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University of Alberta admission at a glance
The University of Alberta in Edmonton decides admission on your complete academic history in three areas: required subjects, English proficiency and grades, and admission is competitive; meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. To submit your application you pay a non-refundable fee of CAN $150 for new applicants.
The university does not publish one list of subjects for everyone: the academic subjects you need to present vary by program and faculty. Your qualification, your marks and your English proof are each checked against the program you choose.
The key facts by topic
What to settle before you apply
- Check the required subjects of your program in the university's program finder; the university says that each program will have a different selection of required courses.
- Plan the English proof early: August 1 for high school applicants and June 15 for post-secondary transfer applicants are the official dates to submit it.
- If you miss a requirement, the university offers a route in: a full-time, on-campus program that sets you up to enter a degree program in your second year.
Everything on this page comes from the university's own pages, read in October 2026. Where a page does not name the year it applies to, the text says so.
| Topic | What the University of Alberta states |
|---|---|
| Basis of admission | Required subjects, English proficiency and grades |
| Subjects | Five academic subjects, which vary by program and faculty |
| Minimum marks | 70% minimum average across five required subjects, with a Grade 11 subject mark of 60% or above and a Grade 12 subject mark of 50% or above |
| English | IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band less than 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 90 with no section less than 21 for tests before the January 2026 scale change |
| Application fee | CAN $150 for new applicants |
| Tuition | An annual and program-total tuition guarantee for the duration of the program |
| Deposit | A $5,000 tuition deposit to accept the offer |
University of Alberta admission averages by faculty
The university publishes admission-average ranges that reflect the past three admission cycles, and they run from low to mid 70s for Arts to mid 80s to low 90s for Engineering.
These ranges describe what admitted applicants held, not a cut-off: meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Treat the minimum average as a gate and the published range as the level where offers are typical.
Ranges for the programmes international applicants choose most
| Faculty or program | Range |
|---|---|
| Engineering | Mid 80s to low 90s |
| Science | Low 80s to mid 90s |
| Business | Mid to high 80s |
| Arts | Low to mid 70s |
| Bachelor of Arts Honors | Mid 80s to low 90s |
| Bachelor of Science in Nursing | High 80s to low 90s |
| Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences | Low 70s to low 80s |
Use the second-choice option
The university gives one piece of practical advice: select a second-choice program on your application that has a lower historical competitive average range. Applicants not accepted into the first choice are assessed for the second.
How the University of Alberta selects: minimum marks and subjects
To be considered you need 70% minimum average across five required subjects, based on the program you are applying to, and the marks counted are Grade 11 subject mark: 60% or above and Grade 12 subject mark: 50% or above.
The five subjects are grouped. The university sorts them into English, Group A (Humanities/Social Sciences), Group B (Fine Arts), and Group C (Mathematics and Sciences), and each program picks its own mix.
Three areas decide the file
The university states that admission is based on your complete academic history and achievement in three main areas: required subjects, English proficiency and grades. A separate admissions test is not among them in the description the university gives to international applicants.
Offers and conditions
Applicants still in school can receive an offer on predicted grades. For the American curriculum, you may be eligible for Admission with Conditions if you are currently attending high school and give your transcript to date or your course registration for the final school year.
How international students apply to the University of Alberta
International applicants apply to the University of Alberta with its own application and pay CAN $150 if new, CAN $100 if a current or previous U of A student, and that fee is non-refundable.
Deadlines depend on faculty, term and applicant type. The university's table states that these deadlines are valid for applications to the Fall 2027, Winter 2028, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 terms, and you read your own date there: click the see deadlines button to view deadlines based on applicant type, as well as view document deadlines.
Extensions
Any extensions to the deadlines posted here are updated on the Admissions and/or faculty websites, so check the faculty page of your program shortly before you submit.
Documents and translations
Documents not originally issued in English or French must be accompanied by an official English translation completed by a certified translator, while a document originally issued in French needs no translation.
