Standardized Test Scores
    • GMAT - 670
    • GRE - 305

McMaster University Graduate Admissions

McMaster University MBA Admissions

McMaster University, Canada offers three types of Master's programs in Business Administration - Accelerated MBA, MBA with Co-op, and Blended Learning Part-time MBA. The McMaster University MBA lasts up to 20 months and includes an optional 4-month paid summer internship. All MBA programs are offered through Degroote School of Business.

Application Portal: ApplyGrad
Application Fee: 150 CAD 

Admission Requirements

  • Honours bachelor’s degree
  • GPA required: equivalent to Grade B or 75%
  • Two letter of recommendation
  • Online Interview
  • Professional Resume
  • One year of professional work experience
  • English language proficiency:
  • Standardized Test Score:
    • GMAT - 600 or above
    • GRE - 308

MBA Application Deadline

The MBA application deadline for 2024 has already passed. The deadlines for 2025 intakes will be posted in late 2024. Class profiles of the MBA students are given below for your reference. 

Class Profile

Particulars Details
Number of Applicants 1,175
Total Enrolment 264
Full-time MBA Enrolment 67
Average Age 27
Countries Represented 9
Male to Female Ratio (Overall) 43:55
Average Work Experience 5 years
Male to Female Ratio (MBA Full-time) 46: 54

McMaster University Undergraduate Admissions

McMaster offers more than 3,000 full-time and part-time degrees, certification, and diploma courses at the undergraduate level. All the programs have separate prerequisite course requirements and score requirements. Some of the programs also require a supplementary application to be submitted. Students applying to undergraduate programs at McMaster must fulfil the following admission requirements:

Application Portal: OUAC
Application Fee: 166 CAD

Admission Requirement:

  • Academic Transcripts
  • Marks: 78-90%
  • Resume/CV
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Supplementary Applications
  • English language scores:
    • IELTS - 6.5
    • TOEFL iBT - 86
    • PTE - 60

McMaster University Undergraduate Admissions

The requirements of some of the courses and faculty are mentioned in the table below:

Faculty/Course Prerequisite Course Minimum Marks Requirement Supplementary Application
Arts and Science English and Mathematics (Calculus or Pre-calculus) 88% Mandatory
Business English and Mathematics (Two of Calculus, Pre-calculus, or Statistics) 86 - 90% | IB Score: 34-36 Optional
Health Sciences English, Mathematics (One of Calculus, Pre-calculus, or Statistics) Biology, Chemistry,

One non-technical course

90% or more | IB Score: 36+ Mandatory
Engineering English, Mathematics (Must include Calculus), Two of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science or Physics 80- 90% | IB Score: 30-31 Optional
Social Sciences English 78 - 82% | IB Score: 29 -31 Not required
Science English, Mathematics (One of Pre-Calculus or Calculus), One of Biology, Chemistry, One of Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics 80-90% | IB Score: 31-36 Mandatory

McMaster University Admission Decision

The admission decisions for undergraduate applications are generally released in May, while the decision dates may differ for graduate applications. Below are the admission decision dates for top graduate programs:

Program Decision Period
Master of Business Administration 6 to 8 Weeks
Executive MBA End of May
Master of Finance 2 months (approximately)
MA. Sc in Chemical Engineering 6 weeks

MA. Sc in Mechanical Engineering

April 2024 [Winter]
July 2024 [Fall]

McMaster University Selection Process

McMaster University acceptance rate is 56.5%, due to moderately selective admissions for both undergraduate and graduate programs. The university asks for various test scores and high academic performance along with submission of work experience, letter of recommendation, and statement of purpose to check any candidate’s credibility for the particular program he applied for. In recent admissions, around 70.1% of the admitted undergraduate students achieved more than 90% in their high school.

McMaster University Acceptance Rate as per Recent Admissions:

Particulars Undergraduate
Applications Received 33,726
Application Accepted 19,067
Applicants Enrolled 5,138
Acceptance Rate 56%

Student Profile and Diversity

Particulars Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
Total Enrolment 32,174 5,363
International Students 4,977 1,576
Male Students 13,954 2,346
Female Students 17,669 2,963
Countries Represented

125

McMaster University follows a good screening process before granting admission, as it is one of the best universities for higher education in Canada. Though the admission requirements may look easily attainable, the university has stringent admission policies. The admissions committee mostly has a holistic approach, applicants are hence suggested to ensure that they not only meet the academic criteria but also have made relevant progress in co-curricular and community activities. The university also offers co-op and internship opportunities. According to McMaster University QS ranking, THE rankings, McMaster is in the top 1% of the universities worldwide.

