Students in Other Admission Categories

Admission Details

Computer Science offers 4 programs: the CS Specialist, the CS Major, the CS Minor, and the Data Science Specialist (offered jointly with the Department of Statistical Sciences)

If you are applying from an admission stream other than CMP1, you can apply to the CS Major, CS Minor, or Data Science Specialist.

If you have questions about which programs you’re eligible to apply for, contact cs.undergrad@utoronto.ca.

For students in admission categories other than CMP1, admission to Computer Science programs is highly competitive and not guaranteed. Below is a list of the requirements for applying to a CS program, but in recent years, grades for admission have been significantly higher than the minimums listed. To be eligible to apply for a CS program, Faculty of Arts & Science students from other admission categories must:

• Complete at least 4.0 full course equivalents (FCE)

• Complete CSC148H1* with a final mark of at least 70%

• Complete CSC165H1/CSC240H1* with a final mark of at least 70%

• Complete the CS Supplemental Application by the deadline

• Request the program on ACORN during the first program request period. (In ACORN, you will see an option to request programs with these codes along with program codes ending in “X”. Please select the program codes without the X.)

*CSC148H1 and CSC165H1/CSC240H1 must be completed on the St. George campus. Transfer credits will not be considered for program admission.

Important Note: Achieving the minimum grade in CSC148H1 and CSC165H1/CSC240H1 does not guarantee admission to any Computer Science Program.

Students will be assessed based on a competitive average across CSC148H1 and CSC165H1/CSC240H1, as well as the information provided on the Supplemental Application. Due to the limited-enrolment nature of our programs, students are strongly advised to plan to enrol in backup programs.

The Data Science Specialist (ASSPE1687) is a program offered jointly between the Departments of Computer Science and Statistical Sciences.

For students in admission categories other than CMP1, admission to Computer Science programs is highly competitive and not guaranteed. Below is a list of the requirements for applying to the Data Science program, but in recent years, grades for admission have been significantly higher than the minimums listed. To be eligible to apply, Faculty of Arts & Science students from other admission categories must:

• Complete at least 4.0 full course equivalents (FCE)

• Complete CSC148H1* with a final mark of at least 70%

• Complete MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1 with a final mark of at least 70%

• Complete STA130H1/STA261H** with a final mark of at least 70%

• Complete the CS Supplemental Application by the deadline

• Request the program on ACORN during the first program request period. (In ACORN, you will see an option to request programs with these codes along with program codes ending in “X”. Please select the program codes without the X.)

*CSC148H1 must be completed on the St. George campus. Transfer credits will not be considered for program admission.

** Students are strongly encouraged to take STA130H1 in their first year. STA261H1 will be used in place of STA130H1 for program admission purposes if a student has not completed STA130H1 or if they have completed both STA130H1 and STA261H1 by the time they are being considered for admission.

Important Note: Achieving the minimum grade in CSC148H1, MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1 and STA130H1 does not guarantee admission to the Data Science Specialist (ASSPE1687). Students will be assessed based on a competitive average across CSC148H1, MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1 and STA130H1/STA261H1, as well as information provided on the Supplemental Application.

The Transfer Credit Office will no longer directly admit transfer students and second-degree students to a Computer Science program, but students who have been admitted to the Faculty of Arts & Science as transfer and second-degree students may apply for competitive admission to Computer Science programs once they have enrolled in the Faculty of Arts & Science and have met the minimum requirements to apply. All students must apply for any Computer Science and Data Science program during the first program request period (typically in March & April each year). 

Important Notes

• CSC148H1 and CSC165H1/CSC240H must be completed on the St. George campus. Transfer credit cannot be used for program admission.

• If you are applying to Data Science and have received U of T transfer credit for MAT137Y/MAT157Y or STA130H/STA261H, please email cs.undergrad@utoronto.ca with unofficial transcripts from the institutions at which you completed these courses. Please submit these transcripts to us by Friday, April 26, 2024.

• Although transfer credits cannot be used for program admission, transfer credit for CSC148H1 and CSC165H1/CSC240H1 can be used to satisfy Computer Science course prerequisites (for example, for students who wish to take additional Computer Science courses without enroling a program). 

• Transfer and second-degree students may have received transfer credit for other Computer Science courses, or other courses (like Math or Statistics), that can potentially count towards Computer Science programs. Transfer and second-degree students should contact cs.undergrad@utoronto.ca after they are admitted to a Computer Science program, but before enroling in additional Computer Science courses, to discuss their course enrolment plans. 