University of Alberta requirements for foreign school certificates
The University of Alberta lists the accepted school certificate country by country, for example the Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife with results for Qualifikationsphase and Abiturprüfung for Germany and Baccalaureat exam results (non-technology streams) for France.
Poland adds a rule on subjects: all required matriculation courses must be met by presenting accepted grades from the Maturity Certificate exam results. The same list covers the other certificates below.
Accepted certificates by country
More countries
European Baccalaureate
Students of the European Schools present the European Baccalaureate certificate and marks issued by the Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools.
International Baccalaureate at the University of Alberta
The university offers full IB diploma candidates admission, based on predicted grades, to all direct-entry faculties, and you present six IB courses, five of which need to be the required subjects for your program.
The score needed is set by the program: present a competitive diploma score with no grade less than 4; previous competitive scores range from 30-37 points depending on your program. Your IB Coordinator sends the predicted grades: between March 1 and April 30 according to the page as of October 2026.
How IB grades become percentages
IB and school marks together
If you also take a school curriculum, we will use the higher of either your IB score or high school grade that appears on your final transcript for admission. One rule matters for the IB: all 35-level IB coursework is deemed not equivalent to 30-level provincial coursework.
Credit, transcript and scholarship
- If you achieve a final IB grade of 5 or higher on identified IB exams, you can receive advanced standing and bypass certain courses.
- All IB students are required to submit a final and official IB transcript by August 1.
- As an IB student, you may be eligible to receive up to $3,500 as recognition for your achievements in an academically rigorous program.
A-levels, AP and American diplomas at the University of Alberta
A-level applicants present GCE A-level exam results issued by a recognized examination board, and AP scores serve to fulfill the subject requirements of the program(s) to which you have applied for applicants from private-school curricula.
When the June results arrive
AP and American high school transcripts
For the American curriculum the university asks for the senior high school transcript. You may be eligible for Admission with Conditions if you are currently attending high school. AP English counts for the language requirement at a grade of 4 or better.
Credit and tuition
Transfer credit lowers the bill: high school international direct entry students will receive a tuition adjustment for transfer credit granted from AP/IB/GCE courses up to a maximum of 12 credits (maximum 6 credits per term) at the beginning of your program.
English language requirements at the University of Alberta
All undergraduate applicants to English-speaking and bilingual programs need an adequate level of English Language Proficiency prior to admission regardless of citizenship status or country of origin; the accepted IELTS score is 6.5 with no band less than 6.0.
The tests the university lists are in the table. Note the TOEFL scale change of January 2026: for tests taken from that change the minimum is an overall score of at least 4.5, with no individual band score below 4.5 on the new scale.
| Test | Minimum |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall, no band less than 6.0 |
| TOEFL iBT, tests before the January 2026 scale change | 90 total, no section less than 21 |
| TOEFL iBT, tests from the January 2026 scale change | 4.5 overall, no band below 4.5 |
| Duolingo English Test | 120, no integrated subscore below 100 |
| PTE Academic | 61, no less than 60 in each communicative skill |
| CAEL | 70, no band less than 60 |
| Cambridge Advanced (CAE) | 180, no less than 170 in each skill |
Test types the university does not accept
The University of Alberta does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) results for admissions, and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition will not be accepted for undergraduate admissions during the 2027-2028 academic year. The Duolingo test is currently valid through to 2028-2029 admission cycle.
School exams that prove English
- IB: IB English A, 5 or better and IB English B, 6 or better.
- A-level, AS-level, GCSE, IGCSE or O-level: English Language or Literature at B/6 or better, and Second Language English IGCSE is not accepted.
- AP: AP English 4 or better.
- NCUK: an overall grade of B with a minimum of C in each individual skill.
Exemptions through your earlier education
Three or more years of full-time education in English in Canada or another country/institution where English is recognized as the official/primary language of instruction can meet the requirement, and so can graduation from a degree program offered by an accredited university at which English is the primary language of instruction.