FAQs

Ques. What average do you need to get into McMaster University?

Ans. To make your application considered for McMaster University admissions, the candidate must achieve an average of 70-75% in high school to get into the undergraduate program. Some programs may require a higher academic average, which may go beyond 80%. Meanwhile, graduate programs require a minimum average between 75-77% for admissions

Ques. Is McMaster University hard to get into for international students?

Ans. The admissions at McMaster University can be tough for international students as the university admits only 12-13% of international students out of a total student body of 35,000. The overall acceptance rate at McMaster University is 56.5%.

Ques. What are the McMaster University admission requirements for international students?

Ans. The admission requirements for McMaster University are as follows:

Requirements Undergraduate Graduate
Application Portal OUAC 105 University Portal
Application Fee 95 CAD (~5,841 INR) 110 CAD (~6,580 INR)
GPA of Aggregate Required 78-90% 75-77%
Test Scores Not required GMAT: 600-670 | GRE: 305-308
Documents Checklist Resume/CV | SOP | Supplementary Applications LORs | SOP |

Professional Resume

ELP Scores IELTS: 6.5 | TOEFL iBT: 86 IELTS: 6.5 | TOEFL IBT: 92

Ques. Is GRE required for McMaster University?

Ans. GRE is not a mandatory requirement at McMaster University but can be accepted instead of GMAT scores for MBA and Master of Finance programs. MS applicants may also submit GRE scores to improve their chances of acceptance.

Ques. Does McMaster University require IELTS?

Ans. McMaster University generally requires IELTS score of 6.5 for the majority of the programs except MBA and MFin which require an IELTS score of 7.0 as part of ELP requirements. Some programs may also accept other test scores like TOEFL-IBT, MELAB or PTE. The minimum scores for such ELP tests are given below:

Test UG Score PG Score
TOEFL IBT 86 88-92
PTE 60 63
Duolingo 115 120

Ques. How long does McMaster University take to accept?

Ans. For most programs, McMaster University takes around 4 to 5 weeks to accept applications. However, in some cases, applicants can hear back from McMaster within 2 weeks.

Reviews


StreamDegree TypeStudent StatusNationalityBatchCourse
Sort By :
Newest First

Engineering (10)
Manufacturing Engineering (7)
Technology (2)
Journalism (1)
Medicine (1)
Biology (1)
Public Relations (1)
Computer Science and Engineering (1)
Health Care (1)
Advertising (1)
Faculty (7)
Master (7)
Program (7)
Tuition Fee (7)
Course Curriculum (5)
Mcmaster (4)
Multiple Choice (4)
Scholarship (4)
School (4)
Short Answer (3)
Internship (2)
Engineering (1)
Exam Structure (1)
Experience (1)
Single Room (1)

28 Reviews Found

  • Dislikes:
  • Lecture timings are bit late in night (depends on Subject)

Overview:

McMaster is ranked in the top 100 Universities globally, 4th in Canada and 2nd in Ontario after UofT. I chose this program as it is up to date with the industry requirements. After U of Ottawa, McMaster offers a Co-Op option which is helpful for students.

academic: 10/10
faculty: 10/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 9/10
placement: 8/10
extracurricular: 9/10

JP
  • Dislikes:
  • I've noticed occasional administrative inefficiencies that can cause delays or confusion. However, these issues are relatively minor compared to the overall positive experience at the university.

Overview:

I finished my first term at McMaster, experiencing an exponential learning curve. Besides classes, I joined one hackathon and three major events. Impressed with campus life and courses, I find numerous opportunities to learn and gain valuable experience, which will undoubtedly benefit my future job prospects.

Scholarship:

N/A

academic: 9/10
faculty: 9/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 8/10
placement: 9/10

J
6.2 /10

Overview:

I’ve submitted my high school diploma and transcripts. I’ve done my schooling in Italian and then I got translated them in English through WES It is a well known university. Amazing program and the location was very convenient At McMaster University, my experience was incredibly rewarding. The academic rigor challenged me to grow intellectually, while the vibrant campus community provided opportunities for personal development and lifelong friendships. The supportive faculty and diverse student body created a dynamic learning environment that enriched my education and prepared me for future endeavors.