Supplemental application

Non-CMP1 students who apply for a Computer Science Major (ASMAJ1689) or Minor (ASMIN1689), as well as the Data Science Specialist (ASSPE1687) will be required to submit a Supplemental Application. The Supplemental Application is an opportunity for the departments to learn more about the unique attributes, skills and interests of our prospective students, and allows us to assess students' potential for success in Computer Science programs alongside the academic record.

To complete the Supplemental Application, follow these steps:

1. Between March 1 and April 26, 2024 click on the supplemental application link and log in using your UTORid and password.

2. Carefully read the instructions and complete the online form.

3. Click “submit”. If you have trouble logging in, try restarting your browser, or using a different web browser.

Important Note: Your submission must come from your own experiences and be written completely by you. We may use randomized in-person follow up interviews to verify the truthfulness of your responses.

• Each supplemental application is anonymized and scored by at least two readers.

• Your score is used in combination with your marks in the specified program admission courses to sort program applicants.

• Generally speaking, successful applicants to the program have both excellent marks and strong supplemental applications.

• For tips on preparing your supplemental application, see strategies for preparing your supplemental application.

Frequently Asked Questions

This information changes every year depending on the number of applicants, so it’s hard for us to provide a specific answer. Generally speaking, admission to CS programs is very competitive, so you should have a plan in place to complete your degree that does not involve enrolment in a CS program (see some of our suggestions for this below).

To put it another way, about 50% of students who meet the requirements to apply to a CS program have been admitted to a CS program (including the CS Minor) in the past few years.

Admission to the program is determined by your supplemental application as well as your marks in required courses, so there is no marks cutoff above which all students are admitted. However, in recent years, marks in CSC148H and CSC165H/CSC240H for students admitted to the Major program have been in the A to A+ range (85%+), although students with marks in that range are not guaranteed to be admitted.

A total of 550 students from all streams are admitted to Data Science Specialist, and CS Major programs, with additional students admitted to the CS Minor. The proportion of students admitted from CMP1 and other streams is not known until program admissions are complete.

Yes, apply during the current program admission cycle following deadlines for that cycle, and you will be considered for program admission once your petition or academic integrity case is resolved, provided space is available in the program at that time. Please reach out to us when your case is resolved to ask us to review your application.

In unusual circumstances your petition or academic integrity case may still be unresolved when the next program application cycle begins. In that case, your original application will NOT be considered; please reapply during the NEW program admission cycle.

Students may repeat a course they have already passed in order to attempt a higher grade for Computer Science program admission. Students may only repeat a passed course one time under this Faculty of Arts and Science rule. All courses that have already been passed will no longer be available to students for enrolment on ACORN, so students wishing to repeat a passed course must go to their college registrar's office before or during their course enrolment period to request enrolment.

When considering repeating a course for the purpose of admission to a Computer Science program, please consider that applications to the program are accepted during the first request period only (at the end of the Winter term). This means that you will not be able to apply to the program until the following spring.

For more information on “extra” courses, please see the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar, Rules & Regulations.

For any advice about course selection, please contact cs.undergrad@utoronto.ca.

It is possible to reapply to a Computer Science program, by retaking CSC148H and/or CSC165H/CSC240H and/or submitting a new supplemental application.

However, this can delay your graduation, so we recommend exploring all your options before you decide to reapply. This could include:

• Pursuing other programs alongside additional CS courses

• Completing the requirements of a CS Minor without enrolment in the program, and then requesting to be added to the Minor in your final term of studies.

• See our resources on Making the most of a CS Minor...or even just a few CS courses for ideas

• Connect with academic advising resources to discuss your options

Extenuating circumstances (such as health-related or personal concerns) may be of concern to you because they have affected your coursework in CSC148H or CSC165H/CSC240H. You should pursue existing avenues to address course-related concerns. This can include, for example, talking to your instructor about extensions or requests for special consideration, or your college about issues affecting the final exam or extensions beyond the end of the term.

If you have experienced extenuating circumstances related to your studies that do not relate to coursework and that you feel might affect your application, please contact cs.undergrad@utoronto.ca for advice.

Opportunities for students admitted to CS or Data Science programs

Students newly admitted to programs are invited to apply to the Arts & Science Internship Program (ASIP). ASIP combines 12–20 months of paid work experience with specialized professionalism training. More information is available on the ASIP website.

Students applying to programs who have not completed CSC207H1 prior to beginning Focus requirements are invited to apply to the Focus in Technology Leadership (FTL). The FTL is designed to prepare students with industry-ready skills, strong leadership capability, and an understanding of the technology landscape. More information and application instructions are available on the FTL website.