Spoken English and the Bridging Program at the University of Alberta
| Test | Speaking requirement |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT before the January 2026 scale change | Minimum score of 26 in the Speaking section |
| TOEFL iBT from the January 2026 scale change | Minimum Speaking score of 5.0 |
| IELTS Academic | Minimum score of 7.5 in the Speaking section |
| Duolingo English Test | Overall 140 with no integrated subscore below 120 |
Without a test
Six years of full-time education in English in Canada or another country or institution where English is recognized as the official/primary language of instruction also meets the spoken requirement.
The Bridging Program
The University of Alberta has five faculties that offer a Bridging Program designed for applicants who meet all other admission requirements for their program of choice, except for English Language Proficiency, but not all programs in these faculties offer the Bridging Program. Check your own program before you plan around it.
Admissions tests at the University of Alberta
The university's description of admission for international applicants names required subjects, English proficiency and grades and mentions no general entrance test for the Bachelor programmes in this report.
Tests appear in other places: the certificates that count for entry. Examples are the Maturity Certificate exam results for Poland and the National High School Exam Result for Vietnam, which are school-leaving exams you already sit.
Professional programmes
Professional programmes such as Law and Medicine ask for university study first and use their own tests; they are outside the first-year Bachelor entry covered here.
If a requirement is missing
Where you lack a required course, if you are an international student who would like to study at the U of A but don't meet all the requirements (e.g. have all the required courses), you can apply to join our Year One Foundation Program, which is a full-time, on-campus program that sets you up to enter a degree program in your second year.
University of Alberta application steps for autumn 2027
Your own deadline comes from the university's table, which is valid for applications to the Fall 2027, Winter 2028, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 terms, and three document dates sit around it.
Predicted grades go in early, proof of English goes in by August 1 for high school applicants, and final IB papers by August 1.
After the offer
The deposit is lower if you are already in Canada: the tuition deposit is $1,000 for students already studying there.
University of Alberta Bachelor programmes international students choose
This report follows five areas international applicants choose most: Engineering, Science, Business, Arts and Nursing, with admission averages of mid 80s to low 90s for Engineering and high 80s to low 90s for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
The tuition and the average differ by faculty, so the table puts them side by side.
Average and annual tuition by faculty
| Area | Admission average | Annual tuition, Fall 2026 cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | Mid 80s to low 90s | $49,952.40 |
| Science | Low 80s to mid 90s | $39,792 |
| Business | Mid to high 80s | $46,546.80 |
| Arts | Low to mid 70s | $39,232.80 |
| Nursing | High 80s to low 90s | $35,907.60 |
Computing Science
Computing Science sits in Science, and its tuition is being raised to the Engineering level: a proportional increase of 26 per cent for Fall 2027, from an annual rate of $39,792 to $52,699.20.
Nursing
Nursing needs spoken English as well, because Spoken English Proficiency is required in some Health Science-related fields (such as Nursing). Its tuition also rises: an increase of 20 per cent to peer-institution levels.
Required subjects
The subject list for each of these programs is in the university's program finder, and the university states that the academic subjects you need to present will vary by program and faculty. Match your own courses to that list before you apply.
University of Alberta tuition and fees for international students
International undergraduates pay a program rate: you will receive a tuition guarantee (annual and program total) for the duration of your program, set for the typical duration of your program plus one year.
The rate for cohort-based tuition for new international students is set one year in advance so we can provide the guarantee at the time of admission. The Fall 2027 increase is 5.5 per cent, and the Board of Governors approved the following tuition increases on March 27, 2026.
Annual tuition: Fall 2026 and Fall 2027
| Faculty | Annual rate, Fall 2026 | Annual rate, Fall 2027 proposed |
|---|---|---|
| Arts, ALES and KSR | $39,232.80 | $41,390.40 |
| Science | $39,792 | $41,979.60 |
| Business | $46,546.80 | $49,106.40 |
| Engineering | $49,952.40 | $52,699.20 |
| Computing Science | $39,792 | $52,699.20 |
| Nursing | $35,907.60 | $43,088.40 |
| Education and Native Studies | $35,907.60 | $37,881.60 |
Program totals
The presentation also gives the whole-program amounts, for Fall 2026 $156,931.20 for Arts, $159,168 for Science, $186,187.20 for Business and $199,809.60 for Engineering. The Fall 2027 column is labelled as proposed, so read your own figure in your offer letter.