Scholarship:

I’ve received 1000 dollar scholarship from Tim Hortons that I used towards my tuition.

academic: 8/10
faculty: 7/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 6/10
placement: 6/10

PG

Overview:

Just normal pre recorded question and answer interview which was non technical. I choose this as it is Ranked 4th in Canada and it stands in top 100 all over the globe So currently I am still studying but till date I can say it is good to go for university rather than college as it will help you in long run.

Scholarship:

No Scholarships

academic: 9/10
faculty: 10/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 7/10
placement: 9/10

V
7.7 /10
  • Dislikes:
  • The university is good. I have nothing to dislike about it except the fees. The university is good, it’s located near Toronto. Only the accommodation is costly. The university is good. I have nothing to dislike about it except the fees. The university is good, it’s located near Toronto. Only the accommodation is costly.

Overview:

My overall experience with the university is going really good. The professors are great, they teach really good and they are really helpful. They literally solve all your problems related the course. Friends as well. Folks are good too. We have so many labs and everything which makes it very easy to understand each concept.

academic: 10/10
faculty: 10/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 6/10
placement: 10/10

  • Dislikes:
  • The passing system is straight forward. The majority of your grade is determined by your assignment submissions, with the final exam making up 25% of your overall grade.,
  • Additionally, the fee structure is course-based, meaning that the cost increases as you pursue further learning opportunities. This can be expensive, especially for international students.
academic: 10/10
faculty: 6/10
infrastructure: 9/10
accomodation: 4/10
placement: 7/10

Overview:

The experience is rewarding and eye opener. I selected the university for the good ranking thinking that placement will be easy. However person had to hustle to apply for jobs and receive one.

Scholarship:

No, I did not receive any scholarship.

academic: 10/10
faculty: 10/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 7/10
placement: 3/10

Overview:

Well, my first and foremost reason would be its reputation not only in Canada but around the globe. As far as the ranking of engineering disciplines matters, McMaster provides top notch education along with practical engineering experience. I really like the structure of the program. It also involves a co-op term, which is one of the main factors that persuaded me to choose this university. McMaster is a real beauty when it comes to campus life. It has people from different nations, so you will get a chance to meet likeminded people who share similar interests.

academic: 10/10
faculty: 9/10
infrastructure: 10/10
accomodation: 9/10
placement: 9/10
extracurricular: 9/10

Overview:

The university has great industrial ties and research outcomes. The alumni network is strong with diverse courses to choose from.

Scholarship:

I recieved a Graduate Entrance Scholarship of 3000$ for the first year.

academic: 9/10
faculty: 8/10
infrastructure: 9/10
accomodation: 9/10
placement: 10/10
extracurricular: 10/10

Overview:

The admission process was not that difficult. Steps to follow or I followed: 1. Research what and where you want to study. 2. If necessary (for MS) reach out to different professors to get more details or get scholarships or TA or if the professor is accepting any research students or not 3. Give IELTS or other English exams (you can check based on University as some doesn't accept IELTS only, where you may need to seat for the different exam as well) 4. Based on your score - choose University & check the admissions process and all required documents. 5. Gather all the documents and apply.

faculty: 10/10
accomodation: 8/10
placement: 7/10
extracurricular: 9/10

Comments



No Comments To Show

Similar Colleges


Algoma University

Algoma University

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Carleton University

Carleton University

Ottawa, Ontario
Concordia University

Concordia University

Montreal, Quebec
OCAD University

OCAD University

Toronto, Ontario
Saint Mary's University

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, Nova Scotia
The King's University

The King's University

Edmonton, Alberta
University Canada West

University Canada West

Vancouver, British Columbia
University of Alberta

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta
University of Calgary

University of Calgary

Calgary, Alberta
Videos
Write A Review & Earn Upto 10 USD*

Refer & Earn 3 USD For Every Approved Review

Cash Rewarded

$1500

Reviews Collected

3k+ Reviews

interested in this College ?

Get free counselling
Important Dates
Udemy course