What the guarantee does not cover
The guaranteed rate is only applicable to instructional tuition; non-instructional fees and residence fees are assessed to your account, subject to annual increases. Tuition is due each semester, typically late September for Fall and late January for Winter. In spring or summer, your tuition will be charged at 1/4 of your annual tuition guarantee for each term you register.
Application fee and deposit
Two payments come before the first term: the CAN $150 application fee and the $5,000 tuition deposit.
Summary: applying to the University of Alberta from abroad
Prepare three things for the University of Alberta: the right subjects, a 70% minimum average across five required subjects and an English proof such as IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band less than 6.0.
Then check the average the faculty actually admits, for example low 80s to mid 90s for Science, and the price: $39,792 a year for Science in the Fall 2026 cohort.
Where to look next
The questions below answer the most common ones in a line each.
Alberta: frequently asked questions
What English score does the University of Alberta need?
IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band less than 6.0, TOEFL iBT 90 with no section less than 21 for tests before the January 2026 scale change, and an overall 4.5 with no band below 4.5 for later tests. Duolingo needs 120 with no integrated subscore below 100.
What is the minimum average for the University of Alberta?
70% minimum average across five required subjects, based on the program you are applying to. Admission is competitive, so Engineering ranges mid 80s to low 90s and Arts low to mid 70s.
How much does the University of Alberta cost for international students?
Tuition depends on the faculty: for the Fall 2026 cohort Science is $39,792 a year and Engineering $49,952.40. International undergraduates receive an annual and program-total tuition guarantee.
Do I need a deposit to accept an offer?
For most new applicants the $5,000 tuition deposit is required in order to accept the admission offer, and it is $1,000 for students already studying in Canada.
Does the University of Alberta accept the IB Diploma?
Full IB diploma candidates receive admission, based on predicted grades, to all direct-entry faculties. Previous competitive scores range from 30-37 points depending on the program, with no grade less than 4.
Can I use A-levels or AP?
GCE A-level exam results issued by a recognized examination board are accepted, with predicted grades issued and received from March 1. AP scores serve to meet the subject requirements for private-school curricula.
Is there an entrance exam or interview?
The description the university gives to international applicants lists required subjects, English proficiency and grades and names no general entrance test for the Bachelor programmes in this report.
When is the English proof due?
August 1 for high school applicants and June 15 for post-secondary transfer applicants.
What if I do not meet every requirement?
The Year One Foundation Program is a full-time, on-campus program that sets you up to enter a degree program in your second year. For English only, five faculties offer a Bridging Program, though not all programs in these faculties offer it.
Where these numbers come from
Official pages of University of Alberta, UCAS, gov.uk and the ranking publishers. Applicant reports, where shown, are self-reported and labelled.
https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/how-to-apply/admission-requirements/competitive-requirements.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/how-to-apply/international-admission-requirements/index.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/how-to-apply/admission-requirements/language-requirements/index.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/registrar/media-library/presentations/2026-27_tuitionstudentconsultationpresentation.pdf · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/tuition-and-scholarships/international-tuition-and-fees.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/registrar/costs-tuition-fees/undergraduate-tuition/tuition-model.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/how-to-apply/international-admission-requirements/international-curricula/index.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/how-to-apply/dates-deadlines/undergraduate-program-admission-deadlines.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/admissions/how-to-apply/ib-students/index.html · https://www.ualberta.ca/en/registrar/costs-tuition-fees/tuition-increases.html
Photos: University of Alberta Arts Building, Edmonton: photo IQRemix, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons